GS
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.
GS's outlook is improving, though it still trails on the overall score.
LPLA
LPL Financial Holdings Inc.
LPLA has the edge over GS overall, supported by stronger modeled upside and stronger valuation.
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.
LPLA Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Healthy | |
| Healthy | |
| N/A | |
| N/A |
LPLA's revenue and profitability are currently healthy. Free cash flow and net leverage aren't meaningful measures for financial services companies like LPLA.
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.
LPLA PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | 10x | $292 | — |
| Cheap | 15x | $264 | -9.6% |
| Current | 17x | $292 | — |
| Fair | 24x | $417 | +43% |
| Expensive | 30x | $516 | +77% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
LPLA 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.
LPLA Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Strongly improving | |
| Strong growth | |
| Growth | |
| Improving | |
| Limited | |
| Moderate |
LPLA 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 LPLA on earnings, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
LPLA Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $27.87 | +61% |
| Q3 2026 | $17.34 | +60% |
| Q2 2026 | $12.45 | -15% |
| Q1 2026 | $11.11 | -23% |
| Q4 2025 | $10.92 | -22% |
| Q3 2025 | $10.85 | -19% |
| Q2 2025 | $14.61 | +14% |
| Q1 2025 | $14.44 | +8.7% |
| Q4 2024 | $14.03 | +2.5% |
LPLA earned $17.34 per share over the past year, up 60% 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'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 LPLA on profitability, with a higher operating margin.
LPLA Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $5.3B | +17% |
| Q2 2026 | $5.2B | +35% |
| Q1 2026 | $4.9B | +35% |
| Q4 2025 | $4.9B | +40% |
| Q3 2025 | $4.6B | +46% |
| Q2 2025 | $3.8B | +31% |
| Q1 2025 | $3.7B | +30% |
| Q4 2024 | $3.5B | +33% |
LPLA has the edge over GS on sales, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 9.1% | +9.8 points |
| Q2 2026 | 9.9% | +0.3 points |
| Q1 2026 | 9.8% | -1.6 points |
| Q4 2025 | 8.1% | -1.7 points |
| Q3 2025 | -0.8% | -12 points |
| Q2 2025 | 9.6% | -1.6 points |
| Q1 2025 | 11% | -1.8 points |
| Q4 2024 | 9.7% | -1.4 points |
LPLA's operating margin was 9.1% last quarter, up 9.8 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.
LPLA Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $67.5M | +$1.9B |
| Q2 2026 | $202.5M | +260% |
| Q1 2026 | $124.6M | -43% |
| Q4 2025 | $613.3M | +$957.6M |
| Q3 2025 | -$1.9B | -3106% |
| Q2 2025 | $56.3M | +$364.1M |
| Q1 2025 | $220.3M | -28% |
| Q4 2024 | -$344.3M | -1038% |
LPLA 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 LPLA 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.
LPLA Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | -1.3% | -1.1M shares |
| 1 year | -1.7% | -1.4M shares |
| 3 years | +2.4% | +1.8M shares |
| 5 years | -3.5% | -2.9M shares |
| Available history | -6.7% | -5.7M shares |
LPLA has 79M diluted shares, down 1.7% from a year ago, with $610M in buybacks over the past year.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $300.6M |
| Q2 2026 | $309.5M |
| Q1 2026 | — |
| Q4 2025 | — |
| Q3 2025 | — |
| Q2 2025 | $240,000 |
| Q1 2025 | $100.2M |
| Q4 2024 | $100.1M |
LPLA spent $610M buying back its own shares over the past year, about three times what it spent 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 LPLA on leverage, with a lower net debt burden relative to earnings.
LPLA Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 2.9x | Moderate |
| Q2 2026 | 3.5x | Elevated |
| Q1 2026 | 3.8x | Elevated |
| Q4 2025 | 4.0x | High |
| Q3 2025 | 4.2x | High |
| Q2 2025 | 1.6x | Healthy |
| Q1 2025 | 2.5x | Moderate |
| Q4 2024 | 2.7x | Moderate |
LPLA's net debt is about 2.9 years of its operating earnings (EBITDA), down from 4.2 years a year ago. Net leverage isn't a meaningful measure for financial services companies like LPLA.
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).
LPLA Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 41.0 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 20.0 | Neutral |
LPLA's weekly RSI is 41 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 20 (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 LPLA on valuation relative to its sector.
LPLA PE vs Financial Services Sector
| Metric | LPLA | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 17x | 13x | 29% above |
| PE % | 27 | 63 | 36 pts below |
LPLA is trading at 17x earnings, a 29% 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 has the edge over LPLA on trend strength, trading above more of its moving averages.
LPLA Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $308.7 | 5.3% below |
| 20 week MA | $329.8 | 11% below |
| 50 week MA | $326.3 | 10% below |
| 100 week MA | $339.2 | 14% below |
| 200 week MA | $289.8 | 0.9% above |
LPLA has fallen below most of its moving averages, though it's still 0.9% 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 LPLA on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.
LPLA Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $92.6 | $103.8 | +12% |
| 2021 | $103.8 | $162.6 | +57% |
| 2022 | $162.6 | $215.8 | +33% |
| 2023 | $215.8 | $227.6 | +5.5% |
| 2024 | $227.6 | $331.9 | +46% |
| 2025 | $331.9 | $372.2 | +12% |
| 2026 YTD | $372.2 | $292.3 | -21% |
LPLA has finished every year since 2020 higher, and it's down 21% so far in 2026.