Goldman shares jump after topping analysts’ expectations on strong bond-trading results

Goldman Sachs posted third-quarter results Tuesday that topped analysts’ expectations for profit and revenue on better-than-expected trading results.

Here are the numbers:

• Earnings: $8.25 a share. vs. $7.69 per share estimate according to Refinitiv
• Revenue: $11.98 billion, vs. $11.41 billion estimate

The company said profit fell 43% to $3.07 billion, or $8.25 a share, topping the $7.69 estimate of analysts surveyed by Refinitiv. Revenue slipped 12% to $11.98 billion, topping estimates by more than $500 million. Goldman’s declines in profit and revenue were expected after last year’s IPO boom cooled down this year.

Shares of the bank rose 2.9% in premarket trading.

Goldman CEO David Solomon said the results show the company’s “strength, breadth and diversification” and officially announced a corporate reorganization that had been reported on earlier this week.

“Today, we enter the next phase of our growth, introducing a realignment of our businesses that will enable us to further capitalize on the predominant operating model of One Goldman Sachs,” Solomon said. “We are confident that our strategic evolution will drive higher, more durable returns and unlock long-term value for shareholders.”

Goldman’s fixed-income traders generated $3.53 billion in revenue, a 41% jump from the year-earlier period and roughly $500 million more than analysts had anticipated, as they took advantage of heightened client activity in bonds and currencies amid choppy markets.

Equities traders brought $2.68 billion in revenue, a 14% drop from the year earlier that edged out the $2.59 billion estimate.

The strong trading results more than offset a miss in investment banking, where revenue plunged 57% to $1.58 billion, below analysts’ $1.84 billion estimate.

The results were consistent with Goldman’s competitors in the quarter. While rivals including JPMorgan Chase and Morgan Stanley posted sharp declines in third-quarter investment banking revenue, better-than-expected fixed income results amid volatile markets helped buoy their institutional businesses.

An open question is how long the bank’s consumer business will continue to lose money, a sore subject among investors because of its drag on the company while the stock has been depressed.

The corporate reorganization will combine the bank’s four main divisions into three, according to people with knowledge of the plan. The move splits Goldman’s consumer operations and puts the parts into two new divisions, the people said.

Goldman shares trade for the lowest price to tangible book value ratio among the six biggest U.S. banks except for Citigroup, a situation that Solomon surely wants to address.

The bank’s shares have fallen almost 20% this year through Monday, compared with the 26% decline of the KBW Bank Index.

Last week, JPMorgan and Wells Fargo topped expectations for third-quarter profit and revenue by generating better-than-expected interest income. Citigroup also beat analysts’ estimates, and Morgan Stanley missed as choppy markets took a toll on its investment management business.

This story is developing. Please check back for updates.