Did New Goldman Sachs CEO News Overshadow Earnings?

Goldman Sachs Group released better-than-expected quarterly results before the markets opened on Tuesday.

Published July 17, 2018, 9:55am ET · 2 min read

A close-up view of the metallic blue 'Goldman Sachs' logo mounted on a light beige wall. Below the logo, a black monitor displays financial data: 'GOLDMAN SACHS GROUP (GS)' in white text, with a large red '161.12' for the stock price and '23.15 -12.56%' indicating a sharp decline. The blurred head and shoulders of a person wearing glasses are visible in the lower right corner, partially obscuring other background elements.
The Goldman Sachs logo stands above a stock ticker displaying a sharp decline for the Goldman Sachs Group, as the firm's overall market performance is assessed alongside its specific ETF offerings like GPIX. © Chris Hondros / Getty Images

When Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (NYSE: GS) released its most recent quarterly results before the markets opened on Tuesday, the investment bank said that it had $5.98 in earnings per share (EPS) and $9.40 billion in revenue. Consensus estimates had called for $4.66 in EPS and revenue of $8.74 billion. The same period of last year reportedly had EPS of $3.95 and $7.89 billion in revenue.

Perhaps the biggest announcement in the report is that David Solomon will be taking over the role as chief executive officer effective October 1, 2018. Investors had a chance to react to this news on Monday before earnings came out and promptly sent the stock up about 2%.

During the quarter, Goldman Sachs noted a book value per common share of $194.37 and tangible book value per common share of $183.78. Also, the firm’s Basel III Advanced common equity tier 1 ratio was 11.5% at the end of the quarter.

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In terms of its segments the company reported as follows:

  • Net revenues in Investment Banking were $2.05 billion for the second quarter of 2018, 18% higher than the second quarter of 2017 and 14% higher than the first quarter of 2018.
  • Net revenues in Institutional Client Services were $3.57 billion for the second quarter of 2018, 17% higher than the second quarter of 2017 and 19% lower than the first quarter of 2018.
  • Net revenues in Investing & Lending were $1.94 billion for the second quarter of 2018, 23% higher than the second quarter of 2017 and 7% lower than the first quarter of 2018.
  • Net revenues in Investment Management were $1.84 billion for the second quarter of 2018, 20% higher than the second quarter of 2017 and 4% higher than the first quarter of 2018.

The investment bank did not offer guidance for the third quarter, but the consensus estimates are $5.22 in EPS and $8.36 billion in revenue.

Lloyd Blankfein, board chair and current CEO, commented:

Solid performance across all of our major businesses drove the strongest first-half returns in nine years. With a healthy economic backdrop and deep client franchises, the firm is well-positioned to invest in attractive opportunities to meet the needs of our clients and continue to generate earnings growth.

Shares of Goldman Sachs traded down more than 1% to $228.44 early Tuesday. The consensus price target is $271.50 and a 52-week range of $214.64 to $275.31.

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Chris Lange

Chris Lange is a financial and geopolitical writer with more than a decade of experience covering a myriad of topics. He has published thousands of articles for 24/7 Wall St., with past coverage focused heavily on stocks, IPOs, healthcare, defense, global affairs, and technology.

His work has been quoted, or referenced by a number of outlets including Business Insider, USA Today, Yahoo Finance, MSN, The Motley Fool, and many other publications. A graduate of Southwestern University, he studied business with a focus on investments and has previous experience in banking and startups.

When not reading or writing the news, he is following his passion for Lacrosse, playing chess, or building solar projects with his dad.

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