Here's Why Goldman (GS) Stock is a Lucrative Bet Right Now
Goldman SachsGoldman Sachs(US:GS) ZACKS·2024-06-19 15:25

Core Insights - Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (GS) is positioned for growth due to its focus on core operations, opportunistic buyouts, and improving demand in global deal-making [1] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for GS's earnings has increased by 3.3% for 2024 and 2.6% for 2025 over the past 60 days, with a current Zacks Rank of 2 (Buy) [1] - GS shares have gained 17.7% over the past three months, outperforming the industry average increase of 8.7% [1] Earnings Growth - Goldman has experienced earnings growth of 3.7% over the past three to five years, driven by strategic business streamlining and a focus on recurring revenues [1] - The company has a strong earnings surprise history, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the last four quarters with an average beat of 22.78% [2] - Projected earnings growth for GS is 57.4% in 2024, 8.6% in 2025, and 1.1% in 2026 [2] Strategic Initiatives - Goldman is engaged in strategic buyouts and divestitures to enhance its investment banking and trading businesses, including the sale of GreenSky and the acquisition of NN Investment and NextCapital [2] - These initiatives have improved GS's global presence and diversified its fee-revenue streams [2] Revenue Strength - Goldman's net revenues have shown a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.1% from 2019 to 2023, supported by strategic initiatives and growth in non-interest revenues [3] - Estimated net revenue growth is projected at 11.6% for 2024, 4% for 2025, and 2.2% for 2026 [3] Financial Position - As of March 31, 2024, Goldman had total cash and cash equivalents of $209 billion and total unsecured debt of $312 billion, with only $78 billion in near-term borrowings [3] - This solid liquidity position enables the company to meet its near-term obligations [3] Valuation - GS's price-to-book ratio of 1.35 and price-to-earnings (F1) ratio of 12.31 are below the industry averages of 2.19 and 17.94, indicating that the stock is undervalued compared to its peers [4]