AFL
Aflac Incorporated
AFL's outlook is improving despite an expensive valuation.
GS
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.
GS has the edge over AFL overall, supported by stronger modeled upside and stronger valuation.
AFL Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Under pressure | |
| Healthy | |
| N/A | |
| N/A |
AFL's profitability is currently healthy, but its revenue is under pressure. Free cash flow and net leverage aren't meaningful measures for financial services companies like AFL.
GS Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Strong | |
| Strong | |
| N/A | |
| N/A |
GS's revenue and profitability are currently strong. Free cash flow and net leverage aren't meaningful measures for financial services companies like GS.
AFL PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheap | 8.5x | $57.77 | -54% |
| Fair | 10x | $68.92 | -46% |
| Expensive | 14x | $98.12 | -22% |
| Forward | 17x | $127 | — |
| Current | 19x | $127 | — |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
AFL's PE is in its expensive range at 19x. If earnings grow as analysts expect, today's price would be 17x next year's earnings.
GS PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheap | 7.6x | $528 | -42% |
| Current | 13x | $914 | — |
| Forward | 13x | $914 | — |
| Fair | 14x | $940 | +2.9% |
| Expensive | 17x | $1,214 | +33% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
GS has the edge over AFL in the historical PE scenario, which offers more potential upside but is not a forecast.
AFL Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Improving | |
| Growth | |
| Stable | |
| Improving | |
| Limited | |
| Moderate |
Analysts expect AFL's earnings to grow and its profitability to improve, with its revenue holding steady.
GS Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Stable | |
| Strong growth | |
| Growth | |
| Strongly improving | |
| Limited | |
| Low |
Analysts expect earnings and revenue growth for GS, with profitability improving. However, they disagree widely on these estimates.
AFL Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $7.62 | +12% |
| Q3 2026 | $6.80 | -12% |
| Q2 2026 | $9.27 | +109% |
| Q1 2026 | $8.75 | +36% |
| Q4 2025 | $6.82 | -29% |
| Q3 2025 | $7.69 | +16% |
| Q2 2025 | $4.44 | -53% |
| Q1 2025 | $6.43 | -29% |
| Q4 2024 | $9.63 | +24% |
AFL's earnings per share have fallen from their peak: $6.80 over the past year, against $9.63 in late 2024.
GS Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $72.35 | +4% |
| Q3 2026 | $69.58 | +41% |
| Q2 2026 | $64.82 | +43% |
| Q1 2026 | $54.75 | +27% |
| Q4 2025 | $51.32 | +27% |
| Q3 2025 | $49.22 | +44% |
| Q2 2025 | $45.37 | +45% |
| Q1 2025 | $43.08 | +68% |
| Q4 2024 | $40.54 | +77% |
GS has the edge over AFL on earnings, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
AFL Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $3.3B | -31% |
| Q2 2026 | $4.1B | -1% |
| Q1 2026 | $4.3B | +28% |
| Q4 2025 | $4.9B | -9.9% |
| Q3 2025 | $4.7B | +61% |
| Q2 2025 | $4.2B | -19% |
| Q1 2025 | $3.4B | -37% |
| Q4 2024 | $5.4B | +43% |
AFL's revenue has slid since its 2020 peak: $3.3B last quarter, down 31% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 15% | -27 points |
| Q2 2026 | 24% | +4.4 points |
| Q1 2026 | 28% | +24 points |
| Q4 2025 | 32% | -7.2 points |
| Q3 2025 | 42% | +39 points |
| Q2 2025 | 20% | -20 points |
| Q1 2025 | 4.3% | -36 points |
| Q4 2024 | 40% | +32 points |
AFL's operating margin was 15% last quarter, down 27 points from the same quarter a year ago.
GS Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $18.7B | +23% |
| Q2 2026 | $20.3B | +39% |
| Q1 2026 | $17.2B | +14% |
| Q4 2025 | $13.5B | -3% |
| Q3 2025 | $15.2B | +20% |
| Q2 2025 | $14.6B | +15% |
| Q1 2025 | $15.1B | +6% |
| Q4 2024 | $13.9B | +23% |
GS has the edge over AFL on sales, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 37% | +2 points |
| Q2 2026 | 42% | +8.1 points |
| Q1 2026 | 38% | +0.2 points |
| Q4 2025 | 44% | +5.6 points |
| Q3 2025 | 36% | +4.1 points |
| Q2 2025 | 34% | +3.2 points |
| Q1 2025 | 37% | +0.6 points |
| Q4 2024 | 38% | +18 points |
GS has the edge over AFL on profitability, with a higher operating margin.
