GS vs. WFC: Goldman Sachs vs. Wells Fargo Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Goldman Sachs (GS) and Wells Fargo (WFC) 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 Wells Fargo (WFC) share the Financials sector but sit in different industry groups — GS in Financial Services and WFC in Banks.

Company profile comparison for Goldman Sachs (GS) and Wells Fargo (WFC)
Profile Item	GS	WFC
Name	The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.	Wells Fargo & Company
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Financials	Financials
GICS Industry Group	Financial Services	Banks
GICS Industry	Capital Markets	Banks
GICS Sub-Industry	Investment Banking & Brokerage	Diversified Banks
Market Capitalization	249.73 billion USD	251.98 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	May 4, 1999	June 1, 1972
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

WFC

GSPC

Goldman Sachs (GS) vs. Wells Fargo (WFC), 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 Wells Fargo (WFC). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Goldman Sachs (GS) and Wells Fargo (WFC)
Metric	GS	WFC
Total Return (1Y)	17.85%	2.40%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	44.69%	31.75%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	20.41%	14.35%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

WFC

GSPC

Goldman Sachs (GS) vs. Wells Fargo (WFC), 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 Wells Fargo (WFC). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Goldman Sachs (GS) and Wells Fargo (WFC)
Metric	GS	WFC
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	33.28%	26.11%
Beta (5Y)	1.27	0.91
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-30.90%	-37.10%
Avg. Volume (3M)	2.10M	14.10M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

GS and WFC are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. Each dashed Capital Allocation Line uses that stock's own industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Goldman Sachs (GS) and Wells Fargo (WFC)
Metric	GS	WFC
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.41	-0.07
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.59	-0.10

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Goldman Sachs (GS) at 17.71% and Wells Fargo (WFC) at 12.91% land near their industries’ usual ROE ranges, so capital efficiency looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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%

WFC

Banks industry group

12.91%

Max: 19.84%
Q3: 13.67%
WFC: 12.91%
Median: 11.49%
Q1: 9.50%
Min: 3.64%

Goldman Sachs (GS) vs. Wells Fargo (WFC): A comparison of their ROE against their respective Financial Services and Banks industry group benchmarks.

Net Margin (TTM)

Goldman Sachs (GS) at 31.21% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Wells Fargo (WFC) at 27.64%, 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%

WFC

Banks industry group

27.64%

Max: 47.19%
Q3: 35.25%
Median: 31.21%
WFC: 27.64%
Q1: 27.11%
Min: 14.93%

Goldman Sachs (GS) vs. Wells Fargo (WFC): A comparison of their net margin against their respective Financial Services and Banks industry group benchmarks.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Goldman Sachs (GS) reports operating margin of 38.37%; Wells Fargo (WFC) doesn’t report a comparable line — in Banks, funding costs sit inside the core business rather than below an operating line, so profitability is better judged on net margin or ROE.

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%

WFC

Banks industry group

WFC: --
Max: --
Q3: --
Median: --
Q1: --
Min: --

Goldman Sachs (GS) vs. Wells Fargo (WFC): WFC’s operating margin is not assessed under the Banks industry convention, so the chart shows available visual context for GS only.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Goldman Sachs (GS) and Wells Fargo (WFC)
Metric	GS	WFC
ROE (TTM)	17.71%	12.91%
ROA (TTM)	1.11%	1.08%
Net Margin (TTM)	31.21%	27.64%
Operating Margin (TTM)	38.37%	--
Gross Margin (TTM)	--	--

Growth

Revenue Growth

Goldman Sachs (GS) at 8.92% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Wells Fargo (WFC) at 1.70% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

Goldman Sachs (GS) vs. Wells Fargo (WFC): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Goldman Sachs (GS) at 26.59% and Wells Fargo (WFC) at 16.57% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Goldman Sachs (GS) vs. Wells Fargo (WFC): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Goldman Sachs (GS) and Wells Fargo (WFC)
Metric	GS	WFC
Revenue Growth (YoY)	8.92%	1.70%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	7.16%	4.02%
EPS Growth (YoY)	26.59%	16.57%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	19.52%	25.86%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

current ratio doesn’t apply on either side: Goldman Sachs (GS) in Financial Services and Wells Fargo (WFC) in Banks 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 Wells Fargo (WFC) in Banks 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 Wells Fargo (WFC)
Metric	GS	WFC
Current Ratio (MRQ)	--	--
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	--	--
Net Debt / EBITDA	--	--

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Goldman Sachs (GS) at 2.07% and Wells Fargo (WFC) at 2.19% 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%

WFC

Banks industry group

2.19%

Max: 5.79%
Q3: 3.18%
Median: 2.39%
WFC: 2.19%
Q1: 1.20%
Min: 0.00%

Goldman Sachs (GS) vs. Wells Fargo (WFC): A comparison of their dividend yield against their respective Financial Services and Banks industry group benchmarks.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Goldman Sachs (GS) at 25.88% and Wells Fargo (WFC) at 26.09% 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%

WFC

Banks industry group

26.09%

Max: 70.75%
Q3: 41.28%
Median: 29.26%
WFC: 26.09%
Q1: 18.98%
Min: 0.00%

Goldman Sachs (GS) vs. Wells Fargo (WFC): A comparison of their payout ratio against their respective Financial Services and Banks industry group benchmarks.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Goldman Sachs (GS) and Wells Fargo (WFC)
Metric	GS	WFC
Dividend Yield (TTM)	2.07%	2.19%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	25.88%	26.09%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Goldman Sachs (GS) at 12.45 and Wells Fargo (WFC) at 11.84 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

WFC

Banks industry group

11.84

Max: 18.16
Q3: 13.75
WFC: 11.84
Median: 11.81
Q1: 10.64
Min: 6.49

Goldman Sachs (GS) vs. Wells Fargo (WFC): A comparison of their P/E ratio against their respective Financial Services and Banks industry group benchmarks.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Goldman Sachs (GS) shows P/S ratio of 3.52; for Wells Fargo (WFC) the multiple is skipped — in Banks, income is dominated by interest spread rather than a conventional revenue line, so pricing per dollar of sales loses meaning and book- or earnings-based multiples carry the comparison.

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

WFC

Banks industry group

WFC: --
Max: --
Q3: --
Median: --
Q1: --
Min: --

Goldman Sachs (GS) vs. Wells Fargo (WFC): WFC’s P/S ratio is not assessed under the Banks industry convention, so the chart shows available visual context for GS only.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Goldman Sachs (GS) at 2.36 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while Wells Fargo (WFC) at 1.59 carries an above-peer premium to book — WFC 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

WFC

Banks industry group

1.59

Max: 2.28
WFC: 1.59
Q3: 1.58
Median: 1.32
Q1: 1.10
Min: 0.59

Goldman Sachs (GS) vs. Wells Fargo (WFC): A comparison of their P/B ratio against their respective Financial Services and Banks industry group benchmarks.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Goldman Sachs (GS) and Wells Fargo (WFC)
Metric	GS	WFC
P/E Ratio (TTM)	12.45	11.84
P/S Ratio (TTM)	3.52	--
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	2.36	1.59
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	--	--