Citigroup Inc. C reported second-quarter 2026 earnings per share of $3.15, which surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.72. In the prior-year quarter, the company reported earnings per share of $1.96.
C shares rose nearly 1.8% in the early trading session. A full day’s trading session will depict a clearer picture.
The company’s results benefited from a year-over-year rise in net interest income (NII) and growth across each of its five core businesses. Citigroup also registered a year-over-year increase of 44% in investment banking revenues and positive operating leverage. However, higher operating expenses and a weaker capital position acted as offsetting factors.
Net income in the quarter was $5.8 billion, up 45.1% from the prior-year quarter.
C’s Revenues Increase, Expenses Rise
Revenues, net of interest expenses, were $24.8 billion in the second quarter of 2026, up 14.3% year over year. The top line surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 4.6%.
NII rose 12.8% year over year to $17.1 billion, while non-interest revenues increased 17.7% to $7.6 billion.
Citigroup’s operating expenses increased 4.7% year over year to $14.2 billion. The rise was driven by higher compensation and benefits, transactional and product servicing expenses, deposit insurance costs and the impact of foreign exchange translation, partly offset by lower professional services expenses.
Citigroup’s Segmental Performance
In the Services segment, total revenues, net of interest expenses, were $6.4 billion, up 17.5% year over year. The increase reflected growth in Treasury and Trade Solutions and Securities Services.
The Markets segment’s revenues increased 17.2% year over year to $7 billion, driven by growth in Fixed Income and Equity markets revenues.
Banking revenues were $1.9 billion, up 34% year over year, primarily driven by a rise in Investment Banking revenues. Debt Capital Markets revenues rose 65% and Equity Capital Markets revenues surged 92%, while Advisory revenues declined 4%.
In the Wealth segment, revenues were $3.2 billion, rising 12.9% year over year. The increase was driven by growth across Citigold and Retail Banking, the Private Bank and Wealth at Work.
U.S. Consumer Cards revenues were $4.5 billion, up 1.1% year over year, driven by higher NII on increased interest-earning balances, largely offset by lower non-interest revenues.
In the All Other segment, on a managed basis, revenues were $1.7 billion, up 1.2% year over year.
C’s Balance Sheet Position Solid
At the end of the second quarter of 2026, the company’s deposits rose 3.2% from the prior quarter to $1.49 trillion. Its loans also increased 4.2% on a sequential basis to $793.6 billion.
Citigroup’s Credit Quality
Total non-accrual loans decreased 3.7% year over year to $3.2 billion. Total allowance for credit losses was $22.2 billion at the quarter-end, down from $23.7 billion in the prior-year period.
Provisions for credit losses and benefits, and claims were $2.5 billion in the quarter, down 12.2% year over year.
C’s Capital Position Weak
At the end of the second quarter of 2026, Citigroup’s Common Equity Tier 1 capital ratio was 12.8%, down from 13.5% in the second quarter of 2025. The company’s supplementary leverage ratio in the reported quarter was 5.2%, down from the prior-year quarter’s 5.5%.
Citigroup’s Capital Deployment
During the quarter, Citigroup returned nearly $5 billion to common shareholders through share repurchases and dividends.
Our Viewpoint on C
Citigroup’s second-quarter 2026 results reflected broad-based business strength, supported by higher NII, solid fee momentum, and positive operating leverage. Growth across Services, Markets, Banking, Wealth and U.S. Consumer Cards was encouraging. Yet, elevated expenses and pressure on capital ratios remain watch points.
The company completed the sale of its Consumer Banking business in Poland and 22.6% of its 24% equity stake in Banamex during the quarter. The company’s continued investments, disciplined execution, and focus on its five interconnected businesses are expected to support its performance.
Citigroup Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise
Citigroup Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Citigroup Inc. Quote
Currently, Citigroup carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Earnings Dates & Expectations of Other Banks
M&T Bank MTB is slated to report second-quarter 2026 numbers on July 15.
Over the past week, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for M&T Bank’s quarterly earnings has remained unchanged at $4.66 per share. This indicates a 8.9% rise from the prior-year quarter’s reported figure.
U.S. Bancorp USB is scheduled to release second-quarter 2026 earnings on July 16.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for U.S. Bancorp’s quarterly earnings has been revised upward to $1.28 per share over the past seven days. This indicates a 15.3% rise from the prior-year quarter’s actual.
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