Which Is a Better Investment, KeyCorp or PNC Financial Services Group Inc Stock?

By AAII Staff
September 09, 2026
Large versus logo comparing two stocks in the same industry
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Sifting through countless of stocks in the Banks industry can be tedious, and sometimes two stocks are just too similar to judge which is the better investment. If you’re on the fence about investing in The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. or KeyCorp because you’re not sure how they measure up, it’s important to compare them on a few factors before making your decision.

Read on to learn how The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. and KeyCorp compare based on key financial metrics to determine which better meets your investment needs.

About The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. and KeyCorp

The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. operates as a diversified financial services company in the United States. It operates through three segments: Retail Banking, Corporate & Institutional Banking, and Asset Management Group segments. The Retail Banking segment offers checking, savings, and money market accounts, and time deposit; residential mortgages, home equity loans and lines of credit, auto loans, credit cards, education loans, and personal and small business loans and lines of credit; and brokerage, insurance, and investment and cash management services. This segment serves consumer and small business customers through a network of branches, digital channels, ATMs, and through phone-based customer contact centers. The Corporate & Institutional Banking segment provides secured and unsecured loans, letters of credit, and equipment leases; cash and investment management, receivables and disbursement management, funds transfer, international payment, and access to online/mobile information management and reporting services; asset-backed financing, securities underwriting, loan syndications, mergers and acquisitions and equity capital markets advisory, and customer related services; and commercial loan servicing and technology solutions. It serves mid-sized and large corporations, and government and not-for-profit entities. The Asset Management Group segment offers investment and retirement planning, customized investment management, credit and cash management solutions, and trust management and administration services for high net worth and ultra high net worth individuals, and their families; and multi-generational family planning services. It also offers outsourced chief investment officer, custody, cash and fixed income client solutions, and retirement plan fiduciary investment services for institutional clients. The company was founded in 1865 and is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

KeyCorp operates as the holding company for KeyBank National Association that provides various retail and commercial banking products and services in the United States. It operates in two segments, Consumer Bank and Commercial Bank. The company offers various deposits and investment products; personal finance and financial wellness, lending, student loan refinancing, mortgage and home equity, credit card, treasury, and business advisory; commercial leasing, investment management, consumer finance; and wealth management and investment services for institutional, non-profit, and high-net-worth clients. It also provides lending, cash management, equipment financing, and commercial mortgage loans; and capital market products and services, such as syndicated finance, debt and equity underwriting, fixed income and equity sales and trading, derivatives, foreign exchange, mergers and acquisition, other advisory services, and public finance to large corporate and institutional clients. In addition, the company offers personal and institutional trust custody services, personal financial and planning services, access to mutual funds, treasury services, and international banking services. Further, it provides community development financing, securities underwriting, brokerage, and investment banking services, as well as merchant services. The company was founded in 1849 and is headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio.

Latest Banks and The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc., KeyCorp Stock News

As of September 8, 2026, The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. had a $96.9 billion market capitalization, compared to the Banks median of $757.3 million. The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc.’s stock is up 15.7% in 2026, up 1.7% in the previous five trading days and up 18.84% in the past year.

Currently, The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 13.4. The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $24.3 billion with a 31.4% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 23.6%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $19.309 per share for the current fiscal year. The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. currently has a 3.3% dividend yield.

As of September 8, 2026, KeyCorp had a $23.3 billion market cap, putting it in the 87th percentile of all stocks. KeyCorp’s stock is up 5.2% in 2026, up 2.4% in the previous five trading days and up 15.05% in the past year.

Currently, KeyCorp’s price-earnings ratio is 12.8. KeyCorp’s trailing 12-month revenue is $7.4 billion with a 27.5% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 10.1%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $1.829 per share for the current fiscal year. KeyCorp currently has a 3.8% dividend yield.

How We Compare The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. and KeyCorp Stock Grades

Stock evaluation requires access to huge amounts of data and the knowledge and time to sift through it all, make sense of financial ratios, read income statements and analyze recent stock movements. AAII created A+ Investor, a robust data suite that condenses data research in an actionable and customizable way suitable for investors of all knowledge levels, to help investors streamline and work through such data.

AAII’s proprietary stock grades come with A+ Investor. These offer intuitive A‐F grades for each of five key investing factors: value, growth, momentum, earnings estimate revisions and quality. Here, we’ll take a closer look at The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. and KeyCorp’s stock grades to see how they measure up against one another.

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The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. and KeyCorp Growth Grades

Company Ticker Growth
The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. PNC A
KeyCorp KEY C

The foundation of growth investing is seeking out stocks of companies exhibiting strong, consistent and prolonged growth that is expected to continue into the future.

In order to compute the growth score and assign it a letter grade, the percentile ranks for each of three components‐consistency of annual sales growth, five-year sales growth rankings adjusted for extreme levels, and consistency of positive annual cash from operations‐must be determined. These three rank figures are added together, and the sum is ranked against the entire stock universe to arrive at a company’s Growth Score to create an equal distribution of grades.

The companies in the bottom 20% of the stock universe receive Growth Grades of F, considered to be very weak, while those in the top 20% receive A grades, which are considered very strong.

