AXP vs COF vs GS Stock Comparison

American Express, Capital One Financial and Goldman Sachs Prices as of Oct 27, 2026 Peers: Industry group
AXP American Express Co
$312.92 +1.4% 1M -13.5% 1Y
Market cap
$209.97B
P/E
17.2x
Revenue (TTM)
$77.59B
Div. yield
1.17%
Money Center Banks Financial Services
1 win
COF Capital One Financial Corp
$203.46 +1.7% 1M -9.0% 1Y
Market cap
$124.82B
P/E
12.0x
Revenue (TTM)
—
Div. yield
1.57%
Money Center Banks Financial Services
2 wins
GS Goldman Sachs Group Inc
$912.08 -2.5% 1M +15.5% 1Y
Market cap
$265.82B
P/E
12.8x
Revenue (TTM)
$69.70B
Div. yield
1.97%
Money Center Banks Financial Services
6 wins

Head to Head

9 decided of 12

Goldman Sachs leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Goldman Sachs 6, Capital One Financial 2, American Express 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionAXPCOFGSLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $209.97B $124.82B $265.82B GS
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 17.2x 12.0x 12.8x COF
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 17.8x 10.0x 12.1x COF
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +10.2% — +18.7% GS
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 15.8% — — –
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 19.6% — — –
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 0.5x — — –
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 1.17% 1.57% 1.97% GS
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -13.5% -9.0% +15.5% GS
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +12.4%/yr +5.9%/yr +17.1%/yr GS
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 26.1% 31.5% 31.9% AXP
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 46/100 — 47/100 GS

Percentile Scorecard

AXPCOFGS

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisAXPCOFGS
Valuation 22 #282 of 360 78 #79 of 360 18 #294 of 360
Growth 39 #117 of 191 – 96 #8 of 191
Profitability 67 #56 of 168 – –
Financial Health 39 #107 of 175 – –
Shareholder Returns 61 #134 of 341 18 #279 of 341 27 #251 of 341
Overall 46 – 47
  • AXP ranked among 368 companies in Banking
  • COF ranked among 368 companies in Banking
  • GS ranked among 368 companies in Banking

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodAXPCOFGSSPY
1 month +1.4%+1.7%-2.5% -0.2%
3 months -7.0%-4.2%-11.7% +3.9%
6 months -0.9%+5.9%-1.6% +8.2%
Year to date -15.4%-16.1%+3.8% +12.9%
1 year -13.5%-9.0%+15.5% +12.3%
3 years +121.4%+108.2%+214.6% +87.4%
3 years, per year +30.4%+27.7%+46.6% +23.3%
5 years +79.2%+33.4%+119.9% +67.9%
5 years, per year +12.4%+5.9%+17.1% +10.9%
10 years +367.5%+172.0%+413.1% +261.1%
10 years, per year +16.7%+10.5%+17.8% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureAXPCOFGSSPY
Volatility, 1Y 26.1%31.5%31.9% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 29.8%35.8%32.2% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.931.311.63 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.52-0.280.48 0.97
Max drawdown, 5Y -32.0%-46.9%-34.0% -25.4%
From 52-week high -18.7%-21.1%-20.8% -1.2%
52-week high $384.89$257.94$1,152.07 $779.14
52-week low $292.27$176.10$773.70 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleAXPCOFGS
P/E now vs peer median 17.2xmedian 12.1x 12.0xmedian 12.1x 12.8xmedian 12.1x
P/S now vs peer median 2.7xmedian 3.4x 1.9xmedian 3.4x 3.8xmedian 3.4x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 8.8xmedian 5.0x —median 5.0x —median 5.0x
P/FCF now vs peer median 15.1xmedian 10.9x 4.1xmedian 10.9x -6.4xmedian 10.9x
P/B now vs peer median 5.9xmedian 1.2x 1.1xmedian 1.2x 2.1xmedian 1.2x
PEG now vs peer median 0.93median 1.34 1.45median 1.34 0.26median 1.34

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsAXPCOFGS
Revenue $77.59B – $69.70B
Net income $12.26B – –
Free cash flow $13.91B – –
EPS (diluted) $18.18 $16.91 $69.89
Cash & equivalents $43.20B – $177.00B
Total debt $59.95B – –
Shares (diluted) 674.00M 621.10M 304.90M
Enterprise value $9.45B $124.82B $265.82B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricAXPCOFGS
P/E 17.2x 12.0x 12.8x
P/FCF 15.1x 4.1x -6.4x
P/Operating cash flow 11.9x – –
P/S 2.7x 1.9x 3.8x
P/B 5.9x 1.1x 2.1x
P/Tangible book 5.9x 1.3x 2.1x
EV/EBITDA 8.8x – –
EV/EBIT 9.5x – –
EV/Revenue 2.9x – 3.8x
EV/FCF 15.9x – –
EV/Operating cash flow 12.6x – –
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.93 1.45 0.26

