GS
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.
GS has the edge over SLM overall, supported by stronger fundamentals and stronger modeled upside.
SLM
SLM Corporation
SLM trails on the overall score without a compensating advantage in the available component scores.
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.
SLM Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Under pressure | |
| Healthy | |
| N/A | |
| N/A |
SLM's profitability is currently healthy, but its revenue is under pressure. Free cash flow and net leverage aren't meaningful measures for financial services companies like SLM.
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.
SLM PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheap | 5.3x | $14.65 | -12% |
| Current | 6x | $16.59 | — |
| Forward | 6.6x | $16.59 | — |
| Fair | 7.1x | $19.45 | +17% |
| Expensive | 9.6x | $26.38 | +59% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
SLM 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 |
GS has the edge over SLM on the outlook, with more favorable valuation and earnings expectations.
SLM Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Deteriorating | |
| Decline | |
| Stable | |
| Strongly weakening | |
| Limited | |
| Low |
Analysts expect SLM's earnings and profitability to decline, with its revenue holding steady. However, they disagree widely on these estimates.
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 SLM on earnings, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
SLM Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $2.52 | -8.2% |
| Q3 2026 | $2.75 | -4.5% |
| Q2 2026 | $3.57 | +77% |
| Q1 2026 | $3.60 | +28% |
| Q4 2025 | $3.46 | +29% |
| Q3 2025 | $2.88 | +0.3% |
| Q2 2025 | $2.02 | -37% |
| Q1 2025 | $2.81 | -12% |
| Q4 2024 | $2.68 | +12% |
SLM's earnings per share have fallen from their peak: $2.75 over the past year, against $3.77 in mid-2021.
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 SLM 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 SLM on profitability, with a higher operating margin.
SLM Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $375.5M | -31% |
| Q2 2026 | $401.1M | -0.6% |
| Q1 2026 | $560M | -3.6% |
| Q4 2025 | $454.1M | +16% |
| Q3 2025 | $545.7M | +42% |
| Q2 2025 | $403.6M | -21% |
| Q1 2025 | $581M | +3.5% |
| Q4 2024 | $390M | -12% |
SLM's revenue has slid since its 2021 peak: $375M last quarter, down 31% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | -16% | -50 points |
| Q2 2026 | 20% | -1.7 points |
| Q1 2026 | 71% | +2.1 points |
| Q4 2025 | 70% | +36 points |
| Q3 2025 | 34% | +50 points |
| Q2 2025 | 22% | -44 points |
| Q1 2025 | 69% | +0.3 points |
| Q4 2024 | 34% | -17 points |
SLM's operating margin was −16% last quarter, down 50 points from the same quarter a year ago, near the bottom of its range since 2019.
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.
SLM Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | -$106.4M | -$57M |
| Q2 2026 | -$134.8M | +$3.9M |
| Q1 2026 | -$76M | +$70.1M |
| Q4 2025 | -$64.5M | -1520% |
| Q3 2025 | -$49.3M | +$64.1M |
| Q2 2025 | -$138.7M | +$5.1M |
| Q1 2025 | -$146.1M | -$69.3M |
| Q4 2024 | $4.5M | +$31.7M |
SLM's free cash flow was −$382M over the past year, against −$330M the year before. Free cash flow isn't a meaningful measure for financial services companies like SLM.
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 301M diluted shares, down 4.4% from a year ago, with $15B in buybacks over the past year.
| 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.
SLM Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | -2.5% | -4.8M shares |
| 1 year | -12% | -25M shares |
| 3 years | -19% | -43.2M shares |
| 5 years | -39% | -119M shares |
| Available history | -57% | -245M shares |
SLM has the edge over GS on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $127.7M |
| Q2 2026 | $3.1M |
| Q1 2026 | $290.7M |
| Q4 2025 | $123.8M |
| Q3 2025 | $143.5M |
| Q2 2025 | $71.7M |
| Q1 2025 | $29.7M |
| Q4 2024 | $47.1M |
SLM spent $545M buying back its own shares over the past year, up 87% 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 SLM on leverage, with a lower net debt burden relative to earnings.
SLM Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 5.6x | High |
| Q2 2026 | 1.3x | Healthy |
| Q1 2026 | 1.0x | Healthy |
| Q4 2025 | 1.6x | Healthy |
| Q3 2025 | 4.0x | Elevated |
| Q2 2025 | 4.0x | Elevated |
| Q1 2025 | 2.9x | Moderate |
| Q4 2024 | 2.1x | Moderate |
SLM's net debt is about 5.6 years of its operating earnings (EBITDA), up from 4.0 years a year ago. Net leverage isn't a meaningful measure for financial services companies like SLM.
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).
SLM Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 25.5 | Oversold |
| Stochastic | 2.4 | Oversold |
SLM's weekly RSI is 26 (oversold) and its Stochastic is 2 (oversold).
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.
SLM PE vs Financial Services Sector
| Metric | SLM | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 6x | 13x | 54% below |
| PE % | 27 | 63 | 36 pts below |
SLM 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 has the edge over SLM on trend strength, trading above more of its moving averages.
SLM Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $20.2 | 18% below |
| 20 week MA | $23.7 | 30% below |
| 50 week MA | $23.8 | 30% below |
| 100 week MA | $26.7 | 38% below |
| 200 week MA | $22.5 | 26% below |
SLM is in a downtrend: it's below all five of its weekly moving averages, and 26% below 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 SLM on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.
SLM Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $8.99 | $12.3 | +36% |
| 2021 | $12.3 | $19.1 | +56% |
| 2022 | $19.1 | $16.5 | -14% |
| 2023 | $16.5 | $19.1 | +16% |
| 2024 | $19.1 | $27.9 | +46% |
| 2025 | $27.9 | $27.5 | -1.3% |
| 2026 YTD | $27.5 | $16.6 | -40% |
SLM is down 40% so far in 2026, after finishing higher in four of the previous six years.