The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. has a Growth Score of 100, which is Very Strong. KeyCorp has a Growth Score of 43, which is Average.

The Growth Grade Winner: The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc.

As you can clearly see from the Growth Grade breakdown above, The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. has a more attractive growth grade than KeyCorp. For investors who focus solely on how a company is growing relative to other companies in the same industry, The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. could be a good stock to add to their portfolio. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. and KeyCorp’s Quality Grades

Company Ticker Quality
The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. PNC F
KeyCorp KEY D

Like the Value Grade, AAII’s A+ Investor Quality Grade comes from the percentile rank of key metrics. Specifically, the Quality Score is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks of return on assets (ROA), return on invested capital (ROIC), gross profit relative to assets, buyback yield, change in total liabilities to assets, accruals, Z double prime bankruptcy risk (Z) score and the F-Score.

The score is variable, meaning it can consider all eight measures or, should any of the eight measures not be valid, the remaining measures that are valid. To be assigned a Quality Score, stocks must have a valid (non-null) measure and corresponding ranking for at least four of the eight quality measures.

The Quality Score is used to assess the underlying “quality” of a particular stock. A higher-quality stock possesses traits associated with upside potential and reduced downside risk. Backtesting of the Quality Grade shows that stocks with higher grades, on average, outperformed stocks with lower grades over the period of 1998 through 2019.

Stocks receive better grades (higher scores) for having higher scores for the quality subcomponents and worse grades (lower scores) for lower scores for the subcomponents.

The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. has a Quality Score of 12, which is Very Weak. KeyCorp has a Quality Score of 21, which is Weak.

The Quality Stock Winner: No Clear Winner

Neither The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. or KeyCorp has a high enough Quality Grade to be considered a “winner.” Investors who are considering these companies should do additional due diligence and research to see if either could be a good addition to their portfolios. It’s important to look at a wide range of financial metrics in order to determine if The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. or KeyCorp is the better investment when it comes to quality.

The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. and KeyCorp’s Estimate Revisions Grades

Company Ticker Earnings Estimate
The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. PNC C
KeyCorp KEY C

Earnings estimate revisions scores consider the magnitude of a company’s earnings surprise in its last two reported fiscal quarters. Often, positive surprises beget further positive surprises‐or at least continued sales growth (the exact opposite is generally true, too).

Estimate revisions offer an indication of what analysts are thinking about the short-term prospects of a firm. Estimate revisions are based on the statistical significance of a firm’s last two quarterly earnings surprises and the percentage change in its consensus estimate for the current fiscal year over the past month and past three months.

The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. has a Earnings Estimate Score of 54, which is Neutral. KeyCorp has a Earnings Estimate Score of 56, which is Neutral.

The Earnings Estimate Revisions Stock Winner: No Clear Winner

Neither The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. or KeyCorp has an Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade that could be considered a “winner.” Investors considering these companies should do additional due diligence and research to see if either could be a good addition to their portfolios. It’s important to look at a wide range of financial metrics in order to determine if The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. or KeyCorp is the better investment when it comes to estimate revisions.

Don’t Forget Your Free Special Report on How A+ Grades Can Help You Make Investment Decisions

Other The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. and KeyCorp Grades

In addition to Quality, Estimate Revisions and Growth, A+ Investor also provides grades for Value and Momentum.

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Momentum grades help uncover stocks experiencing anomalously high rates of return; research finds that stocks with high relative levels of momentum tend to outperform, whereas those with low levels of momentum tend to continue underperforming.

Successful stock investing involves buying low and selling high, so stock valuation is an important consideration for stock selection. Buying stocks that are going to go up typically means buying stocks that are undervalued in the first place, although momentum investors may argue that point.

These 2 key factors, when combined with the above, provide a holistic view into a particular stock. Further, by joining A+ Investor you can see whether The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. and KeyCorp pass any of our 60+ stock screens that have outperformed the market since their creation.

So, Which Is the Better Investment, The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. or KeyCorp Stock?

Overall, The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. stock has a Growth Score of 100, Estimate Revisions Score of 54 and Quality Score of 12.

KeyCorp stock has a Growth Score of 43, Estimate Revisions Score of 56 and Quality Score of 21.

Comparing The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. and KeyCorp’s grades, scores and metrics can act as a solid basis to determine whether they may be a good investment or not. You’ll also want to look at your portfolio’s asset allocation as well as your risk tolerance and financial goals to see if either of these stocks would make a good fit for you. AAII can help you figure out which investments align with your individual needs and preferences.

Investors are encouraged to do their own due diligence and research. In this way, individuals can effectively become managers of their own assets‐without having to rely on others for financial independence. You can count on AAII for timeless articles on financial planning and stock-picking, unbiased research and actionable analysis.

A+ Investor adds to our qualitative teaching with a powerful data suite to help you whittle down investment choices to find stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds that meet your needs.

Learn More About A+ Investor

AAII Disclaimer

We make no representations or warranties that any investor will, or is likely to, achieve profits similar to those shown, because past, hypothetical or simulated performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Before making an investment decision, you should consider your circumstances and whether the information on our content is applicable to your situation. This information was prepared in good faith, and we accept no liability for any errors or omissions. The full disclaimer can be read here.



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