Charlotte, North Carolina-based Truist Financial Corporation (TFC) is a financial services company that provides banking and trust services in the Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic United States. With a market cap of $51.7 billion, the company operates through three segments: Consumer Banking and Wealth, Corporate and Commercial Banking, and Insurance Holdings.

Companies worth $10 billion or more are generally described as “large-cap stocks.” TFC fits right into that category, with its market cap exceeding this threshold, reflecting its substantial size and influence in the regional banks industry. TFC benefits from being the sixth-largest commercial bank in the United States and serving millions of customers.

Despite its strengths, the financial giant’s stock dropped nearly 19.2% from its 52-week high of $49.06 achieved on Nov. 25. TFC’s stock has declined 8.1% in the past three months, compared to the Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund’s (XLF) marginal uptick over the same time frame.

Moreover, in the longer term, TFC has declined 8.6% on a YTD basis, whereas XLF surged 4.8%. Furthermore, shares of TFC rose 8.2% over the past 52 weeks, underperforming XLF’s 22.6% rally over the same time frame.

TFC has been trading below its 200-day moving average since early March but has climbed above its 50-day moving average since mid-May.

On Apr. 17, shares of TFC closed down marginally after delivering its Q1 results. The company’s revenue increased 1.6% year-over-year to $4.9 billion, with tax-equivalent net interest income up 3.8%, reaching $3.6 billion, supported by lower interest expenses. Moreover, its adjusted earnings declined 3.3% from the year-ago quarter to $0.87 but surpassed the consensus estimates by 1.2%.

Its rival, Citizens Financial Group, Inc. (CFG), has declined 8% in 2025 but has surged 18.1% over the past year, outperforming the stock.

Among the 22 analysts covering the TFC stock, the consensus rating is a “Moderate Buy.” Its mean price target of $45.77 suggests a 15.5% upside potential from current price levels.

Citizens Financial Group Inc branch location-by Tada Images via Shutterstock

With a market cap of $18.2 billion, Citizens Financial Group, Inc. (CFG) is one of the largest regional banks in the United States. Headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island, it offers a broad range of retail and commercial banking products and services, primarily operating in the Northeast, Midwest, and Mid-Atlantic regions.

Companies valued at $10 billion or more are generally classified as “large-cap” stocks, and Citizens Financial Group fits this description perfectly. It benefits from a strong regional presence across key U.S. markets, supported by a well-diversified mix of consumer and commercial banking services. Its strategic acquisitions have expanded its footprint and customer base, while ongoing investments in digital banking enhance customer experience and operational efficiency.

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However, the company dipped 15.3% from its 52-week high of $49.25 met on Nov. 25. Over the past three months, CFG has climbed 1.8%, outperforming the Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund’s (XLF) 1.5% rise over the same time frame.

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However, CFG has declined 4.7% on a YTD basis, compared to the XLF’s 4.2% increase. Shares of Citizens Financial Group have gained 20.3% over the past 52 weeks, trailing XLF’s 21.4% rise.

CFG has been trading below its 200-day moving average since early March but has edged above its 50-day moving average since early May.

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On Jun. 18, Citizens Financial Group gained over 2% amid a broad rally in bank stocks, driven by reports that U.S. regulators may ease capital requirements that currently restrict banks’ Treasury trading activities.

Moreover, when compared, rival Atlantic Union Bankshares Corporation (AUB) has performed weaker than CFG. AUB has slumped 21.2% in 2025 and 5.2% over the past 52 weeks.

Among the 22 analysts covering the stock, there is a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy,” and the mean price target of $47.43 reflects a premium of 13.7% from the current market prices.

On the date of publication, Kritika Sarmah did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. This article was originally published on Barchart.com

As we hit the halfway point of 2025, the year has proven anything but calm. Markets have faced several challenges, from geopolitical tensions and new tariffs to potential shifts in fiscal and monetary policy. Still, through the volatility, specific sectors have emerged as clear leaders.

While the broader market has swung from sharp April pullbacks to flirting with new record highs, these three sectors have shown notable strength. If current trends persist, they could remain key outperformers in the second half of the year.

Here are three of the top-performing sectors of 2025 so far:

XLF ETF Offers Easy Access to Leading U.S. Financials

Financial stocks have steadily outpaced the broader market this year. While the SPDR S&P 500 ETF is up a modest 1.94% year-to-date, the Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (NYSEARCA: XLF) has nearly doubled that return, rising around 3.9%.

For investors seeking to avoid individual stock picking, the XLF ETF provides a streamlined approach to gaining exposure to major U.S. financial institutions. XLF is a cap-weighted ETF tracking the performance of the Financial Select Sector Index, which represents large-cap financial companies from the S&P 500. It avoids small caps and focuses on major players, such as banks, credit card companies, and insurers.

XLF boasts an attractive dividend yield of 1.4%, a very low net expense ratio of 0.08%, and features top holdings such as Berkshire Hathaway, JPMorgan Chase, Visa, Bank of America, and Mastercard. Together, these five names make up nearly 40% of the fund’s total weight.

Technically speaking, the ETF is consolidating near 52-week highs, which could set the stage for further momentum heading into the year’s second half. The financial sector is well-positioned to continue leading with solid fundamentals, strong institutional backing, and a bullish setup.

