Barclays Turns More Confident on Goldman Sachs (GS) as Bank Earnings Stay Strong

Core Insights - Goldman Sachs is recognized as one of the 12 Best DOW Stocks to Buy in 2026 [1] - Barclays has raised its price target for Goldman Sachs to $1,048 from $850, maintaining an Overweight rating, anticipating continued earnings growth into 2026 [2] - Goldman Sachs topped global dealmaking league tables in 2025, driven by significant political events and an increase in larger transactions [3] Financial Performance - The year 2025 saw 68 transactions exceeding $10 billion, totaling $1.5 trillion, more than double the previous year, with Goldman advising on 38 of these deals, amounting to $1.48 trillion in advised volume [4] - Goldman Sachs collected $4.6 billion in M&A fees, ranking No. 1 in both M&A fee revenue and total deal value, leading in deal volume ahead of JPMorgan and Morgan Stanley [6] - In the EMEA region, Goldman achieved a market share of 44.7% in 2025, a level not seen since 1999 [6] Market Outlook - Goldman Sachs' Global Co-Head of M&A described 2025 as an "exceptional M&A year," attributing the strong market to a "ubiquity of capital" [5] - Barclays expects the factors that contributed to double-digit earnings growth and bank stock outperformance in 2025 to persist into 2026 [2]