Citi Q3 results: Profit falls 34% but tops Wall Street expectations

NEW YORK: Citigroup says profit fell 34% in the third quarter due to weakness in its consumer banking division.

The New York-based bank said Tuesday that third-quarter net income fell to $3.23 billion from $4.91 billion in the year ago quarter.

Per share earnings for the latest quarter were $1.40. That result topped Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of nine analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of $1.01 per share.


Citigroup posted revenue of $20.12 billion in the period. Its revenue net of interest expense was $17.3 billion, slightly better than Wall Street forecasts although down 7% from a year ago. Six analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $17.26 billion.

The bank did set aside less money for potential bad loans in the latest quarter compared to earlier in the year, a sign that some of the economic strain from the coronavirus pandemic could be easing. Citigroup's provision for credit losses was $2.26 billion in the third quarter compared to $7.9 billion in the second quarter.

Citigroup shares have fallen 43% since the beginning of the year, while the Standard & Poor's 500 index has climbed slightly more than 9%. The stock has decreased 33% in the last 12 months. Shares rose 2% in premarket trading Tuesday.