GS
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.
GS has the edge over HLI overall, supported by stronger fundamentals and stronger valuation.
HLI
Houlihan Lokey, Inc.
HLI has slightly lower modeled downside risk, despite its lower overall score.
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.
HLI Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Stable | |
| Healthy | |
| N/A | |
| N/A |
HLI's profitability is currently healthy, and its revenue is stable. Free cash flow and net leverage aren't meaningful measures for financial services companies like HLI.
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.
HLI PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheap | 17x | $101 | -29% |
| Forward | 18x | $143 | — |
| Fair | 22x | $134 | -6.7% |
| Current | 24x | $143 | — |
| Expensive | 32x | $193 | +34% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
HLI has the edge over GS in the historical PE scenario, which offers more potential upside but is not a forecast.
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.
HLI Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Strongly improving | |
| Growth | |
| Growth | |
| Improving | |
| Limited | |
| Moderate |
HLI has the edge over GS on the outlook, with more favorable valuation expectations.
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 HLI on earnings, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
HLI Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $8.11 | +36% |
| Q3 2026 | $5.96 | -3.9% |
| Q2 2026 | $5.95 | +0.2% |
| Q1 2026 | $6.22 | +6.9% |
| Q4 2025 | $6.51 | +24% |
| Q3 2025 | $6.20 | +27% |
| Q2 2025 | $5.94 | +32% |
| Q1 2025 | $5.82 | +42% |
| Q4 2024 | $5.24 | +35% |
HLI earned $5.96 per share over the past year, down 3.9% from the year before.
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 HLI 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 HLI on profitability, with a higher operating margin.
HLI Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $692M | +4.9% |
| Q2 2026 | $511M | -16% |
| Q1 2026 | $635.6M | -4.6% |
| Q4 2025 | $717.1M | +13% |
| Q3 2025 | $659.5M | +15% |
| Q2 2025 | $605.3M | +18% |
| Q1 2025 | $666.4M | +28% |
| Q4 2024 | $634.4M | +24% |
HLI's revenue fell from its 2021 peak and has held roughly level since: $692M last quarter, up 4.9% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 22% | -0.7 points |
| Q2 2026 | 15% | +0.4 points |
| Q1 2026 | 20% | -1.2 points |
| Q4 2025 | 22% | +1 points |
| Q3 2025 | 23% | +0.2 points |
| Q2 2025 | 15% | -3.8 points |
| Q1 2025 | 21% | +1.2 points |
| Q4 2024 | 21% | +2.6 points |
HLI's operating margin was 22% last quarter, down 0.7 points from the same quarter a year ago.
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.
HLI Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $240M | -26% |
| Q2 2026 | -$342M | -$197.2M |
| Q1 2026 | $286.8M | -17% |
| Q4 2025 | $217M | -17% |
| Q3 2025 | $322.8M | +16% |
| Q2 2025 | -$144.8M | -$69.4M |
| Q1 2025 | $343.9M | +61% |
| Q3 2024 | $278.7M | +148% |
HLI has the edge over GS on cash generation, producing positive trailing cash flow while its opponent burns cash.
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 HLI 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.
HLI Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | -0.9% | -600K shares |
| 1 year | -2.3% | -1.6M shares |
| 3 years | -1.3% | -867K shares |
| 5 years | -2.3% | -1.6M shares |
| Available history | +2.1% | +1.4M shares |
HLI has 67M diluted shares, down 2.3% from a year ago, with $238M in buybacks over the past year.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $50M |
| Q2 2026 | $50M |
| Q1 2026 | $50M |
| Q4 2025 | $87.9M |
| Q3 2025 | $29.7M |
| Q2 2025 | $7.8M |
| Q1 2025 | $52.2M |
| Q4 2024 | $86,000 |
HLI spent $238M buying back its own shares over the past year, up 165% from the year before.
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 HLI on leverage, with a lower net debt burden relative to earnings.
HLI Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | -1.5x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2026 | -1.4x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2026 | -2.1x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2025 | -1.8x | Net Cash |
| Q3 2025 | -1.6x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2025 | -1.5x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2025 | -1.8x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2024 | -1.6x | Net Cash |
HLI has more cash than debt. Net leverage isn't a meaningful measure for financial services companies like HLI.
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).
HLI Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 54.3 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 68.0 | Neutral |
HLI's weekly RSI is 54 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 68 (neutral).
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 HLI on valuation relative to its sector.
HLI PE vs Financial Services Sector
| Metric | HLI | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 24x | 13x | 85% above |
| PE % | 57 | 63 | 6 pts below |
HLI is trading at 24x earnings, a 85% premium to the Financial Services sector's median of 13x.
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.
HLI Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $134.2 | 6.9% above |
| 20 week MA | $134.0 | 7.1% above |
| 50 week MA | $149.1 | 3.8% below |
| 100 week MA | $164.4 | 13% below |
| 200 week MA | $143.2 | 0.2% above |
HLI's trend is mixed: it's above three of its five weekly moving averages, and 0.2% above its 200-week average.
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 the edge over HLI on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.
HLI Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $48.9 | $67.2 | +37% |
| 2021 | $67.2 | $103.6 | +54% |
| 2022 | $103.6 | $89.2 | -14% |
| 2023 | $89.2 | $119.9 | +35% |
| 2024 | $119.9 | $174.3 | +45% |
| 2025 | $174.3 | $178.5 | +2.4% |
| 2026 YTD | $178.5 | $143.4 | -20% |
HLI has finished higher in five of the last six years. It's down 20% so far in 2026.