Citigroup Inc. (C) vs Oracle Corporation (ORCL): Which Is the Better Buy in 2026?
As of 2026-06-19, C is undervalued at $143, with a DCF intrinsic value of $419 and a margin of safety of 66%. ORCL is undervalued at $184, with an intrinsic value of $285 and a margin of safety of 35%. Of the two, C has the wider margin of safety.
Rewards
- ★Citigroup Inc. scores 83/100 on the Economic Moat Score (Wide Moat), with revenue predictability as the strongest competitive dimension.
- ★PEG ratio of 0.79 suggests the stock is undervalued relative to its growth rate — paying less than 1x for each unit of earnings growth.
- ★Oracle Corporation has maintained ROIC above 10% for 4 consecutive years, suggesting solid business economics.
- ★Gross margin of 65.8% indicates strong pricing power — typical of businesses with significant intellectual property or brand strength.
- ★Return on equity has consistently exceeded 20% over 3 years, indicating efficient use of shareholder capital.
Risks
- ⚠Gross margin of 0.0% is low, suggesting a competitive or commodity-like market with limited pricing power.
- ⚠Buybacks have been poorly timed — 3 out of 4 years involved repurchases at relatively expensive valuations.
- ⚠Trailing P/E of 17.7x is 50% above the historical average of 11.8x — the stock trades at a premium to its own history.
- ⚠Despite buyback spending, shares outstanding increased in 3 out of 4 years — stock-based compensation is offsetting repurchases.
- ⚠High leverage (2.89x net debt/equity) combined with thin interest coverage (-1.0x) poses financial risk.
- ⚠Insiders have sold $2.6M worth of stock in the past 3 months — significant insider liquidation.
Key Valuation Metrics
Learn more →Historical Fundamentals
Learn more →Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation. The dashed forward point is the forward P/E — today's price ÷ analyst consensus EPS.
Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation. The dashed forward point is the forward P/E — today's price ÷ analyst consensus EPS.
Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation. The dashed forward point is the forward P/E — today's price ÷ analyst consensus EPS.
$1 Retained Earnings Test
Learn more →> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer
> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer
Buffett's "$1 Test": For every $1 of earnings retained, has management created at least $1 of market value?
> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer
Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) Analysis
Learn more →Reverse DCF — Market-Implied Growth
Learn more →Requires positive FCF to compute implied growth rate.
Requires positive FCF to compute implied growth rate.
Economic Moat Score
Learn more →Wide moat driven primarily by revenue predictability. Margin Stability is the area most vulnerable to competitive pressure.
Narrow moat with revenue predictability as the key competitive advantage. Improving reinvestment efficiency would strengthen the moat.
Forensic Accounting
Learn more →M-Score Trend
M-Score Trend
Beneish's 8-variable model estimates the probability of earnings manipulation. An M-Score above -1.78 signals elevated risk — companies in this range have historically been 3-5× more likely to be manipulating earnings. Scores between -2.22 and -1.78 fall in a grey zone warranting further investigation.
Ownership Breakdown
Learn more →High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.
Insider Buying Activity
Learn more →Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises.
Insider Selling Activity
Learn more →Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives.
🎭 Mr. Market's Mood
Learn more →"Market is optimistic — be cautious and ensure you have a margin of safety"
"Market is pessimistic — investigate whether fears are temporary or structural"
Composite sentiment score based on market signals. Inspired by Buffett’s "Mr. Market" allegory — fear = potential opportunity, greed = potential risk. Must be used alongside fundamental analysis, not in isolation.
⚖️ Buffett Signal
Learn more →The Buffett Signal cross-references market sentiment with DCF valuation. Configure the DCF Analysis above to generate a signal.
The Buffett Signal cross-references market sentiment with DCF valuation. Configure the DCF Analysis above to generate a signal.
Frequently Asked Questions: C vs ORCL
Is Citigroup Inc. or Oracle Corporation more undervalued in 2026?▼
Based on our discounted cash flow model, C trades at a 65.8% margin of safety (intrinsic value $419 vs. price $143), compared to ORCL's 35.4% margin of safety (intrinsic $285 vs. $184).
Which stock has a wider economic moat, Citigroup Inc. or Oracle Corporation?▼
C scores 83/100 (Wide moat), while ORCL scores 68/100 (Narrow moat). The moat score measures competitive advantage durability across ROIC consistency, margin stability, revenue predictability, and reinvestment efficiency.
Is Citigroup Inc. in financial distress?▼
C's Altman Z-Score of 0.2 places it in the Distress zone, signaling elevated bankruptcy risk. ORCL scores 2.7 (Grey zone). The Altman Z-Score is a five-factor model that predicts insolvency within two years; scores below 1.81 indicate significant distress.
Which stock has higher return on invested capital, Citigroup Inc. or Oracle Corporation?▼
ORCL earns 9.7% ROIC versus C's 2.6%. A higher ROIC means the company generates more profit per dollar of capital employed, a hallmark of durable competitive advantage in Buffett-style analysis.
Which dividend is safer, Citigroup Inc.'s or Oracle Corporation's?▼
ORCL's dividend earns a safety score of 79/100 (Safe), compared to C's 79/100 (Safe). ORCL has raised its dividend for 3 consecutive years.