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Capital One Financial vs Key: Which Stock Looks Stronger in 2026?

KeyCorp holds the cleaner structural position, with the lead spread across valuation and stability. Capital One Financial does not offset that deficit through any equally strong structural edge elsewhere. On the market side, KeyCorp is in better shape — its trend is intact while Capital One Financial's trend has broken down. That puts structure and market broadly in agreement — KeyCorp's lead looks more confirmed than conflicted.

The comparison is based on similar long-term financial trajectories, not sector labels. Both peer scores are relative to the S&P 500 universe, making them directly comparable.

Updated 2026-07-05

The clearest separation starts in valuation, but stability adds another real layer to the result. The overall score gap is 24 points in favour of KeyCorp.

Trajectory Similarity
0.76
Similar
Peer-set rank: #10
within Capital One Financial Corporation's functional peer set

This pair is matched through long-term financial trajectory similarity within the selected peer universe.

This level of similarity signals a strong structural match, even though some dimensions still separate the two companies.

Most of the shared profile comes through margin consistency and investment intensity.

Similarity drivers
margin consistencyinvestment intensity
What reduces the match
revenue stability
How to read the score
0.85–1.00 · Very similar0.70–0.84 · Similar0.55–0.69 · Moderately similarbelow 0.55 · Loose match
Peer-Relative Score
COF
Capital One Financial Corporation
26
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500
vs
KEY
KeyCorp
50
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500

Scores reflect position relative to comparable companies with similar long-term financial trajectories.

Score differences across key dimensions.

Dimension spread: COF vs KEY Profitability 17 22 Stability 15 43 Valuation 28 78 Growth 47 59 COF KEY
Gap Ranking
#1 Valuation +50
#2 Stability +28
#3 Growth +12
#4 Profitability +5
Price Setup

Left means cheaper relative valuation. Higher means stronger structure.

Price setup map for COF and KEY Stronger + cheaper Stronger + richer Weaker + cheaper Weaker + richer COFKEY Relative valuation Structural strength

KeyCorp looks stronger on relative valuation, while the broader price setup remains mixed.

Valuation position uses peer-relative PE percentile (idx_pct_pe) where available.

Entry today — historical context

Where COF and KEY each sit in their own 5-year price and valuation history.

BASED ON 5-YEAR HISTORY COF Elevated · above norm 0th 50th 100th 12 pct gap KEY Elevated · near norm 0th 50th 100th 87th 99th
COF (87th percentile) and KEY (99th percentile) both sit in the upper portion of their own 5-year ranges. The historical entry context is broadly similar for both. This reflects entry timing, not which company is structurally stronger.

Describes historical entry positioning only. Descriptive — not investment advice.

Relative Position vs Comparable Companies
Valuation
On valuation, KeyCorp ranks near the top of the group; Capital One Financial Corporation sits in the weaker half.
Stability
KeyCorp holds the stronger peer position on stability.
Valuation — Dominant Gap
COF
28
KEY
78
Gap+50in favour of KEY

The multiple-based pricing edge comes from a trailing P/E that is 49 turns lower.

What else supports the lead

Stability adds another layer of support rather than leaving the result tied to valuation alone.

What this means for the comparison

The lead is built on both valuation and stability, making it broader than a single-dimension result.

Explore full peer positioning in AssetNext

Break down the COF vs KEY comparison across all dimensions with the full interactive tool.

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Similar valuation-and-stability comparisons

Explore how COF and KEY each compare against other companies in their peer groups.

Rule-based, descriptive analysis only. Derived from peer percentile dimensions. Not investment advice. Peer groups are determined algorithmically based on structural similarity — not by sector classification alone.

How AssetNext Peer Scores Work

AssetNext scores reflect each company's structural position within its functional peer group — not a ranking against all stocks simultaneously. Peers are identified by similarity across eight financial dimensions, including revenue growth trajectory, margin structure, capital intensity, and earnings stability. A score of 75 means the company ranks in the top quartile within its own peer group, not the entire market.

Four dimension scores drive the overall peer score: Growth (revenue trajectory and expansion dynamics), Quality (margin structure and capital efficiency), Valuation (peer-relative pricing on standard multiples), and Stability (earnings consistency and financial predictability). Each dimension is scored 0–100 relative to the peer group, then combined into an overall peer score using equal weighting.

Because scores are peer-relative, the same company can have slightly different scores in different index universes. On comparison pages, both companies are shown within their shared peer universe wherever possible — so the scores are directly comparable. The peer basis is stated on each score card.

Scores are recalculated periodically as underlying financial data is updated. All analysis is descriptive and rule-based — AssetNext describes structural realities and never issues buy, sell or hold recommendations.