2019 revenue growth a catalyst

Patrick T. Fallon | Bloomberg | Getty Images

A customer exits a Wells Fargo & Co. bank branch in Los Angeles Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Citi Research upgraded Wells Fargo shares to a buy rating from neutral on Friday, saying the bank has a “clear path to improving returns” with a reasonable valuation.

“We see them returning to positive revenue growth in mid-2019, which can serve as a catalyst to the stock as can help drive home the story that the issues are moving to rear view mirror,” Citi’s Keith Horowitz said in a note.

Citi believes this is a good time for investors to buy in to Wells Fargo.

“We think [Wells Fargo] should fare well on the credit side; particularly as the lack of balance sheet growth will be a positive attribute when ‘late cycle’ concerns weigh on other names,” Horowitz said.

Shares of Wells Fargo rose 1 percent in premarket trading from Thursday’s close of $53.56. Citi has a $60 price target on Wells Fargo stock.