What is the average profit margin range for a financial services company?

Understanding the Financial Services Industry

The financial services industry has served as common ground for investors seeking steady growth and income for decades, despite the 2008 economic downturn spurred by its mismanagement. Organizations that facilitate banking and insurance services, asset management services, lending and credit services, and brokerage operations make up a substantial portion of gross domestic product (GDP) each year, and they can have a lasting impact on total stock market performance.

The financial services industry includes a large group of businesses that manage money. This includes banks, credit unions, investment groups, credit card companies, insurance companies, financial technology companies, financial advisors, and even mobile financial services. Profit margin for all these various subsectors of the financial services industry varies; whereas many financial services companies generate a revenue by charging a fee for their services, some more personalized services rake in a higher profit margin.

Financial Services Industry Profit Margin

Companies in the financial services industry have a strong history of consistency in return as well as steady dividend payments to investors, but not all companies within the sector are created equal. This can be seen in the wide range of profit margins from subsectors and specific companies. For example, although the average profit margin for the financial services industry may be 14.71%, the profit margin for the industry’s more concentrated subsectors ranges from 5.1% to 40.5%.

To determine whether an investment in the financial services industry is suitable in terms of the tradeoff between risk and returnanalyze the sector’s management of cost by reviewing its profit margin. A company’s profit margin is calculated by dividing a company’s net income by its total revenues and is expressed as a percentage.

Most investors view a higher profit margin as more desirable, while a lower percentage may mean a company is not generating enough revenue to cover its operating costs. Analyzing a company’s profit margin is not the only way an investor can determine profitability, but this metric does provide more insight than a review of net earnings alone.