XLK Offers Diversified Exposure to U.S. Tech Leaders

Technology stocks have also held their ground in 2025, matching the financial sector’s performance with a 3.9% year-to-date return. The Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (NYSEARCA: XLK) has bounced impressively, recovering more than 40% from its April lows, which were triggered by tariff uncertainty. Since then, XLK has gone on to notch new all-time highs.

The XLK ETF offers exposure to leading technology companies within the S&P 500, encompassing key industries such as IT consulting, semiconductors, computing, and communications. It’s ideal for investors seeking diversified exposure to blue-chip tech names. The fund manages $75 billion in assets, offers a 0.65% dividend yield, and has a net expense ratio of just 0.08%.

Approximately 96.5% of XLK’s holdings are U.S.-based, with high exposure to software (37%), semiconductors (34%), and communications equipment (15.5%). Given its broad exposure to the top growth engines in the economy, most valuable companies in the world, and its impressive rebound from earlier market jitters, the tech sector remains arguably the most important sector to watch for overall market trajectory clues.

XLI ETF Offers Exposure to U.S. Industrial Powerhouses

The biggest surprise of the year may be the performance of the industrial sector. While tech and financials have been solid, the Industrial Select Sector SPDR ETF (NYSEARCA: XLI) has outperformed them both, surging nearly 8% year-to-date. That’s more than four times the return of the broader market.

XLI tracks the performance of large-cap U.S. industrial companies from sectors like machinery, freight and logistics, aerospace and defense, and industrial conglomerates. It offers investors a cost-effective way to invest in the backbone of the American economy.

With a dividend yield of 1.36% and a minimal expense ratio of 0.08%, XLI provides compelling value. The ETF’s top holdings include some of the most prominent names in industrial innovation: GE Aerospace, RTX, Uber Technologies, Caterpillar, and Boeing. These five holdings make up nearly 20% of the fund’s total weight.

What’s driving this sector’s strength? Renewed interest in infrastructure, defense spending, and the reshoring of supply chains has all contributed to this shift. Combined with strong earnings growth, the industrials sector is in a strong uptrend that could continue through the second half of the year.

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It’s been one year since the finance sector crumbled in the wake of the Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and First Republic Bank (FRCB) collapse. It was the second- and third-largest bank collapse in history, so bad, that the Federal Reserve needed to step in to prevent the collapse from morphing into a full-blown systemic bank crisis a la 2008. Now, articles are popping up titled ‘Wall Street is worried about another regional banking crises,’ and ‘The ghosts of last year’s regional bank collapse still haunt the banking sector.’ Is there merit to such headlines, or is it click-bait handwringing?

In early February, the Fed removed verbiage in a policy statement that classified the U.S. banking system as “sound and resilient,” a term used since last year to assuage any investor panic. This comes after New York Community Bancorp (NYCB) on Jan. 31 shed 37% and lost 11% the next day, when the regional bank reported a surprise quarterly loss and slashed its dividend. Fast forward to Friday, and NYCB took another sizable hit, shedding xx after downwardly revising that fourth-quarter loss to $2.7 billion, more than 10 times what it previously stated on Jan. 31. The regional bank also announced a CEO change, and the disclosure of ”material weaknesses” in its accounting.

In response, regional banks were down across the board on Friday. To make matters worse, seasonal data for March points to more weakness from the sector. Per a list curated by Senior Quantitative Analyst Rocky White, below are the 25 worst-performing stocks on the S&P 500 Index (SPX) for March in the last decade. You don’t need to be a chartered market technician to see the banking trend jumping off the page. Citizens Financial Group (CFG) is the worst of the worst, and one of 11 bank stocks on the list of laggards, averaging a -10.8% return in March with a slim win rate of only 22% in the last 10 years.

In addition to regional names like Fifth Third Bancorp (FITB) and US Bancorp (USB), there’s also an alarming number of heavyweights on the list; blue-chip banker Goldman Sachs (GS), Wells Fargo (WFC), and Citigroup (C). With such an obvious presence, the first question that came to mind was — are these numbers heavily skewed by the bank sector selloff of 2023?

And that’s where some context is needed. Senior Market Strategist Chris Prybal offered up the table below of the broader monthly performance of the Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLF), dating back to 2015. It wasn’t just a historically ugly March 2023 that is weighing on White’s tables and skewing the names; the XLF underperformed the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) every March from 2017 to 2020. With that in mind, maybe this is the month to fade the finance stocks.

Put traders may be ahead of the curve. At the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX), XLF sports a 10-day put/call volume ratio of 2.76, which ranks in the 64th percentile of its annual range. So not only do puts nearly triple the number of calls traded in the last two weeks, but the high percentile indicates the rate of put buying relative to call buying has been quicker than usual. Given the bank ETF’s 7% 2024 gain and 33% pop since a March 24 12-month low of $30, those options traders are either betting on a bank sector pullback or using puts as a hedge against any additional upside.

If you’re buying into another seasonal downtrend for the bank sector, consider this; White also compiles a table of ETF performance in March going back 10 years. The XLF averages a March loss of 2.9% with a monthly win rate of only 30%, the fourth-worst rate of the ETFs tracked.