Sector Report4 min read
Financials: 22 A-Grades Hiding Five Banking Disasters
The sector splits clean: exchanges and payments print cash, megabanks burn it. Twenty companies improving can't hide the bottom five.
Jul 6, 2026
CMEVMACOF+16
Banks, investment firms, insurance, payments, and financial services
Sector classifications follow the GICS industry standard.
Companies ranked by free cash flow margin
Health grades across the sector
| # | Symbol | Grade | FCF Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CME | A | 62.9% |
| 2 | V | A | 51.7% |
| 3 | MA | A | 48.3% |
| 4 | COF | A | 47.5% |
| 5 | SCHW | A | 35.3% |
| 6 | SPGI | A | 34.0% |
| 7 | ICE | A | 28.7% |
| 8 | TFC | A | 28.2% |
| 9 | USB | A | 27.9% |
| 10 | MET | A | 22.6% |
| 11 | COIN | A | 22.1% |
| 12 | TRV | A | 21.7% |
| 13 | CB | A | 21.4% |
| 14 | AXP | A | 21.4% |
| 15 | PGR | A | 19.5% |
| 16 | PNC | A | 19.0% |
| 17 | MMC | A | 18.5% |
| 18 | AON | A | 16.2% |
| 19 | ALL | A | 14.7% |
| 20 | PYPL | A | 13.8% |
| 21 | AIG | A | 12.4% |
| 22 | PRU | A | 10.3% |
| 23 | BLK | B | 9.3% |
| 24 | BAC | F | 7.6% |
| 25 | WFC | F | -22.7% |
| 26 | MS | F | -34.4% |
| 27 | JPM | F | -81.3% |
| 28 | GS | F | -86.9% |
| 29 | C | F | -87.0% |
Run the analyzer on these tickers to see their grades
The sector splits clean: exchanges and payments print cash, megabanks burn it. Twenty companies improving can't hide the bottom five.
Payment networks and exchanges print 50%+ margins while traditional banks bleed cash. The sector split is stark.
The sector median is 19.5%, but the money center banks are all failing. The gap between payments and traditional banking keeps widening.