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The Goldman Sachs Group vs Stifel Financial: Which Stock Looks Stronger in 2026?

The Goldman Sachs holds the cleaner structural position, with profitability as the main driver and growth adding further support. Stifel Financial does not offset that deficit through any equally strong structural edge elsewhere. On the market side, The Goldman Sachs is in better shape — its trend is intact while Stifel Financial's trend has broken down. That puts structure and market broadly in agreement — The Goldman Sachs's lead looks more confirmed than conflicted.

The comparison is based on similar long-term financial trajectories, not sector labels.

Updated 2026-04-05

The clearest separation starts in profitability, but growth adds another real layer to the result. The overall score gap is 19 points in favour of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc..

INDUSTRY COMPARISON

Both operate in: Capital Markets

This comparison is based on industry proximity, not on functional trajectory similarity. GS and SF share the same industry classification.

For a similarity-based comparison, see how The Goldman Sachs and Stifel Financial each position within their functional peer groups in AssetNext.

Peer-Relative Score
GS
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.
58
Peer-Score
Signal qualityMedium
vs
SF
Stifel Financial Corp.
39
Peer-Score
Signal qualityLow

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

The largest gaps do not all point in the same direction.

Dimension spread: GS vs SF Profitability 39 12 Stability 50 34 Valuation 78 69 Growth 64 41 GS SF
Gap Ranking
#1 Profitability +27
#2 Growth +23
#3 Stability +16
#4 Valuation +9
Price Setup

Left means cheaper relative valuation. Higher means stronger structure.

Price setup map for GS and SF Stronger + cheaper Stronger + richer Weaker + cheaper Weaker + richer GSSF Relative valuation Structural strength

The setup is mixed: neither company clearly combines the stronger profile with the more supportive price setup.

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

Relative Position vs Comparable Companies
Profitability
Both sit in the weaker half on profitability, with The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. still coming out ahead.
Growth
Both look solid on growth, though The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. still holds the stronger peer position.
Profitability — Dominant Gap
GS
39
SF
12
Gap+27in favour of GS

The profitability lead is mainly driven by a 10.9-point operating margin advantage.

What keeps the gap from being one-sided

Stifel Financial Corp. still shows lower market-fundamental divergence, which keeps the wider picture mixed rather than completely one-sided.

What this means for the comparison

Profitability is the clearest driver, and growth also supports The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.'s broader structural position.

Explore full peer positioning in AssetNext

Break down the GS vs SF comparison across all dimensions with the full interactive tool.

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Similar profitability-and-growth comparisons

Explore how GS and SF 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.

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.