(By Balachander) Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (NYSE:GS) reported a fall in earnings and better-than-expected quarterly revenue, and its shares added 1.36 percent in premarket trading on Tuesday.
Earnings per share fell to $1.78 from $1.85 in the comparable period of last year and $3.92 in the previous quarter. Net earnings fell 11 percent from the same period a year ago to $927 million.
Total net revenue was $6.63 billion, down 9 percent and 33 percent from the year-ago period and prior quarter, respectively.
Analysts, on average, polled by Thomson Reuters expected earnings of $1.17 per share on revenue drop of 13.7 percent to $6.28 billion for the second quarter.
"Market conditions deteriorated and activity levels for both corporate and investing clients were lower given continued instability in Europe and concerns about global growth," Goldman Chief Executive Officer Lloyd Blankfein commented.
Investment Banking revenue declined 17 percent from the second quarter of last year, but rose 4 percent on a sequential basis. Net revenue in Financial Advisory plunged 26 percent from the year-ago period, hit by a fall in industry-wide completed mergers and acquisitions. Net revenue in the firm's Underwriting business decreased 9 percent.
Net revenue in Institutional Client Services rose 11 percent from the same period of 2011, while falling 32 percent sequentially.
Total operating expenses dropped 8 percent and 23 percent from the second quarter of last year and previous quarter, respectively.
GS shares, which have been trading between $84.27 and $139.25 over the past year, closed Monday's regular trading at $97.68.