AFL Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $1.2B | -4.4% |
| Q2 2026 | $112M | -72% |
| Q1 2026 | $968M | +64% |
| Q4 2025 | $315M | -5.4% |
| Q3 2025 | $1.3B | -1.4% |
| Q2 2025 | $399M | +56% |
| Q1 2025 | $589M | -31% |
| Q4 2024 | $333M | -60% |
AFL has the edge over GS on cash generation, producing positive trailing cash flow while its opponent burns cash.
GS Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $3.7B | +72% |
| Q2 2026 | $5.6B | +7.8% |
| Q1 2026 | -$32.4B | +$5.3B |
| Q4 2025 | -$16.8B | -136% |
| Q3 2025 | $2.1B | +$40.6B |
| Q2 2025 | $5.2B | -6.8% |
| Q1 2025 | -$37.7B | -$9.2B |
| Q4 2024 | $46.2B | +$75.1B |
GS's free cash flow was −$40B over the past year, against $15.8B the year before. Free cash flow isn't a meaningful measure for financial services companies like GS.
AFL Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | -1.4% | -6.9M shares |
| 1 year | -6.3% | -33.3M shares |
| 3 years | -16% | -94.9M shares |
| 5 years | -26% | -173M shares |
| Available history | -33% | -248M shares |
AFL has the edge over GS on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $803M |
| Q2 2026 | $984M |
| Q1 2026 | $1B |
| Q4 2025 | $801M |
| Q3 2025 | $1B |
| Q2 2025 | $829M |
| Q1 2025 | $900M |
| Q4 2024 | $750M |
AFL spent $3.6B buying back its own shares over the past year, up 3.1% from the year before.
GS Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | -1.2% | -3.8M shares |
| 1 year | -4.4% | -13.9M shares |
| 3 years | -12% | -42.8M shares |
| 5 years | -15% | -52.8M shares |
| Available history | -20% | -74.4M shares |
GS has 301M diluted shares, down 4.4% from a year ago, with $15B in buybacks over the past year.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $3B |
| Q2 2026 | $4B |
| Q1 2026 | $5B |
| Q4 2025 | $3B |
| Q3 2025 | $2B |
| Q2 2025 | $3B |
| Q1 2025 | $4.4B |
| Q4 2024 | $2B |
GS spent $15B buying back its own shares over the past year, up 32% from the year before.
AFL Net Leverage
GS Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | -5.4x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2026 | -6.1x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2026 | -6.7x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2025 | -6.4x | Net Cash |
| Q3 2025 | -3.5x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2025 | -3.1x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2025 | -3.9x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2024 | -4.7x | Net Cash |
GS has more cash than debt. Net leverage isn't a meaningful measure for financial services companies like GS.
AFL Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 63.7 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 71.0 | Neutral |
AFL's weekly RSI is 64 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 71 (neutral).
GS Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 44.5 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 16.3 | Oversold |
GS's weekly RSI is 45 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 16 (oversold).
AFL PE vs Financial Services Sector
| Metric | AFL | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 19x | 13x | 43% above |
| PE % | 96 | 63 | 33 pts above |
AFL is trading at 19x earnings, a 43% premium to the Financial Services sector's median of 13x.
GS PE vs Financial Services Sector
| Metric | GS | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 13x | 13x | 0.8% above |
| PE % | 46 | 63 | 17 pts below |
GS has the edge over AFL on valuation relative to its sector.
AFL Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $119.3 | 6% above |
| 20 week MA | $120.1 | 5.3% above |
| 50 week MA | $115.5 | 9.5% above |
| 100 week MA | $110.8 | 14% above |
| 200 week MA | $97.3 | 30% above |
AFL has the edge over GS on trend strength, trading above more of its moving averages.
GS Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $895.5 | 2% above |
| 20 week MA | $977.4 | 6.5% below |
| 50 week MA | $945.4 | 3.4% below |
| 100 week MA | $804.5 | 14% above |
| 200 week MA | $602.7 | 52% above |
GS's trend is mixed: it's above three of its five weekly moving averages, and 52% above its 200-week average.
AFL Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $52.6 | $43.8 | -17% |
| 2021 | $43.8 | $57.7 | +32% |
| 2022 | $57.7 | $71.8 | +24% |
| 2023 | $71.8 | $82.5 | +15% |
| 2024 | $82.5 | $103.4 | +25% |
| 2025 | $103.4 | $109.9 | +6.3% |
| 2026 YTD | $109.9 | $126.5 | +15% |
AFL has the edge over GS on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.
GS Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $230.7 | $256.2 | +11% |
| 2021 | $256.2 | $385.0 | +50% |
| 2022 | $385.0 | $345.5 | -10% |
| 2023 | $345.5 | $385.8 | +12% |
| 2024 | $385.8 | $576.2 | +49% |
| 2025 | $576.2 | $907.0 | +57% |
| 2026 YTD | $907.0 | $913.6 | +0.7% |
GS has finished higher in five of the last six years, two of them by more than 50%. It's up 0.7% so far in 2026.