ZACKSยท2025-06-16 16:51Core Insights - Citigroup and JPMorgan Chase are significant players in the U.S. financial sector, each with distinct investment profiles, involved in investment banking, trading, and consumer finance while facing rising credit risks and macroeconomic uncertainty [1] Group 1: JPMorgan Chase - JPMorgan is expanding its affluent banking services by opening 14 new financial centers across California, Florida, Massachusetts, and New York, with plans to nearly double this number by 2026 and open over 500 branches by 2027 [2] - The Federal Reserve's steady interest rates are expected to support JPMorgan's net interest income (NII), projected to be $94.5 billion in 2025, reflecting a nearly 2% year-over-year increase [3] - JPMorgan holds the top position for global investment banking fees, although short-term prospects appear uncertain due to economic instability, with a projected decline in IB fees in the mid-teens range from $2.46 billion in the same quarter last year [4] - The company anticipates card net charge-off (NCO) rates to be 3.6% this year, potentially rising to 3.6-3.9% in 2026, indicating pressure on asset quality due to high rates and quantitative tightening [5] Group 2: Citigroup - Citigroup is focusing on leaner operations to reduce costs, including an organizational restructuring and the elimination of 20,000 jobs by 2025, while exiting consumer banking in 14 markets across Asia and EMEA [6][7] - The company is winding down its consumer banking operations in Korea and Russia and preparing for an IPO of its consumer banking and small business operations in Mexico, aiming to reduce operational risks and free up capital for high-return segments [8] - Citigroup expects its Markets and Banking segments to improve in Q2 2025, projecting market revenues to grow in the mid to high-single-digit range year-over-year and IB revenues to increase in the mid-single-digit percentage [9] - The bank anticipates a 2-3% year-over-year rise in NII in 2025, supported by decent loan demand and higher deposit balances, despite facing higher credit costs [10] Group 3: Performance and Valuation - Over the past year, Citigroup and JPMorgan shares have risen 34.3% and 41.8%, respectively, compared to the industry's growth of 32.7% [11] - Citigroup is trading at a forward P/E of 9.28X, higher than its five-year median of 8.45X, while JPMorgan's forward P/E is 14.05X, above its five-year median of 12.25X [12] - Citigroup's stock is trading at a discount compared to the industry average of 13.53X and is less expensive than JPMorgan [14] - Citigroup has a dividend yield of 2.93% after a 6% hike in its quarterly dividend to 56 cents per share, while JPMorgan's yield is 2.11% following a 12% increase to $1.40 per share [17] Group 4: Future Outlook - JPMorgan's 2025 sales are expected to decline by 1.8%, with a 6.8% fall in earnings, while 2026 sales are projected to rise by 2% and earnings by 5.3% [21] - Citigroup's 2025 and 2026 sales are expected to grow by 3.2% and 3.1%, respectively, with earnings jumping by 24.2% and 24.8% [22] - Citigroup's strategic transformation and capital redeployment towards high-growth areas present a more attractive risk-reward profile for long-term investors compared to JPMorgan's current challenges [24][25]