Goldman's Wealth Management Business Emerges as Durable Growth Engine

Core Insights - The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.'s Asset & Wealth Management (AWM) division is becoming a central pillar of the firm's growth strategy, with 2025 results indicating a shift towards more durable, fee-based revenues and lower balance-sheet intensity [2][11] AWM Financial Performance - AWM generated $14.89 billion in net revenues in 2025, with record management and other fees amounting to $11.54 billion [2][10] - Private banking and lending net revenues reached a record $3.3 billion in 2025, reflecting a 16% increase from the previous year, driven by higher net interest margins and improved loan performance [6][10] - Total assets under supervision rose to a record $3.61 trillion in 2025, an increase of $469 billion year over year, supported by market appreciation and net inflows across all client channels [8][10] - AWM achieved a pre-tax margin of 25% and a return on equity of 12.5% in 2025, with targets for high-teens returns and approximately 5% annual growth in long-term fee-based net inflows [9] Growth Drivers - Lending to wealthy individuals and entrepreneurs has been a key growth driver, with management emphasizing lending penetration to deepen client relationships [6] - Goldman oversees over $625 billion in alternative assets, with gross third-party fundraising hitting a record $115 billion in 2025 [7] Strategic Developments - The December 2025 agreement to acquire Innovator Capital Management enhances Goldman's ETF capabilities and reinforces its focus on building diversified, durable revenue streams [11] Competitive Landscape - JPMorgan's AWM segment reported net revenues of $6.5 billion in Q4 2025, up 13% year over year, with assets under management reaching $4.8 trillion [12] - Morgan Stanley's wealth and asset management contribution to total net revenues increased to 54% in 2025 from 26% in 2010, with total client assets reaching $9.3 trillion [13] Market Performance - Goldman Sachs shares surged 37.1% over the past year, outperforming the industry's growth of 15.6% [14] - The forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio for Goldman is 15.95X, above the industry average of 13.99X [17] Earnings Estimates - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Goldman's 2026 and 2027 earnings implies year-over-year increases of 10.3% and 10.6%, respectively, with upward revisions in estimates over the past month [20]