C vs HSBC

Citigroup and HSBC Holdings plc, both Financial Services

HSBC Holdings plc is the larger company at $326B against $244B. On trailing earnings C is the cheaper of the two at a P/E of 19.6 against 88.6, a gap that is only a bargain if the two are growing at similar rates. Over the past year HSBC returned +73% against +48% for C. Ryufin's sector-relative Smart Score puts HSBC ahead, 6/10 against 2/10.

Citigroup and HSBC Holdings plccompared on valuation, return and Ryufin’s Smart Score
FigureCHSBC
Last close$137$106
Market cap$244B$326B
Trailing P/Elower is cheaper for the same earnings, not automatically better19.688.6
1-year return+48%+73%
5-year return+121%+406%
Ryufin Smart Scoresector-relative, 1–102/106/10

Figures from SEC filings and end-of-day closes. Highlighting marks the higher or lower number, which is not the same as the better investment, a low P/E can be a warning and a high one can be deserved.

Citigroup

Revenue of $20B in Q4 2025, net income $2.5B. Its largest reported line is Markets, 30% of the disclosed total.

HSBC Holdings plc

Revenue of $34B in H2 2025, net income $11B.

Open these two in the interactive comparison to add more names, change the period or see the correlation.