GS
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.
GS has the edge over NIC overall, supported by stronger valuation and stronger fundamentals.
NIC
Nicolet Bankshares, Inc.
NIC offers stronger modeled upside, but that advantage does not outweigh its weaker overall profile.
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.
NIC Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Strong | |
| Healthy | |
| N/A | |
| N/A |
NIC's revenue and profitability are currently healthy. Free cash flow and net leverage aren't meaningful measures for financial services companies like NIC.
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.
NIC PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheap | 12x | $108 | -38% |
| Forward | 13x | $174 | — |
| Fair | 14x | $125 | -28% |
| Expensive | 17x | $157 | -10% |
| Current | 19x | $174 | — |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
NIC 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.
NIC Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Strongly improving | |
| Strong growth | |
| Strong growth | |
| Stable | |
| Limited | |
| High |
Analysts expect strong earnings and revenue growth for NIC, with profitability holding steady.
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 NIC on earnings, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
NIC Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $13.39 | +48% |
| Q3 2026 | $9.02 | -3.6% |
| Q2 2026 | $8.79 | +0.7% |
| Q1 2026 | $8.51 | +2.4% |
| Q4 2025 | $9.78 | +21% |
| Q3 2025 | $9.36 | +19% |
| Q2 2025 | $8.73 | +26% |
| Q1 2025 | $8.31 | +28% |
| Q4 2024 | $8.05 | +97% |
NIC earned $9.02 per share over the past year, down 3.6% 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's operating margin was 37% last quarter, up 2 points from the same quarter a year ago.
NIC Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $174.4M | +70% |
| Q2 2026 | $177.8M | +86% |
| Q1 2026 | $134.9M | +51% |
| Q4 2025 | $104M | +13% |
| Q3 2025 | $102.9M | +13% |
| Q2 2025 | $95.7M | +13% |
| Q1 2025 | $89.4M | +8.8% |
| Q4 2024 | $92.4M | +4.2% |
NIC's revenue has grown year over year for 14 quarters in a row: $174M last quarter, up 70% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 47% | -3.9 points |
| Q2 2026 | 41% | -6 points |
| Q1 2026 | 14% | -31 points |
| Q4 2025 | 48% | +1.5 points |
| Q3 2025 | 50% | +5.4 points |
| Q2 2025 | 47% | +3.5 points |
| Q1 2025 | 45% | +3.1 points |
| Q4 2024 | 47% | +4.6 points |
NIC has the edge over GS on profitability, with a higher operating margin.
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.
NIC Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $67.1M | +46% |
| Q2 2026 | $89.3M | +133% |
| Q1 2026 | $15.1M | -64% |
| Q4 2025 | $23.9M | -15% |
| Q3 2025 | $45.9M | +32% |
| Q2 2025 | $38.4M | +12% |
| Q1 2025 | $41.3M | +106% |
| Q4 2024 | $28.1M | -19% |
NIC 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 NIC 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.
NIC Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | -0.9% | -186K shares |
| 1 year | +40% | +6.1M shares |
| 3 years | +44% | +6.6M shares |
| 5 years | +109% | +11.2M shares |
| Available history | +118% | +11.6M shares |
NIC has 22M diluted shares, up 40% from a year ago, despite $103M in buybacks over the past year.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $40M |
| Q2 2026 | $40.2M |
| Q1 2026 | $22.4M |
| Q4 2025 | — |
| Q3 2025 | $20.5M |
| Q2 2025 | $30M |
| Q1 2025 | $26M |
| Q4 2024 | $10.1M |
NIC spent $103M buying back its own shares over the past year, up 18% 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 NIC on leverage, with a lower net debt burden relative to earnings.
NIC Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | -0.1x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2026 | -0.3x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2026 | 0.3x | Very low |
| Q4 2025 | 0.1x | Very low |
| Q3 2025 | 0.2x | Very low |
| Q2 2025 | 0.0x | Very low |
| Q1 2025 | 0.3x | Very low |
| Q4 2024 | 0.3x | Very low |
NIC has more cash than debt. Net leverage isn't a meaningful measure for financial services companies like NIC.
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).
NIC Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 62.4 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 64.4 | Neutral |
NIC's weekly RSI is 62 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 64 (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 NIC on valuation relative to its sector.
NIC PE vs Financial Services Sector
| Metric | NIC | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 19x | 13x | 48% above |
| PE % | 90 | 63 | 27 pts above |
NIC is trading at 19x earnings, a 48% 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.
NIC Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $169.0 | 3.1% above |
| 20 week MA | $170.0 | 2.4% above |
| 50 week MA | $153.9 | 13% above |
| 100 week MA | $137.3 | 27% above |
| 200 week MA | $108.8 | 60% above |
NIC has the edge over GS on trend strength, trading above more of its moving averages.
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.
NIC Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $74.6 | $68.0 | -8.9% |
| 2021 | $68.0 | $87.0 | +28% |
| 2022 | $87.0 | $80.9 | -6.9% |
| 2023 | $80.9 | $80.5 | -0.6% |
| 2024 | $80.5 | $104.6 | +30% |
| 2025 | $104.6 | $123.7 | +18% |
| 2026 YTD | $123.7 | $174.1 | +41% |
NIC has the edge over GS on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.