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C vs. SCHW: Citigroup vs. Charles Schwab Stock Comparison

How do Citigroup (C) and Charles Schwab (SCHW) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Citigroup (C) and Charles Schwab (SCHW) share the Financials sector but sit in different industry groups — C in Banks and SCHW in Financial Services.

Company profile comparison for Citigroup (C) and Charles Schwab (SCHW)
Profile ItemCSCHW
NameCitigroup Inc.The Charles Schwab Corporation
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorFinancialsFinancials
GICS Industry GroupBanksFinancial Services
GICS IndustryBanksCapital Markets
GICS Sub-IndustryDiversified BanksInvestment Banking & Brokerage
Market Capitalization197.05 billion USD158.22 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateJanuary 3, 1977September 22, 1987
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

C
SCHW
GSPC
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Citigroup (C) vs. Charles Schwab (SCHW), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Citigroup (C) and Charles Schwab (SCHW). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Citigroup (C) and Charles Schwab (SCHW). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Citigroup (C) and Charles Schwab (SCHW)
MetricCSCHW
Total Return (1Y)23.42%-0.80%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)47.29%21.35%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)16.24%4.31%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

C
SCHW
GSPC
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Citigroup (C) vs. Charles Schwab (SCHW), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Citigroup (C) and Charles Schwab (SCHW). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Citigroup (C) and Charles Schwab (SCHW)
MetricCSCHW
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)29.96%26.01%
Beta (5Y)1.170.74
Max Drawdown (5Y)-40.60%-49.70%
Avg. Volume (3M)9.35M8.22M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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C and SCHW are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. Each dashed Capital Allocation Line uses that stock's own industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Citigroup (C) and Charles Schwab (SCHW)
MetricCSCHW
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.64-0.20
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.90-0.26

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Charles Schwab (SCHW) at 21.12% is around its peer norm for ROE, while Citigroup (C) at 9.35% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker returns on shareholders’ equity.

C

Banks industry group

9.35%

Max
19.84%
Q3
13.67%
Median
11.49%
Q1
9.50%
C
9.35%
Min
3.64%

SCHW

Financial Services industry group

21.12%

Max
44.78%
Q3
21.85%
SCHW
21.12%
Median
12.91%
Q1
4.48%
Min
-18.71%
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Citigroup (C) vs. Charles Schwab (SCHW): A comparison of their ROE against their respective Banks and Financial Services industry group benchmarks.

Net Margin (TTM)

Charles Schwab (SCHW) at 39.33% keeps a top-quartile share of each sales dollar as profit, while Citigroup (C) at 23.21% keeps a bottom-quartile share.

C

Banks industry group

23.21%

Max
47.19%
Q3
35.25%
Median
31.21%
Q1
27.11%
C
23.21%
Min
14.93%

SCHW

Financial Services industry group

39.33%

Max
62.84%
SCHW
39.33%
Q3
28.05%
Median
15.36%
Q1
4.82%
Min
-28.52%
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Citigroup (C) vs. Charles Schwab (SCHW): A comparison of their net margin against their respective Banks and Financial Services industry group benchmarks.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Charles Schwab (SCHW) reports operating margin of 52.67%; Citigroup (C) doesn’t report a comparable line — in Banks, funding costs sit inside the core business rather than below an operating line, so profitability is better judged on net margin or ROE.

C

Banks industry group

--

C
--
Max
--
Q3
--
Median
--
Q1
--
Min
--

SCHW

Financial Services industry group

52.67%

Max
107.33%
Q3
55.90%
SCHW
52.67%
Median
30.09%
Q1
14.60%
Min
-44.34%
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Citigroup (C) vs. Charles Schwab (SCHW): C’s operating margin is not assessed under the Banks industry convention, so the chart shows available visual context for SCHW only.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Citigroup (C) and Charles Schwab (SCHW)
MetricCSCHW
ROE (TTM)9.35%21.12%
ROA (TTM)0.71%2.16%
Net Margin (TTM)23.21%39.33%
Operating Margin (TTM)--52.67%
Gross Margin (TTM)----

Growth

Revenue Growth

Charles Schwab (SCHW) at 22.01% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Citigroup (C) at 5.63% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

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Citigroup (C) vs. Charles Schwab (SCHW): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Charles Schwab (SCHW) at 55.52% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while Citigroup (C) at 17.68% is closer to the peer norm — faster per-share earnings growth for SCHW.

