AFRM vs. GS: Affirm vs. Goldman Sachs Stock Comparison
How do Affirm (AFRM) and Goldman Sachs (GS) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.
Company Profile
Affirm (AFRM) and Goldman Sachs (GS) both fall under the Financial Services industry group, but AFRM is classified in Financial Services while GS is classified in Capital Markets.
Goldman Sachs (GS) has more than two decades of public-market history since May 4, 1999, whereas Affirm (AFRM) listed on January 13, 2021 and has a much shorter record to draw on.
| Profile Item | AFRM | GS |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Affirm Holdings, Inc. | The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. |
| Country/Region | United States | United States |
| GICS Sector | Financials | Financials |
| GICS Industry Group | Financial Services | Financial Services |
| GICS Industry | Financial Services | Capital Markets |
| GICS Sub-Industry | Transaction & Payment Processing Services | Investment Banking & Brokerage |
| Market Capitalization | 23.09 billion USD | 249.73 billion USD |
| Currency | USD | USD |
| Exchange | Nasdaq | NYSE |
| Listing Date | January 13, 2021 | May 4, 1999 |
| Security Type | Common Stock | Common Stock |
Price Performance
Cumulative Growth
Trailing Returns
Calendar-Year Returns
Performance Metrics
| Metric | AFRM | GS |
|---|---|---|
| Total Return (1Y) | -6.89% | 17.85% |
| Total Return (3Y, Annualized) | 40.23% | 44.69% |
| Total Return (5Y, Annualized) | -15.36% | 20.41% |
Risk Profile
Drawdown History
Return Distribution
Risk Metrics
Affirm (AFRM) carries a highly aggressive beta of 3.70, indicating much higher sensitivity to broad-market moves, whereas Goldman Sachs (GS) is closer to market-like at 1.27 — a noticeable difference in market-sensitivity profile.
| Metric | AFRM | GS |
|---|---|---|
| Volatility (1Y, Annualized) | 58.20% | 33.28% |
| Beta (5Y) | 3.70 | 1.27 |
| Max Drawdown (5Y) | -94.35% | -30.90% |
| Avg. Volume (3M) | 4.46M | 2.10M |
Risk-Adjusted Performance
Risk-Return Positioning
Risk-Adjusted Metrics
| Metric | AFRM | GS |
|---|---|---|
| Sharpe Ratio (1Y) | -0.19 | 0.41 |
| Sortino Ratio (1Y) | -0.28 | 0.59 |
Profitability
ROE (TTM)
Affirm (AFRM) at 44.49% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Goldman Sachs (GS) at 17.71% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for AFRM.
AFRM
Financial Services industry group
44.49%
- Max
- 44.78%
- AFRM
- 44.49%
- Q3
- 21.85%
- Median
- 12.91%
- Q1
- 4.48%
- Min
- -18.71%
GS
Financial Services industry group
17.71%
- Max
- 44.78%
- Q3
- 21.85%
- GS
- 17.71%
- Median
- 12.91%
- Q1
- 4.48%
- Min
- -18.71%
Net Margin (TTM)
For every dollar of sales, both Affirm (AFRM) at 43.86% and Goldman Sachs (GS) at 31.21% retain more as net profit than most peers, landing in the top net margin quartile of their industries.
AFRM
Financial Services industry group
43.86%
- Max
- 62.84%
- AFRM
- 43.86%
- Q3
- 28.05%
- Median
- 15.36%
- Q1
- 4.82%
- Min
- -28.52%
GS
Financial Services industry group
31.21%
- Max
- 62.84%
- GS
- 31.21%
- Q3
- 28.05%
- Median
- 15.36%
- Q1
- 4.82%
- Min
- -28.52%
Operating Margin (TTM)
Both Affirm (AFRM) at 14.82% and Goldman Sachs (GS) at 38.37% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.
AFRM
Financial Services industry group
14.82%
- Max
- 107.33%
- Q3
- 55.90%
- Median
- 30.09%
- AFRM
- 14.82%
- Q1
- 14.60%
- Min
- -44.34%
GS
Financial Services industry group
38.37%
- Max
- 107.33%
- Q3
- 55.90%
- GS
- 38.37%
- Median
- 30.09%
- Q1
- 14.60%
- Min
- -44.34%
Profitability Metrics
| Metric | AFRM | GS |
|---|---|---|
| ROE (TTM) | 44.49% | 17.71% |
| ROA (TTM) | 2.42% | 1.11% |
| Net Margin (TTM) | 43.86% | 31.21% |
| Operating Margin (TTM) | 14.82% | 38.37% |
| Gross Margin (TTM) | -- | -- |
Growth
Revenue Growth
Affirm (AFRM) at 32.15% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Goldman Sachs (GS) at 8.92% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for AFRM.
