GS vs C Stock Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
GS vs C compares a premier, higher-return investment bank against a global bank still in the middle of a turnaround. Goldman Sachs offers superior trading and advisory franchise strength but more cyclicality, while Citigroup offers valuation upside tied to the success of its ongoing simplification and efficiency plan.
Goldman Sachs suits investors who want direct exposure to capital markets activity and are comfortable with cyclicality in exchange for a best-in-class franchise. Citigroup suits investors betting on a successful turnaround story, where continued execution on cost cuts and portfolio simplification could close the valuation gap with higher-return peers.
C holds the edge across 3 of 5 key metrics in this comparison. C leads on both 1-year return (+44.92%) and forward P/E quality (10.32x vs 13.97x for GS), a relatively favorable combination of momentum and valuation. GS leads on both revenue growth (42.50%) and operating margin (42.18%), suggesting a stronger fundamental setup on both dimensions. Analyst consensus implies meaningfully more upside for C (+16.25%) than for GS (+10.41%).
Human Wall Street analysts' price targets, typically implying a ~12-month view — a separate signal from this site's own AI Prediction Signal further down the page, which is a 5-/30-day machine-learning forecast based on price history alone.
- Want direct exposure to M&A advisory, underwriting, and trading revenue cycles
- Believe capital markets activity will remain healthy over the medium term
- Prefer a higher-return-on-equity franchise even with more earnings volatility
- Value a growing, fee-based wealth management business as a diversifier
- Are looking for turnaround potential at a discounted valuation relative to peers
- Believe management's multi-year simplification plan will keep improving returns
- Want exposure to a uniquely global institutional banking footprint
- Can tolerate slower, more uneven progress than an already-optimized peer
| Metric | GS | C |
|---|---|---|
| AI scorei | 66.3 | 55.3 |
| AI ranki | #65 | #273 |
| Latest closei | $1,038.61 | $137.72 |
| 1M returni | -2.05% | +0.06% |
| 6M returni | +24.32% | +26.41% |
| 1Y returni | +42.17% | +44.92% |
How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?
| Period | GS | C |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | $13.87K (+38.7%) started 2025-09-04 | $14.19K (+41.9%) started 2025-09-04 |
| 5Y ago | $30.51K (+205.1%) started 2021-09-07 | $26.15K (+161.5%) started 2021-09-07 |
| 10Y ago | $88.81K (+788.1%) started 2016-09-06 | $52.4K (+424.0%) started 2016-09-06 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
| Metric | GS | C |
|---|---|---|
| Market capi | $301.07B | $222.93B |
| Trailing P/Ei | 16.08 | 14.32 |
| Forward P/Ei | 13.97 | 10.32 |
| Price/Salesi | 3.55 | 2.04 |
| EV/Revenuei | 1.00 | 0.38 |
| Analyst targeti | $1,141.65 | $154.50 |
| Target upsidei | +10.41% | +16.25% |
| Metric | GS | C |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growthi | 42.50% | 15.50% |
| Earnings growthi | 92.30% | 61.00% |
| EPS growthi | +92.30% | +61.00% |
| FCF margini | N/A | N/A |
| Operating margini | 42.18% | 36.23% |
| Profit margini | 31.04% | 21.83% |
| ROIC proxyi | 16.90% | 8.53% |
| Return on equityi | 16.90% | 8.53% |
| Dividend yieldi | 1.92% | 2.02% |
| Betai | 1.29 | 1.10 |
| Debt/equityi | 725.38 | N/A |
| Current ratioi | 1.56 | N/A |
| Quick ratioi | 1.41 | N/A |
Over the past year, GS and C have moved moderately in the same direction (correlation of 0.66), based on daily returns.
Lower drawdown and smaller single-period drops generally indicate a smoother ride, though they do not guarantee lower future risk.
| Period | Metric | GS | C |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growthi | +38.68% | +41.86% |
| CAGRi | +38.75% | +41.93% | |
| Volatilityi | 31.55% | 29.12% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 1.05 | 1.19 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 1.58 | 1.74 | |
| Max drawdowni | 19.84% | 14.76% | |
| Current drawdowni | 9.85% | 5.46% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 5.44% | 4.78% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 7.18% | 6.12% | |
| Max daily dropi | 7.47% | 5.32% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 10.69% | 9.64% | |
| 5Y | Growthi | +177.34% | +124.41% |
| CAGRi | +22.67% | +17.58% | |
| Volatilityi | 28.67% | 29.31% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 0.70 | 0.55 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 1.04 | 0.80 | |
| Max drawdowni | 32.84% | 42.95% | |
| Current drawdowni | 9.85% | 5.46% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 10.36% | 15.81% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 13.51% | 20.50% | |
| Max daily dropi | 9.21% | 12.14% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 15.72% | 17.35% | |
| 10Y | Growthi | +632.15% | +282.76% |
| CAGRi | +22.04% | +14.37% | |
| Volatilityi | 30.13% | 33.12% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 0.66 | 0.44 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 0.98 | 0.63 | |
| Max drawdowni | 48.75% | 56.51% | |
| Current drawdowni | 9.85% | 5.46% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 12.08% | 16.70% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 15.57% | 22.07% | |
| Max daily dropi | 12.71% | 19.30% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 24.20% | 31.86% |
| Category | GS | C |
|---|---|---|
| Company | Goldman Sachs | Citigroup |
| Sector | Financial Services | Financial Services |
| Industry | Capital Markets | Banks - Diversified |
| Core business | Goldman Sachs is a leading global investment bank built around its Global Banking & Markets division, which houses trading, underwriting, and M&A advisory. In recent years, Goldman has scaled back its consumer banking ambitions to refocus on its historical strengths in investment banking and trading, while continuing to grow Asset & Wealth Management as a steadier, fee-based complement to its more cyclical banking business. | Citigroup is a global bank with a unique international footprint, operating across institutional banking, markets, wealth management, and a global retail and commercial banking network spanning dozens of countries. The company has spent recent years executing a multi-year simplification plan, divesting non-core consumer banking franchises abroad and restructuring internally to improve efficiency and returns on tangible common equity. |
| Investor focus | Investment Banking Cycle + Trading Revenue | Turnaround + Valuation Discount |
- Best-in-class investment banking and trading franchise with leading market share in M&A advisory
- Refocused strategy after exiting most consumer banking initiatives has improved returns on equity
- Growing Asset & Wealth Management division adds a more durable, fee-based revenue stream
- Unmatched global institutional banking network gives Citigroup exposure many US peers lack
- Ongoing simplification plan has been shedding low-return international consumer units to focus capital
- Trades at a persistent valuation discount to peers, offering potential re-rating upside if the turnaround succeeds
- Trading and investment banking revenue are inherently cyclical and tied to capital markets activity
- Higher exposure to market volatility than more diversified, deposit-funded banks
- Regulatory capital requirements can constrain leverage and buyback capacity in stressed periods
- Historically lower return on equity than peers like Goldman Sachs or JPMorgan
- Execution risk remains on the multi-year restructuring and simplification plan
- Exposure to emerging-market and international regulatory risk through its global footprint
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