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Citigroup (C) vs. Charles Schwab (SCHW): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Citigroup (C) and Charles Schwab (SCHW)
MetricCSCHW
Revenue Growth (YoY)5.63%22.01%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)4.59%4.83%
EPS Growth (YoY)17.68%55.52%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)-0.05%9.93%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

current ratio doesn’t apply on either side: Citigroup (C) in Banks and Charles Schwab (SCHW) in Financial Services both report balance sheets without a current/non-current split, so their short-term liquidity is better judged through regulatory and funding measures.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

debt-to-equity ratio is set aside for both: Citigroup (C) in Banks and Charles Schwab (SCHW) in Financial Services run businesses where balance-sheet leverage is part of the model, so capital-adequacy and funding measures are the better gauges of balance-sheet risk.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Citigroup (C) and Charles Schwab (SCHW)
MetricCSCHW
Current Ratio (MRQ)----
Debt / Equity (MRQ)----
Net Debt / EBITDA----

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Citigroup (C) at 2.09% and Charles Schwab (SCHW) at 1.33% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

C

Banks industry group

2.09%

Max
5.79%
Q3
3.18%
Median
2.39%
C
2.09%
Q1
1.20%
Min
0.00%

SCHW

Financial Services industry group

1.33%

Max
9.77%
Q3
3.92%
SCHW
1.33%
Median
1.09%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Citigroup (C) vs. Charles Schwab (SCHW): A comparison of their dividend yield against their respective Banks and Financial Services industry group benchmarks.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Citigroup (C) at 24.07% and Charles Schwab (SCHW) at 21.03% keep payout ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges — dividend policies that share earnings without consuming too much of them.

C

Banks industry group

24.07%

Max
70.75%
Q3
41.28%
Median
29.26%
C
24.07%
Q1
18.98%
Min
0.00%

SCHW

Financial Services industry group

21.03%

Max
241.07%
Q3
97.36%
Median
25.77%
SCHW
21.03%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Citigroup (C) vs. Charles Schwab (SCHW): A comparison of their payout ratio against their respective Banks and Financial Services industry group benchmarks.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Citigroup (C) and Charles Schwab (SCHW)
MetricCSCHW
Dividend Yield (TTM)2.09%1.33%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)24.07%21.03%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Citigroup (C) at 11.60 and Charles Schwab (SCHW) at 15.64 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

C

Banks industry group

11.60

Max
18.16
Q3
13.75
Median
11.81
C
11.60
Q1
10.64
Min
6.49

SCHW

Financial Services industry group

15.64

Max
45.85
Q3
24.64
SCHW
15.64
Median
15.37
Q1
9.68
Min
0.16
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Citigroup (C) vs. Charles Schwab (SCHW): A comparison of their P/E ratio against their respective Banks and Financial Services industry group benchmarks.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Charles Schwab (SCHW) shows P/S ratio of 5.85; for Citigroup (C) the multiple is skipped — in Banks, income is dominated by interest spread rather than a conventional revenue line, so pricing per dollar of sales loses meaning and book- or earnings-based multiples carry the comparison.

C

Banks industry group

--

C
--
Max
--
Q3
--
Median
--
Q1
--
Min
--

SCHW

Financial Services industry group

5.85

Max
9.23
SCHW
5.85
Q3
4.57
Median
2.72
Q1
1.28
Min
-0.55
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Citigroup (C) vs. Charles Schwab (SCHW): C’s P/S ratio is not assessed under the Banks industry convention, so the chart shows available visual context for SCHW only.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Citigroup (C) at 1.03 sits in the lower P/B ratio quartile against book while Charles Schwab (SCHW) at 3.08 is valued near its industry’s middle — C is cheaper on assets, though weigh it against ROE and asset quality.

C

Banks industry group

1.03

Max
2.28
Q3
1.58
Median
1.32
Q1
1.10
C
1.03
Min
0.59

SCHW

Financial Services industry group

3.08

Max
7.79
Q3
3.63
SCHW
3.08
Median
1.57
Q1
0.81
Min
-0.39
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Citigroup (C) vs. Charles Schwab (SCHW): A comparison of their P/B ratio against their respective Banks and Financial Services industry group benchmarks.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Citigroup (C) and Charles Schwab (SCHW)
MetricCSCHW
P/E Ratio (TTM)11.6015.64
P/S Ratio (TTM)--5.85
P/B Ratio (MRQ)1.033.08
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)----