EPS Growth
Affirm (AFRM) at 3,586.67% clears its industry range for EPS growth, a much stronger earnings trajectory than Goldman Sachs (GS) at 26.59%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.
Growth Metrics
| Metric | AFRM | GS |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue Growth (YoY) | 32.15% | 8.92% |
| Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR) | 38.96% | 7.16% |
| EPS Growth (YoY) | 3,586.67% | 26.59% |
| EPS Growth (3Y CAGR) | -- | 19.52% |
Financial Strength
Current Ratio (MRQ)
current ratio doesn’t apply on either side: Affirm (AFRM) in Financial Services and Goldman Sachs (GS) in Financial Services both report balance sheets without a current/non-current split, so their short-term liquidity is better judged through regulatory and funding measures.
Debt / Equity (MRQ)
debt-to-equity ratio is set aside for both: Affirm (AFRM) in Financial Services and Goldman Sachs (GS) in Financial Services run businesses where balance-sheet leverage is part of the model, so capital-adequacy and funding measures are the better gauges of balance-sheet risk.
Financial Strength Metrics
| Metric | AFRM | GS |
|---|---|---|
| Current Ratio (MRQ) | -- | -- |
| Debt / Equity (MRQ) | -- | -- |
| Net Debt / EBITDA | -- | -- |
Dividends
Dividend Yield (TTM)
Affirm (AFRM) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Goldman Sachs (GS) reports a yield of 2.07%, ranking against industry peers normally.
AFRM
Financial Services industry group
0.00%
- Max
- 9.77%
- Q3
- 3.92%
- Median
- 1.09%
- AFRM
- 0.00%
- Q1
- 0.00%
- Min
- 0.00%
GS
Financial Services industry group
2.07%
- Max
- 9.77%
- Q3
- 3.92%
- GS
- 2.07%
- Median
- 1.09%
- Q1
- 0.00%
- Min
- 0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)
Affirm (AFRM) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Goldman Sachs (GS) reports a payout of 25.88%, ranking against industry peers normally.
AFRM
Financial Services industry group
0.00%
- Max
- 241.07%
- Q3
- 97.36%
- Median
- 25.77%
- AFRM
- 0.00%
- Q1
- 0.00%
- Min
- 0.00%
GS
Financial Services industry group
25.88%
- Max
- 241.07%
- Q3
- 97.36%
- GS
- 25.88%
- Median
- 25.77%
- Q1
- 0.00%
- Min
- 0.00%
Dividend Metrics
| Metric | AFRM | GS |
|---|---|---|
| Dividend Yield (TTM) | 0.00% | 2.07% |
| Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM) | 0.00% | 25.88% |
Valuation
P/E Ratio (TTM)
Both Affirm (AFRM) at 11.80 and Goldman Sachs (GS) at 12.45 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.
AFRM
Financial Services industry group
11.80
- Max
- 45.85
- Q3
- 24.64
- Median
- 15.37
- AFRM
- 11.80
- Q1
- 9.68
- Min
- 0.16
GS
Financial Services industry group
12.45
- Max
- 45.85
- Q3
- 24.64
- Median
- 15.37
- GS
- 12.45
- Q1
- 9.68
- Min
- 0.16
P/S Ratio (TTM)
Goldman Sachs (GS) at 3.52 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Affirm (AFRM) at 5.03 sits in the pricier quartile — AFRM costs more per dollar of sales.
AFRM
Financial Services industry group
5.03
- Max
- 9.23
- AFRM
- 5.03
- Q3
- 4.57
- Median
- 2.72
- Q1
- 1.28
- Min
- -0.55
GS
Financial Services industry group
3.52
- Max
- 9.23
- Q3
- 4.57
- GS
- 3.52
- Median
- 2.72
- Q1
- 1.28
- Min
- -0.55
P/B Ratio (MRQ)
Goldman Sachs (GS) at 2.36 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while Affirm (AFRM) at 4.01 carries an above-peer premium to book — AFRM is pricier on assets.
AFRM
Financial Services industry group
4.01
- Max
- 7.79
- AFRM
- 4.01
- Q3
- 3.63
- Median
- 1.57
- Q1
- 0.81
- Min
- -0.39
GS
Financial Services industry group
2.36
- Max
- 7.79
- Q3
- 3.63
- GS
- 2.36
- Median
- 1.57
- Q1
- 0.81
- Min
- -0.39
Valuation Metrics
| Metric | AFRM | GS |
|---|---|---|
| P/E Ratio (TTM) | 11.80 | 12.45 |
| P/S Ratio (TTM) | 5.03 | 3.52 |
| P/B Ratio (MRQ) | 4.01 | 2.36 |
| Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM) | -- | -- |