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KEY vs PNC
Which Stock Would AI Choose? KeyCorp (KEY) vs. PNC Financial Services Group (PNC) Stock Comparison
Key Takeaways
- Both KEY and PNC delivered strong Q1 2026 earnings, with PNC benefiting from its FirstBank acquisition driving loan and deposit growth.
- KEY shares have risen over 60% in the past year, outperforming PNC's 54% gain, amid resilient commercial lending.
- PNC boasts a larger market cap of $91.6 billion versus KEY's $24.1 billion, with superior ROE (return on equity, a measure of profitability relative to shareholders' equity) at 12.1% compared to 10.0%.
- Year-to-date, PNC leads with 10.4% gains versus KEY's 8.6%, reflecting stronger momentum from raised 2026 guidance.
- Valuations are comparable, with trailing P/E ratios around 13 for both, but PNC offers a higher dividend yield profile in recent distributions.
Introduction
This stock comparison examines KEY and PNC, two prominent regional banks operating in overlapping Midwest and Northeast markets. Both are sensitive to interest rate environments, net interest income (NII, revenue from interest-earning assets minus interest expenses), and economic cycles, making them relevant for value-oriented investors and traders seeking relative performance insights. In the current market, where banking sector sentiment hinges on earnings momentum, loan growth, and acquisition integration, understanding their contrasts in scale, growth drivers, and recent trajectory aids informed positioning in stock comparison analyses.
KEY Overview and Recent Performance
KeyCorp, headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, operates through Consumer Bank and Commercial Bank segments, offering retail banking, commercial lending, and wealth management services across the U.S. In recent market activity, KEY shares have traded around $22, reflecting a year-to-date gain of approximately 8.6% and a robust one-year return exceeding 60%. Strong Q1 2026 results, with revenue of $1.95 billion and EPS (earnings per share) of $0.44 beating expectations, have bolstered sentiment, driven by commercial lending growth and fee income expansion. Cost controls and strategic initiatives have supported profitability, though credit quality metrics warrant monitoring amid broader economic pressures. Trading near its 52-week high of $23.35, the stock exhibits positive momentum in regional banking peers.
PNC Overview and Recent Performance
PNC Financial Services Group, based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is a diversified financial firm with Retail Banking, Corporate & Institutional Banking, and Asset Management Group segments, providing deposits, loans, and investment services nationwide. Recently, PNC shares have hovered near $227, posting a year-to-date increase of 10.4% and a one-year advance of 54%. Q1 2026 earnings highlighted 13% revenue growth year-over-year, fueled by the FirstBank acquisition enhancing loans and deposits, alongside raised full-year NII guidance. This has driven outperformance versus peers, with shares approaching the 52-week high of $243.94. Integration costs pose short-term risks, but overall positioning remains solid amid favorable rate dynamics.
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Head-to-Head Comparison
Both KEY and PNC focus on regional banking models emphasizing deposits, loans, and fee-based services, but PNC’s larger scale ($91.6B market cap vs. $24.1B) enables broader diversification into institutional banking and asset management. Growth drivers differ: PNC leverages M&A (mergers and acquisitions) like FirstBank for loan expansion, while KEY relies on organic commercial lending. Recent momentum favors PNC with superior YTD gains and revenue growth (13.8% quarterly YoY vs. 11.7%), though KEY edges one-year returns. Risk factors include interest rate sensitivity and NCOs (non-performing loans), with PNC’s higher ROE (12.1% vs. 10.0%) signaling better efficiency; market sentiment tilts toward PNC for stability.
Tickeron AI Verdict
Tickeron’s AI currently leans toward PNC based on trend consistency from acquisition-driven catalysts, higher ROE, and relative YTD outperformance, positioning it favorably amid banking sector recovery. KEY remains competitive with strong earnings momentum, but PNC exhibits greater stability and growth probability in the near term.
Disclaimer
The information on this webpage is provided for general informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as investment advice, a recommendation to purchase or sell any security, or an offer or solicitation related to investments. It does not consider your personal financial situation, goals, or risk profile, and all investing carries inherent risks, including the possibility of losing your entire investment. For more details, please review our full disclaimer. Disclaimers and Limitations
To compare these two companies we present long-term analysis, their fundamental ratings and make comparative short-term technical analysis which are presented below. The conclusion is KEY is a Buy and PNC is a Buy.
Long-Term Analysis
It is best to consider a long-term outlook for a ticker by using Fundamental Analysis (FA) ratings. The rating of 1 to 100, where 1 is best and 100 is worst, is divided into thirds. The first third (a green rating of 1-33) indicates that the ticker is undervalued; the second third (a grey number between 34 and 66) means that the ticker is valued fairly; and the last third (red number of 67 to 100) reflects that the ticker is undervalued. We use an FA Score to show how many ratings show the ticker to be undervalued (green) or overvalued (red).
KEY’s FA Score shows that 1 FA rating(s) are green whilePNC’s FA Score has 1 green FA rating(s).
- KEY’s FA Score: 1 green, 4 red.
- PNC’s FA Score: 1 green, 4 red.
Short-Term Analysis
It is best to consider a short-term outlook for a ticker by using Technical Analysis (TA) indicators. We use Odds of Success as the percentage of outcomes which confirm successful trade signals in the past.