Growth

14 metrics
MetricAXPCOFGS
Revenue growth (1Y) 10.2% – 18.7%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 9.6% – 15.3%
Gross profit growth (1Y) – – –
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) – – –
Operating income growth (1Y) – – –
Operating income CAGR (3Y) – – –
Net income growth (1Y) 16.3% – –
Net income CAGR (3Y) 15.2% – –
EPS growth (1Y) 19.5% 889.3% 39.0%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 18.5% 8.3% 49.3%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -16.6% – –
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) -4.5% – –
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -26.6% – –
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -9.2% – –

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricAXPCOFGS
Gross margin – – –
EBITDA margin 32.6% – –
Operating margin – – –
Pretax margin 19.9% – –
Net margin 15.8% – –
FCF margin 17.9% – –
Operating cash flow margin 22.7% – –
Return on equity 35.0% – –
Return on assets 4.0% – –
Return on invested capital 19.6% – –
Return on capital employed – – –
Asset turnover 0.3x – 0.0x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.4x – –
Stock comp / revenue 0.8% – –

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricAXPCOFGS
Debt / assets 19.3% – –
Debt / equity 1.7x – –
Net debt / EBITDA 0.5x – –
Debt / FCF 4.3x – –
Liabilities / assets 88.5% 83.7% 94.3%
Equity / assets 11.5% 16.3% 5.7%
Interest coverage 3.0x – –
Current ratio – – –
Quick ratio – – –
Cash ratio – – –
Altman Z-score – – –

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricAXPCOFGS
Dividend yield 1.2% 1.6% 2.0%
Net buyback yield 3.2% – –
Shareholder yield 4.4% 1.6% 2.0%
Payout ratio (earnings) – – –
Payout ratio (FCF) – – –
Dividend growth (1Y) – – –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – – –

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusAXPCOFGS
Forward P/E 17.8xFY2026 10.0xFY2026 12.1xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $17.56FY2026 $20.41FY2026 $75.07FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +14.2%FY2026 +4.1%FY2026 +46.3%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +21.2% +12.8% -6.8%
Revenue, next fiscal year $82.04BFY2026 $66.23BFY2026 $68.80BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +13.6%FY2026 +24.0%FY2026 +18.1%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after -0.3% -0.3% +4.5%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersAXPCOFGS
Held by institutions 84.9% 86.5% 72.1%
Institutions holding 3,009 2,111 3,149
Change in shares held, QoQ -0.3% +1.7% +1.1%
Institutions buying 1,473 1,049 1,552
Institutions selling 1,051 758 1,124
Buyers to sellers 1.40 1.38 1.38

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

AXPCOFGS
AXP 1.00 0.77 0.50
COF 0.77 1.00 0.55
GS 0.50 0.55 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, AXP, COF and GS?

Goldman Sachs (GS) is the largest by market capitalisation: American Express (AXP) $209.97B, Capital One Financial (COF) $124.82B, Goldman Sachs (GS) $265.82B.

Which stock is cheaper, AXP, COF and GS?

Capital One Financial (COF) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (American Express (AXP) 17.2x, Capital One Financial (COF) 12.0x, Goldman Sachs (GS) 12.8x). On next year's consensus earnings, Capital One Financial (COF) is cheapest (American Express (AXP) 17.8x, Capital One Financial (COF) 10.0x, Goldman Sachs (GS) 12.1x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Goldman Sachs (GS) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: American Express (AXP) +10.2%, Goldman Sachs (GS) +18.7%.

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Goldman Sachs (GS) returned the most: American Express (AXP) -13.5%, Capital One Financial (COF) -9.0%, Goldman Sachs (GS) +15.5%. Over five years, Goldman Sachs (GS) compounded fastest (American Express (AXP) +12.4%/yr, Capital One Financial (COF) +5.9%/yr, Goldman Sachs (GS) +17.1%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Goldman Sachs (GS) has the highest dividend yield: American Express (AXP) 1.17%, Capital One Financial (COF) 1.57%, Goldman Sachs (GS) 1.97%.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, American Express (AXP) has been the steadiest (American Express (AXP) 26.1%, Capital One Financial (COF) 31.5%, Goldman Sachs (GS) 31.9%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, AXP, COF and GS?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Goldman Sachs (GS) leads on 6. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.