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GS vs. LPLA: Goldman Sachs vs. LPL Financial Stock Comparison

How do Goldman Sachs (GS) and LPL Financial (LPLA) 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

Goldman Sachs (GS) and LPL Financial (LPLA) are both classified in the Investment Banking & Brokerage sub-industry within the broader Capital Markets industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Company profile comparison for Goldman Sachs (GS) and LPL Financial (LPLA)
Profile ItemGSLPLA
NameThe Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.LPL Financial Holdings Inc.
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorFinancialsFinancials
GICS Industry GroupFinancial ServicesFinancial Services
GICS IndustryCapital MarketsCapital Markets
GICS Sub-IndustryInvestment Banking & BrokerageInvestment Banking & Brokerage
Market Capitalization249.73 billion USD23.01 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENasdaq
Listing DateMay 4, 1999November 18, 2010
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

GS
LPLA
GSPC
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Goldman Sachs (GS) vs. LPL Financial (LPLA), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Goldman Sachs (GS) and LPL Financial (LPLA). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Goldman Sachs (GS) and LPL Financial (LPLA). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Goldman Sachs (GS) and LPL Financial (LPLA)
MetricGSLPLA
Total Return (1Y)17.85%-17.27%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)44.69%11.10%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)20.41%13.92%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

GS
LPLA
GSPC
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Goldman Sachs (GS) vs. LPL Financial (LPLA), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Goldman Sachs (GS) and LPL Financial (LPLA). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Goldman Sachs (GS) and LPL Financial (LPLA)
MetricGSLPLA
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)33.28%39.22%
Beta (5Y)1.270.52
Max Drawdown (5Y)-30.90%-33.18%
Avg. Volume (3M)2.10M855.76K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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GS and LPLA are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Goldman Sachs (GS) and LPL Financial (LPLA)
MetricGSLPLA
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.41-0.55
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.59-0.70

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

LPL Financial (LPLA) at 25.66% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Goldman Sachs (GS) at 17.71% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for LPLA.

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%

LPLA

Financial Services industry group

25.66%

Max
44.78%
LPLA
25.66%
Q3
21.85%
Median
12.91%
Q1
4.48%
Min
-18.71%
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Goldman Sachs (GS) vs. LPL Financial (LPLA): A comparison of their ROE against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Goldman Sachs (GS) at 31.21% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of LPL Financial (LPLA) at 6.97%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

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%

LPLA

Financial Services industry group

6.97%

Max
62.84%
Q3
28.05%
Median
15.36%
LPLA
6.97%
Q1
4.82%
Min
-28.52%
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Goldman Sachs (GS) vs. LPL Financial (LPLA): A comparison of their net margin against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Goldman Sachs (GS) at 38.37% runs core operations around its industry’s norm, while LPL Financial (LPLA) at 10.85% operates in the bottom quartile.

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%

LPLA

Financial Services industry group

10.85%

Max
107.33%
Q3
55.90%
Median
30.09%
Q1
14.60%
LPLA
10.85%
Min
-44.34%
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Goldman Sachs (GS) vs. LPL Financial (LPLA): A comparison of their operating margin against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Goldman Sachs (GS) and LPL Financial (LPLA)
MetricGSLPLA
ROE (TTM)17.71%25.66%
ROA (TTM)1.11%7.35%
Net Margin (TTM)31.21%6.97%
Operating Margin (TTM)38.37%10.85%
Gross Margin (TTM)----

Growth

Revenue Growth

LPL Financial (LPLA) at 37.18% 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 LPLA.

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Goldman Sachs (GS) vs. LPL Financial (LPLA): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Goldman Sachs (GS) at 26.59% and LPL Financial (LPLA) at -22.17% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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Goldman Sachs (GS) vs. LPL Financial (LPLA): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Goldman Sachs (GS) and LPL Financial (LPLA)
MetricGSLPLA
Revenue Growth (YoY)8.92%37.18%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)7.16%25.47%
EPS Growth (YoY)26.59%-22.17%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)19.52%1.64%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

current ratio doesn’t apply on either side: Goldman Sachs (GS) in Financial Services and LPL Financial (LPLA) 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: Goldman Sachs (GS) in Financial Services and LPL Financial (LPLA) 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

Financial strength metrics for Goldman Sachs (GS) and LPL Financial (LPLA)
MetricGSLPLA
Current Ratio (MRQ)----
Debt / Equity (MRQ)----
Net Debt / EBITDA----

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Goldman Sachs (GS) at 2.07% and LPL Financial (LPLA) at 0.40% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

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%

LPLA

Financial Services industry group

0.40%

Max
9.77%
Q3
3.92%
Median
1.09%
LPLA
0.40%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Goldman Sachs (GS) vs. LPL Financial (LPLA): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Goldman Sachs (GS) at 25.88% and LPL Financial (LPLA) at 6.88% keep payout ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges — dividend policies that share earnings without consuming too much of them.

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%

LPLA

Financial Services industry group

6.88%

Max
241.07%
Q3
97.36%
Median
25.77%
LPLA
6.88%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Goldman Sachs (GS) vs. LPL Financial (LPLA): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Goldman Sachs (GS) and LPL Financial (LPLA)
MetricGSLPLA
Dividend Yield (TTM)2.07%0.40%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)25.88%6.88%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Goldman Sachs (GS) at 12.45 and LPL Financial (LPLA) at 16.93 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

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

LPLA

Financial Services industry group

16.93

Max
45.85
Q3
24.64
LPLA
16.93
Median
15.37
Q1
9.68
Min
0.16
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Goldman Sachs (GS) vs. LPL Financial (LPLA): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

LPL Financial (LPLA) at 1.15 sits in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile while Goldman Sachs (GS) at 3.52 prices around its industry’s middle — LPLA costs less per dollar of sales, though read it alongside growth and margins.

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

LPLA

Financial Services industry group

1.15

Max
9.23
Q3
4.57
Median
2.72
Q1
1.28
LPLA
1.15
Min
-0.55
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Goldman Sachs (GS) vs. LPL Financial (LPLA): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Goldman Sachs (GS) at 2.36 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while LPL Financial (LPLA) at 3.98 carries an above-peer premium to book — LPLA is pricier on assets.

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

LPLA

Financial Services industry group

3.98

Max
7.79
LPLA
3.98
Q3
3.63
Median
1.57
Q1
0.81
Min
-0.39
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Goldman Sachs (GS) vs. LPL Financial (LPLA): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Goldman Sachs (GS) and LPL Financial (LPLA)
MetricGSLPLA
P/E Ratio (TTM)12.4516.93
P/S Ratio (TTM)3.521.15
P/B Ratio (MRQ)2.363.98
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)----