GS
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.
GS has a slight edge over SFST overall, supported by stronger modeled upside.
SFST
Southern First Bancshares, Inc.
SFST offers stronger fundamentals, 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.
SFST Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Healthy | |
| Strong | |
| N/A | |
| N/A |
SFST's revenue and profitability are currently healthy. Free cash flow and net leverage aren't meaningful measures for financial services companies like SFST.
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.
SFST PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheap | 8.9x | $43.19 | -29% |
| Forward | 11x | $60.71 | — |
| Current | 12x | $60.71 | — |
| Fair | 14x | $65.66 | +8.2% |
| Expensive | 18x | $86.62 | +43% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
SFST 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.
SFST Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Improving | |
| Growth | |
| Growth | |
| Improving | |
| Limited | |
| Moderate |
SFST 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's earnings per share have climbed steadily: $69.58 over the past year, up 41% from the year before, and higher year over year for 10 quarters in a row. Its recent earnings include one-off gains.
SFST Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $5.73 | +18% |
| Q3 2026 | $4.86 | +51% |
| Q2 2026 | $4.65 | +73% |
| Q1 2026 | $4.26 | +89% |
| Q4 2025 | $3.72 | +95% |
| Q3 2025 | $3.22 | +86% |
| Q2 2025 | $2.69 | +58% |
| Q1 2025 | $2.25 | +37% |
| Q4 2024 | $1.91 | +15% |
SFST has the edge over GS on earnings, with stronger typical year-over-year growth.
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.
SFST Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $37.5M | +21% |
| Q2 2026 | $35.9M | +25% |
| Q1 2026 | $33.8M | +28% |
| Q4 2025 | $31.8M | +26% |
| Q3 2025 | $31.1M | +31% |
| Q2 2025 | $28.6M | +24% |
| Q1 2025 | $26.5M | +24% |
| Q4 2024 | $25.2M | +18% |
SFST has the edge over GS on sales, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 42% | +5.8 points |
| Q2 2026 | 40% | +10 points |
| Q1 2026 | 37% | +11 points |
| Q4 2025 | 40% | +13 points |
| Q3 2025 | 36% | +12 points |
| Q2 2025 | 30% | +13 points |
| Q1 2025 | 26% | +10 points |
| Q4 2024 | 27% | +2.4 points |
SFST 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.
SFST Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $20.4M | +42% |
| Q2 2026 | $16.7M | +61% |
| Q1 2026 | $10.5M | +41% |
| Q4 2025 | -$2.4M | -$333K |
| Q3 2025 | $14.4M | -45% |
| Q2 2025 | $10.4M | +169% |
| Q1 2025 | $7.4M | +$10.6M |
| Q4 2024 | -$2M | -130% |
SFST 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 SFST 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.
SFST Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | +2.7% | +249K shares |
| 1 year | +18% | +1.5M shares |
| 3 years | +19% | +1.5M shares |
| 5 years | +20% | +1.6M shares |
| Available history | +23% | +1.8M shares |
SFST has 10M diluted shares, up 18% from a year ago.
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 SFST on leverage, with a lower net debt burden relative to earnings.
SFST Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | -0.4x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2026 | -0.6x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2026 | -0.7x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2025 | 4.8x | High |
| Q3 2025 | -0.6x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2025 | -0.8x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2025 | -0.9x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2024 | 8.8x | High |
SFST has more cash than debt. Net leverage isn't a meaningful measure for financial services companies like SFST.
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).
SFST Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 52.8 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 23.9 | Neutral |
SFST's weekly RSI is 53 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 24 (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 is trading at 13x earnings, in line with the Financial Services sector's median of 13x, though its earnings don't support one.
SFST PE vs Financial Services Sector
| Metric | SFST | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 12x | 13x | 4.1% below |
| PE % | 42 | 63 | 21 pts below |
SFST has the edge over GS on valuation relative to its sector.
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.
SFST Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $60.2 | 0.8% above |
| 20 week MA | $61.6 | 1.4% below |
| 50 week MA | $58.1 | 4.4% above |
| 100 week MA | $48.6 | 25% above |
| 200 week MA | $40.2 | 51% above |
SFST 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.
SFST Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $42.8 | $35.3 | -18% |
| 2021 | $35.3 | $62.7 | +78% |
| 2022 | $62.7 | $45.9 | -27% |
| 2023 | $45.9 | $37.1 | -19% |
| 2024 | $37.1 | $39.7 | +6.9% |
| 2025 | $39.7 | $52.8 | +33% |
| 2026 YTD | $52.8 | $60.7 | +15% |
SFST has the edge over GS on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.