GS vs WFC Stock Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
Goldman Sachs and Wells Fargo represent different corners of U.S. finance, with Goldman Sachs concentrated on global investment banking, trading, and asset management, while Wells Fargo operates as a traditional diversified consumer and commercial bank.
Goldman Sachs offers exposure to capital markets cycles through investment banking and trading, while Wells Fargo offers exposure to a large traditional banking franchise tied more to net interest income and consumer credit trends. Consider whether you prefer Goldman's capital markets leverage or Wells Fargo's traditional banking stability.
GS holds the edge across 3 of 5 key metrics in this comparison. GS has delivered stronger 1-year price return (+17.12% vs +3.14%), though WFC has the better forward P/E setup (11.39x vs 13.97x for GS). GS leads on both revenue growth (42.50%) and operating margin (42.18%), suggesting a stronger fundamental setup on both dimensions. Analyst consensus implies similar upside for both: +10.41% for GS and +11.41% for WFC.
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 exposure to a leading global investment banking and trading franchise
- Believe growing asset and wealth management fees will add earnings stability over time
- Value strong market share in advisory and underwriting
- Are comfortable with cyclical investment banking and trading revenue
- Want exposure to a large, diversified traditional retail and commercial banking franchise
- Believe resolution of past regulatory consent orders supports renewed balance sheet growth
- Value a stable, low-cost deposit funding base
- Are comfortable with net interest income sensitivity to rate movements
| Metric | GS | WFC |
|---|---|---|
| AI scorei | 66.0 | 42.7 |
| AI ranki | #71 | #925 |
| Latest closei | $942.00 | $86.12 |
| 1M returni | -7.80% | +0.21% |
| 6M returni | +16.37% | +12.74% |
| 1Y returni | +17.12% | +3.14% |
How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?
| Period | GS | WFC |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | $11.71K (+17.1%) started 2025-09-18 | $10.31K (+3.1%) started 2025-09-18 |
| 5Y ago | $30.03K (+200.3%) started 2021-09-20 | $22.82K (+128.2%) started 2021-09-20 |
| 10Y ago | $82.06K (+720.6%) started 2016-09-19 | $31.72K (+217.2%) started 2016-09-19 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
| Metric | GS | WFC |
|---|---|---|
| Market capi | $301.07B | $272.07B |
| Trailing P/Ei | 16.08 | 13.08 |
| Forward P/Ei | 13.97 | 11.39 |
| Price/Salesi | 3.55 | 3.22 |
| EV/Revenuei | 1.00 | 3.27 |
| Analyst targeti | $1,141.65 | $100.24 |
| Target upsidei | +10.41% | +11.41% |
| Metric | GS | WFC |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growthi | 42.50% | 9.50% |
| Earnings growthi | 92.30% | 25.00% |
| EPS growthi | +92.30% | +25.00% |
| FCF margini | N/A | N/A |
| Operating margini | 42.18% | 37.39% |
| Profit margini | 31.04% | 27.23% |
| ROIC proxyi | 16.90% | 12.57% |
| Return on equityi | 16.90% | 12.57% |
| Dividend yieldi | 1.92% | 2.22% |
| Payout ratioi | 26.25% | 26.16% |
| Dividend growth streaki | No increase yet | No increase yet |
| Betai | 1.29 | 0.92 |
| Debt/equityi | 725.38 | N/A |
| Current ratioi | 1.56 | N/A |
| Quick ratioi | 1.41 | N/A |
Over the past year, GS and WFC have moved moderately in the same direction (correlation of 0.43), 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 | WFC |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growthi | +17.12% | +3.14% |
| CAGRi | +17.13% | +3.14% | |
| Volatilityi | 31.96% | 26.46% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 0.52 | 0.08 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 0.75 | 0.11 | |
| Max drawdowni | 19.84% | 23.83% | |
| Current drawdowni | 18.23% | 10.65% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 5.95% | 9.39% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 7.69% | 11.58% | |
| Max daily dropi | 7.47% | 5.70% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 10.69% | 8.74% | |
| 5Y | Growthi | +172.96% | +106.60% |
| CAGRi | +22.27% | +15.63% | |
| Volatilityi | 28.73% | 29.64% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 0.69 | 0.49 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 1.02 | 0.71 | |
| Max drawdowni | 32.84% | 37.10% | |
| Current drawdowni | 18.23% | 10.65% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 10.40% | 13.49% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 13.54% | 17.05% | |
| Max daily dropi | 9.21% | 9.12% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 15.72% | 17.68% | |
| 10Y | Growthi | +576.51% | +139.83% |
| CAGRi | +21.07% | +9.14% | |
| Volatilityi | 30.17% | 32.35% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 0.64 | 0.29 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 0.94 | 0.42 | |
| Max drawdowni | 48.75% | 64.46% | |
| Current drawdowni | 18.23% | 10.65% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 12.11% | 18.68% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 15.59% | 23.95% | |
| Max daily dropi | 12.71% | 15.87% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 24.20% | 30.08% |
| Category | GS | WFC |
|---|---|---|
| Company | The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. | Wells Fargo & Company |
| Sector | Financial Services | Financial Services |
| Industry | Capital Markets | Banks - Diversified |
| Core business | A global investment banking, securities, and asset management firm serving corporations, financial institutions, governments, and high-net-worth individuals. | A diversified U.S. bank holding company providing consumer banking, commercial banking, and wealth management services through a large retail branch network. |
| Investor focus | Investment banking and trading revenue trends, asset and wealth management fee growth, and progress toward returns on equity targets. | Net interest income trends, progress on resolving past regulatory consent orders, and expense management relative to revenue growth. |
- Leading global investment banking franchise commands strong market share in advisory and underwriting
- Trading and markets business generates substantial fee and spread revenue during active capital markets periods
- Growing asset and wealth management business adds a more recurring fee income stream to complement banking
- Large retail branch network and deposit base provide a stable, low-cost funding source
- Diversified business mix across consumer, commercial, and wealth management balances revenue sources
- Resolution of past regulatory consent orders has removed constraints on balance sheet growth over time
- Investment banking and trading revenue is inherently cyclical and tied to broader capital markets activity
- Regulatory capital requirements can constrain balance sheet growth and returns on equity
- Faces intense competition from other global investment banks for talent and deal mandates
- Net interest income is sensitive to interest rate movements and deposit competition
- Historical regulatory issues have required sustained investment in risk management and compliance infrastructure
- Faces competition from other large regional and national banks across its retail and commercial banking footprint
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