If the Odds of Success (the likelihood of the continuation of a trend) for each indicator are greater than 50%, then the generated signal is confirmed. A green percentage from 90% to 51% indicates that the ticker is in a bullish trend. A red percentage from 90% - 51% indicates that the ticker is in a bearish trend. All grey percentages are below 50% and are considered not to confirm the trend signal.
KEY’s TA Score shows that 6 TA indicator(s) are bullish while PNC’s TA Score has 6 bullish TA indicator(s).
- KEY’s TA Score: 6 bullish, 4 bearish.
- PNC’s TA Score: 6 bullish, 4 bearish.
Price Growth
KEY (@Regional Banks) experienced а -1.62% price change this week, while PNC (@Regional Banks) price change was -1.58% for the same time period.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Regional Banks industry was +0.62%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was +1.59%, and the average quarterly price growth was +17.20%.
Reported Earning Dates
KEY is expected to report earnings on Jul 21, 2026.
PNC is expected to report earnings on Jul 15, 2026.
Industries' Descriptions
@Regional Banks (+0.62% weekly)Regional banks have a smaller reach than major banks, and cater mostly to one region of a country, such as a state or within a group of states. They offer services often similar – albeit with some limitations/smaller scale – compared to major banks. Taking deposits, making loans, mortgages, leases, credit cards , fund management, insurance and investment banking. SunTrust Banks, State Street Corp., M&T Bank Corp. are some examples of U.S. regional banks.
| KEY | PNC | KEY / PNC | |
| Capitalization | 23.1B | 86.2B | 27% |
| EBITDA | N/A | N/A | - |
| Gain YTD | 4.268 | 4.392 | 97% |
| P/E Ratio | 13.07 | 12.47 | 105% |
| Revenue | 7.47B | 23.8B | 31% |
| Total Cash | N/A | 6.78B | - |
| Total Debt | 17B | 66.7B | 25% |
KEY | PNC | ||
|---|---|---|---|
OUTLOOK RATING 1..100 | 66 | 70 | |
VALUATION overvalued / fair valued / undervalued 1..100 | 78 Overvalued | 74 Overvalued | |
PROFIT vs RISK RATING 1..100 | 77 | 59 | |
SMR RATING 1..100 | 8 | 5 | |
PRICE GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 48 | 51 | |
P/E GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 87 | 50 | |
SEASONALITY SCORE 1..100 | 50 | 50 |
Tickeron ratings are formulated such that a rating of 1 designates the most successful stocks in a given industry, while a rating of 100 points to the least successful stocks for that industry.
PNC's Valuation (74) in the Major Banks industry is in the same range as KEY (78). This means that PNC’s stock grew similarly to KEY’s over the last 12 months.
PNC's Profit vs Risk Rating (59) in the Major Banks industry is in the same range as KEY (77). This means that PNC’s stock grew similarly to KEY’s over the last 12 months.
PNC's SMR Rating (5) in the Major Banks industry is in the same range as KEY (8). This means that PNC’s stock grew similarly to KEY’s over the last 12 months.
KEY's Price Growth Rating (48) in the Major Banks industry is in the same range as PNC (51). This means that KEY’s stock grew similarly to PNC’s over the last 12 months.
PNC's P/E Growth Rating (50) in the Major Banks industry is somewhat better than the same rating for KEY (87). This means that PNC’s stock grew somewhat faster than KEY’s over the last 12 months.
| KEY | PNC | |
|---|---|---|
| RSI ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 66% | 1 day ago 66% |
| Stochastic ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 65% | 1 day ago 63% |
| Momentum ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 65% | 1 day ago 54% |
| MACD ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 57% | 1 day ago 60% |
| TrendWeek ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 68% | 1 day ago 61% |
| TrendMonth ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 67% | 1 day ago 60% |
| Advances ODDS (%) | 7 days ago 62% | 7 days ago 55% |
| Declines ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 70% | 1 day ago 61% |
| BollingerBands ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 66% | 1 day ago 62% |
| Aroon ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 64% | 1 day ago 49% |
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| 1 Day | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ETFs / NAME | Price $ | Chg $ | Chg % |
| CEE | 21.23 | 0.42 | +2.02% |
| Central and Eastern Europe Fund (The) | |||
| ARKD | 20.33 | 0.33 | +1.63% |
| ARK DIET Q1 Buffer ETF | |||
| IWO | 372.81 | 3.82 | +1.04% |
| iShares Russell 2000 Growth ETF | |||
| QCJL | 24.82 | 0.07 | +0.30% |
| FT Vest Nasdaq-100 Cnsrv Buffr ETF - Jul | |||
| VMO | 9.82 | N/A | N/A |
| Invesco Municipal Opportunity Trust | |||
KEY and
Correlation & Price change
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, KEY has been closely correlated with CFG. These tickers have moved in lockstep 90% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is a high statistical probability that if KEY jumps, then CFG could also see price increases.
PNC and
Correlation & Price change
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, PNC has been closely correlated with USB. These tickers have moved in lockstep 87% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is a high statistical probability that if PNC jumps, then USB could also see price increases.