CNS
Cohen & Steers, Inc.
CNS offers stronger valuation, but that advantage does not outweigh its weaker overall profile.
GS
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.
GS has the edge over CNS overall, supported by stronger fundamentals and stronger modeled upside.
CNS Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Healthy | |
| Strong | |
| N/A | |
| N/A |
CNS's revenue and profitability are currently healthy. Free cash flow and net leverage aren't meaningful measures for financial services companies like CNS.
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.
CNS PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheap | 19x | $60.37 | -15% |
| Forward | 20x | $71.42 | — |
| Current | 22x | $71.42 | — |
| Fair | 25x | $80.45 | +13% |
| Expensive | 32x | $105 | +47% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
CNS has the edge over GS in the historical PE scenario, which offers more potential upside but is not a forecast.
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's PE is 13x, but its earnings don't support one, so it isn't a reliable read right now.
CNS Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Improving | |
| Growth | |
| Stable | |
| Improving | |
| Limited | |
| High |
Analysts expect CNS'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.
CNS Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $3.64 | +12% |
| Q3 2026 | $3.25 | +1.9% |
| Q2 2026 | $3.25 | +3.2% |
| Q1 2026 | $3.02 | -1.3% |
| Q4 2025 | $2.97 | 0% |
| Q3 2025 | $3.19 | +19% |
| Q2 2025 | $3.15 | +23% |
| Q1 2025 | $3.06 | +19% |
| Q4 2024 | $2.97 | +14% |
CNS earned $3.25 per share over the past year, up 1.9% from the year before.
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 CNS on earnings, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
CNS Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $157.4M | +11% |
| Q2 2026 | $152.7M | +12% |
| Q1 2026 | $145.6M | +8.3% |
| Q4 2025 | $143.8M | +2.9% |
| Q3 2025 | $141.7M | +6.4% |
| Q2 2025 | $136.1M | +12% |
| Q1 2025 | $134.5M | +9.6% |
| Q4 2024 | $139.8M | +17% |
CNS's revenue has grown year over year for 10 quarters in a row: $157M last quarter, up 11% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 32% | -2.1 points |
| Q2 2026 | 35% | +2.7 points |
| Q1 2026 | 34% | +0.8 points |
| Q4 2025 | 28% | -7.3 points |
| Q3 2025 | 35% | +0.8 points |
| Q2 2025 | 32% | +0.3 points |
| Q1 2025 | 34% | +0.8 points |
| Q4 2024 | 35% | +3.5 points |
CNS's operating margin was 32% last quarter, down 2.1 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's revenue is growing: $18.7B last quarter, up 23% from the same quarter a year ago.
| 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 CNS on profitability, with a higher operating margin.
CNS Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $20M | -62% |
| Q1 2026 | -$51.4M | +$58.7M |
| Q4 2025 | $776K | -98% |
| Q3 2025 | $52.6M | +117% |
| Q2 2025 | -$69.8M | -357% |
| Q1 2025 | -$110M | -20588% |
| Q4 2024 | $33.1M | -31% |
| Q3 2024 | $24.2M | -50% |
CNS has the stronger cash trend. Its trailing FCF is down 71% versus its history, compared with GS at down 278%.
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.
CNS Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | +0.5% | +253K shares |
| 1 year | +1.1% | +542K shares |
| 3 years | +5% | +2.5M shares |
| 5 years | +5.8% | +2.9M shares |
| Available history | +7% | +3.4M shares |
CNS has 52M diluted shares, up 1.1% from a year ago.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $358,000 |
| Q2 2026 | $394,000 |
| Q1 2026 | $16.9M |
| Q4 2025 | $1.6M |
| Q3 2025 | $258,000 |
| Q2 2025 | $621,000 |
| Q1 2025 | $26M |
| Q4 2024 | $1.5M |
CNS spent $19M buying back its own shares over the past year, down 32% 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 the edge over CNS on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
| 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.
CNS Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | -0.3x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2026 | -0.3x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2026 | -0.3x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2025 | -0.8x | Net Cash |
| Q3 2025 | -0.5x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2025 | -0.5x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2025 | -0.4x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2024 | -1.0x | Net Cash |
CNS has more cash than debt. Net leverage isn't a meaningful measure for financial services companies like CNS.
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 the edge over CNS on leverage, with a lower net debt burden relative to earnings.
CNS Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 44.8 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 33.9 | Neutral |
CNS's weekly RSI is 45 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 34 (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).
CNS PE vs Financial Services Sector
| Metric | CNS | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 22x | 13x | 69% above |
| PE % | 33 | 63 | 30 pts below |
CNS is trading at 22x earnings, a 69% 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 CNS on valuation relative to its sector.
CNS Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $71.8 | 0.5% below |
| 20 week MA | $77.0 | 7.2% below |
| 50 week MA | $71.1 | 0.4% above |
| 100 week MA | $74.1 | 3.6% below |
| 200 week MA | $73.1 | 2.3% below |
CNS's trend is mixed: it's above one of its five weekly moving averages, and 2.3% below its 200-week average.
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 has the edge over CNS on trend strength, trading above more of its moving averages.
CNS Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $62.7 | $73.4 | +17% |
| 2021 | $73.4 | $90.0 | +23% |
| 2022 | $90.0 | $63.2 | -30% |
| 2023 | $63.2 | $75.7 | +20% |
| 2024 | $75.7 | $93.4 | +23% |
| 2025 | $93.4 | $64.2 | -31% |
| 2026 YTD | $64.2 | $71.4 | +11% |
CNS 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.