Is all forgiven with Goldman Sachs (GS)?

The investment company has taken several huge public relations hits in recent years. One of the biggest came this past March, following the very public resignation by Greg Smith, a top official there. In a New York Times editorial, Smith blasted the Goldman Sachs corporate culture as "toxic and destructive," where clients were described as "muppets" and the concept of advising clients to do what's best for their interests had given way to whatever trades would most benefit the firm.

Goldman Sachs was also facing fraud charges related to the start of the U.S. housing market crisis. This past August, however, the U.S. Justice Department said it wouldn’t pursue a criminal prosecution in relation to those charges.

These scandals raised questions regarding the public’s trust and confidence in Goldman Sachs. And yet, even after a rough second quarter, Goldman's share price is up 25% from the start of August.

Investors seem less concerned with any negative past news and rather upbeat about where Goldman Sachs is going as they focus on its third-quarter earnings report, scheduled to be released Tuesday before the market opens.

Despite a sluggish seasonal quarter, we expect Goldman to put up pretty solid results," said KBW bank analyst David Konrad, "given the improvement in market values, relatively stable volatility and market share gains in its merger and acquisition business."

Analysts expect Goldman Sachs to report per-share earnings around the $2.12 range, up from a net loss of 84 cents a year earlier, on revenue that doubled.

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