Citigroup Earnings Preview: Analysts Expect Falling Revenue, Rising EPS - Barclays (NYSE:BCS), Bank of America (NYSE:BAC)

Citigroup C announces its next round of earnings this Monday, October 17, 2011. Get the latest predictions in Benzinga's essential guide to the company's third quarter earnings report.

Earnings and Revenue:

Analysts are predicting an EPS reading of 82 cents/share and revenues of $19.51 billion. Citigroup's latest numbers will no doubt be compared with the company's year-ago quarter, when it reported a profit of 80 cents/share on revenues of $20.74 billion. We'll have to wait for Monday to see if Citigroup falls in line with analyst expectations and reports an increase in EPS and a slight decline in revenue from the year-ago quarter.

Here's how the company's reported EPS has stacked up against analyst estimates in the past:

Quarter	Q2	Q1	Q4	Q3
EPS Estimate	$0.96	$0.90	$0.80	$0.50
EPS Actual	$1.09	$1.00	$0.40	$0.80

Stock Performance:

As of October 11, 2011, Citigroup's current share price was $27.84. Shares are down 41.1% year to date. For a full 12 months, the return has declined by 9.6%. Given that these returns are generally negative, long-term shareholders are probably a little upset going into this earnings release.

Long-term shareholders are already wary of 12-month losses prior to the announcement

Average Stock Rating:

The average rating by analysts for Citigroup is a Moderate Buy. The strength of this rating has crept upwards over the past three months.

Competitors:

Want to check out the performance of Citigroup closest competitors? Take a look at some of the company's peers in the financials sector.

Bank of America BAC: Hold with a -$0.90 recent quarter EPS
Deutsche Bank AG (USA DB: Hold with a $1.78 recent quarter EPS
Goldman Sachs Group GS: Hold with a $1.85 recent quarter EPS
Barclays (BCS): Moderate Buy with a $0.60 recent quarter EPS

The banks-major regional company's industry has seen price/earnings growth of 0.9% during the current fiscal year.

Finally, a description of the company's main areas of operation: Citigroup is a financial services holding company that provides corporations, governments, and consumers with a broad range of financial products and services.

Take Action:

There is your peek into Citigroup's upcoming earnings numbers, including some competitors to watch around the time of the announcement. Check back in with us after the announcement for a full recap. In the meantime, here are some links to explore today.

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