Vertical Research analyst Gordon Johnson said Goldman Sachs (GS) being confirmed as a financial advisor to Tesla's (TSLA) proposed go-private offer "does not mean anything" beyond the "superficial optics" of the carmaker being able to "use Goldman's prestigious name to lend credence to the deal." Goldman is "in it for M&A fees" and agreeing to be an advisor is "not based on any inherent understanding of Tesla's value proposition, nor is it based on Goldman's confidence in Tesla's legal situation with respect to its significant issues surrounding disclosures and SEC involvement," according to Johnson, who maintains a Sell rating on Tesla shares.

Morgan Stanley analyst Michael Cyprys noted that E-Trade (ETFC) in mid-2016 gave itself an 18- to 24-month deadline to improve core metrics or consider strategic options and that self-imposed strategic review deadline is nearing. The company plans to give an update on its review on the Q3 earnings call, likely in mid-October, he said. Of the potential acquirers identified in the media, Cyprys believes TD Ameritrade (AMTD) could possibly achieve the greatest accretion and therefore pay the most, making it the most logical buyer if E-Trade's board opts to pursue a sale. Charles Schwab (SCHW) is another potential acquirer, though he thinks such a combination could make less strategic sense. Goldman Sachs (GS) has said it is looking to build out its consumer business through mass market, but Cyprys concludes it is not the best bidder given regulatory hurdles, low synergies and low expected EPS accretion, he tells investors. The analyst keeps an Overweight rating and $70 price target on E-Trade shares.

Oppenheimer analyst Chris Kotowski tells investors in a research note that the U.S. banking group is on solid footing with balance sheets less risky than at any time over the last 33 years the firm covered the group and says his favorite bank stocks are Outperform-rated Bank of America (BAC), Citi (C), CIT (CIT) and Goldman Sachs (GS). However, Kotowski notes that banks are trading at an average relative P/E of just ~66% relative to the S&P 500 and returning to a historical avg valuation of 73%-80% range would imply over a thousand basis points of outperformance by the group. In his view, the U.S. banks are, on the whole, in "very good" shape.