Which is better, MKTX or SFBS?

On the Buffett-Fit framework, MarketAxess Holdings Inc. (MKTX) currently grades higher than SFBS — 72/100 (B grade) vs 56/100 (D). That said, "better" depends on which framework you trust — MKTX wins on Warren Buffett, Benjamin Graham, Joel Greenblatt, Charlie Munger, and Terry Smith; SFBS wins on Philip Fisher and Peter Lynch. The full pillar breakdown is on this page.

Should I buy MKTX or SFBS?

This page is an educational comparison, not investment advice. Both MKTX and SFBS are graded against the same Buffett 5-pillar framework (moat, earnings durability, management quality, financial health, valuation) plus six other documented investor frameworks. Read the side-by-side breakdown to see which one matches the criteria you care about most — and always do your own research before making any investment decision.

Is MKTX better than SFBS for value investing?

On the Buffett-style value-investing framework, MKTX currently grades higher — 72/100 vs 56/100, a 16-point gap. The gap is driven by which pillars each stock passes; the table on this page shows moat, durability, management, financial health, and valuation side-by-side.

What's the difference between MKTX and SFBS on Warren Buffett's framework?

Both stocks are evaluated on the same five pillars: economic moat (durable competitive advantage), earnings durability (consistent profitability), management quality (capital allocation), financial health (conservative balance sheet), and valuation (margin of safety). MKTX currently scores 72/100 (B grade); SFBS scores 56/100 (D grade). The "Where each wins" section on this page breaks down which pillar each stock dominates.

Which has the stronger moat, MKTX or SFBS?

Moat strength is one of the five pillars in the Buffett-Fit score on this page. MKTX and SFBS are each scored on ROIC sustainability, gross-margin durability, and qualitative signals like brand strength, switching costs, network effects, and regulatory barriers. The pillar breakdown on this page shows the moat sub-score side-by-side so you can see which one has the more durable competitive advantage.

Which is more undervalued, MKTX or SFBS?

Valuation is one of the five Buffett-Fit pillars on this page. Both stocks are scored on owner-earnings yield, price-to-intrinsic-value vs the underlying compounding rate, and the margin of safety relative to a conservative DCF. The valuation sub-score in the table below tells you which one currently trades at a more attractive price relative to its underlying business quality.

Are MKTX and SFBS both Financial Services stocks?

Yes — both MarketAxess Holdings Inc. (MKTX) and ServisFirst Bancshares, Inc. (SFBS) operate in the Financial Services sector. That makes this a direct sector-peer comparison, which is the apples-to-apples way to use the Buffett-Fit framework: the score weighs each stock against its sector's specific quality and valuation benchmarks (sector-relative bonus), so the cross-stock comparison isn't distorted by inter-sector base-rate differences.

Is this MKTX vs SFBS comparison investment advice?

No. This page is an educational pattern-match against documented public frameworks (Buffett, Graham, Fisher, Lynch, Greenblatt, Munger, Smith), not personalised investment advice. The scores reflect how closely each stock matches each framework's documented criteria — they are not buy/hold/sell recommendations. Always do your own research and consult a licensed financial adviser for personalised advice.

Stock comparison

MarketAxess Holdings

ServisFirst Bancshares

Scored across Buffett, Graham, Lynch and Greenblatt - plus a side-by-side metric table covering valuation, quality, growth and balance sheet.

MKTX

Market cap

$4.87B

Sector

Financials

SFBS

ServisFirst Bancshares

Market cap

$4.23B

Sector

Financials

Overall winner

MarketAxess Holdings MKTX

Wins on the combined sum of fit scores across all four strategies. Per-strategy breakdown below.

Fit scores by strategy

Strategy	MKTX	SFBS	Winner
Warren Buffett	72B	56D	MKTX
Benjamin Graham	73B	47D	MKTX
Philip Fisher	52C	57C	SFBS
Peter Lynch	29F	58C	SFBS
Joel Greenblatt	37D	32F	MKTX
Charlie Munger	63C	55D	MKTX
Terry Smith	66B	57D	MKTX

Side-by-side metrics

Metric	MKTX	SFBS
Market cap	$4.87B	$4.23B
P/E (TTM)	15.8x	13.8x
EV/EBIT	13.7x	16.4x
ROIC (TTM)	12.93%	1.63%
Gross margin	70.47%	53.92%
Net margin	35.34%	29.04%
Revenue CAGR 5y	4.91%	23.5%
EPS CAGR 5y	-0.81%	7.21%
Debt / Equity	0.2x	0.8x
Dividend yield	2.21%	1.91%

Where each one wins

The metrics with the biggest gap between the two - sorted so the most decisive edges read first.

MKTX leads on

ROIC (TTM)12.93%vs 1.63%+87%
Debt / Equity0.2xvs 0.8x+71%
Gross margin70.47%vs 53.92%+23%
Net margin35.34%vs 29.04%+18%

SFBS leads on

EPS CAGR 5y7.21%vs -0.81%+111%
Revenue CAGR 5y23.5%vs 4.91%+79%
P/E (TTM)13.8xvs 15.8x+12%

Educational tool. Fit scores are deterministic projections from public financials onto each investor's published criteria - not personal recommendations or advice.

MarketAxess Holdings

ServisFirst Bancshares

Fit scores by strategy

Side-by-side metrics

Where each one wins

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Key terms in this analysis