Goldman Sachs' banking segment reported its second-highest revenue quarter on record
Blue-chip bank name Goldman Sachs Group Inc (NYSE:GS) just entered the earnings confessional with second-quarter results that blew Wall Street's expectations out of the water. The company's earnings of $18.60 per share handily topped forecasts, while its banking segment reported its second-highest revenue quarter on record. Goldman Sachs cited record global dealmaking activity for the record pop, offsetting a slowdown in trading.
Despite these impressive results, GS is cooling today, last seen down 1.8% at $373.68. The security's longer-term climb has been nothing short of impressive, however, with the stock adding over 79% in the past 12 months, and 41.7% so far in 2021. Goldman Sachs stock also hit a June 7 all-time high of $393.26, while the 80-day moving average has captured two pullback since its record peak.
Analysts are mostly optimistic towards the security, with 10 of the 14 in coverage calling GS a "strong buy." Plus, the 12-month consensus price target of $406.49 represents a level not yet reached on the charts, as well as an 8.6% premium to current levels.
Drilling down to today's options activity, 50,000 calls and 24,000 puts have crossed the tape, which is three times the intraday average. The July 390 and 400 calls are the most popular, with positions currently being opened at both.
Lastly, the equity's Schaeffer's Volatility Scorecard (SVS) sits at an elevated 81 out of 100. This means GS has exceeded option traders' volatility expectations during the past year -- a boon for premium buyers.