Form 497K GOLDMAN SACHS TRUST

Summary

Prospectus

April 30, 2021

Goldman Sachs Defensive Equity Fund

Investment Objective

The Goldman Sachs Defensive Equity Fund (the “Fund”) seeks long-term growth of capital with lower volatility than equity markets.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell Shares of the Fund.

Annual Fund Operating Expenses

(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

	Class P
Management Fees	0.53%
Other Expenses1	7.75%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses	8.28%
Expense Limitation2	(7.72%)
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Expense Limitation	0.56%

1

The “Other Expenses” for Class P Shares have been estimated to reflect expenses expected to be incurred during the current fiscal year.

2

The Investment Adviser has agreed to reduce or limit “Other Expenses” (excluding acquired fund fees and expenses, transfer agency fees and expenses, taxes, interest, brokerage fees, expenses of shareholder meetings, litigation and indemnification, and extraordinary expenses) to 0.004% of the Fund’s average daily net assets. This arrangement will remain in effect through at least April 30, 2022, and prior to such date the Investment Adviser may not terminate the arrangement without the approval of the Board of Trustees.

Expense Example

This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.

This Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in Class P Shares of the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your Class P Shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same (except that the Example incorporates the expense limitation arrangement for only the first year). Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

	1 Year	3 Years	5 Years	10 Years
Class P Shares	$57	$1,731	$3,296	$6,781

    

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs when it buys and sells securities or instruments (i.e., “turns over” its portfolio). A high rate of portfolio turnover may result in increased transaction costs, including brokerage commissions, which must be borne by the Fund and its shareholders, and is also likely to result in higher short-term capital gains for taxable shareholders. These costs are not reflected in the annual fund operating expenses or in the expense example above, but are reflected in the Fund’s performance. The Fund’s portfolio turnover rate for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020 was 26% of the average value of its

portfolio. However, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate is calculated without regard to transactions involving certain short-term instruments or derivatives. If such transactions were included in the calculation, the Fund would have a higher portfolio turnover rate.

Principal Strategy

The Fund invests, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes (measured at the time of purchase) (“Net Assets”) in a diversified portfolio of equity investments. The Fund will typically invest in equity investments of U.S. issuers with public stock market capitalizations within the range of the market capitalization of the S&P 500^® Index at the time of investment and other instruments with similar economic exposures as such issuers. The Fund will also employ an options-based overlay strategy (as described below) whereby the Fund simultaneously purchases near-the-money put options while selling (writing) out-of-the-money call and put options on the S&P 500^® Index or other national or regional stock market indices (or exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) that seek to track such indices). The Fund seeks to maintain risk, style, and capitalization characteristics similar to the S&P 500^® Index, while seeking to provide lower volatility and enhanced downside protection with the options-based overlay strategy.

The Fund uses a variety of quantitative techniques, in combination with a qualitative overlay, when selecting investments. The Fund may make investment decisions that deviate from those generated by the Investment Adviser’s proprietary models, at the discretion of the Investment Adviser. In addition, the Investment Adviser may, in its discretion, make changes to its quantitative techniques, or use other quantitative techniques that are based on the Investment Adviser’s proprietary research.

The Fund constructs the options-based overlay by buying put options on the S&P 500^® Index at a higher strike price and writing (or selling) put options on the same index at a relatively lower strike price, resulting in what is known as a put option spread, while simultaneously selling S&P 500^® Index call options. The put option spread is designed to provide the Fund with some downside protection, but this protection is limited to the extent of the difference between the strike price of a put option purchased and the strike price of a put option sold.

As the seller of call and put options, the Fund will receive cash (the “premium”) from the purchaser. If the purchaser exercises the call option, the Fund pays the purchaser the difference between the price of the index and the exercise price of the option. If the purchaser exercises the put option, the Fund pays the purchaser the difference between the exercise price of the option and the price of the index. The premium, the exercise price and the market price of the index determine the gain or loss realized by the Fund as the seller of call and put options.

During periods in which the U.S. equity markets are falling, a diversified portfolio of equity investments, with an options-based overlay strategy designed to seek to provide downside protection, may outperform the same portfolio without such an options overlay strategy. However, in strong rising markets, a portfolio with an options-based overlay strategy could significantly underperform the same portfolio without these options.

In addition to the use of the options-based overlay strategy described above, the Fund may use futures contracts, primarily futures on indexes, options on futures, and total return swaps to more effectively gain targeted equity exposure, to equitize cash and to hedge the Fund’s portfolio if it is unable to purchase or write the necessary options for its overlay strategy. Derivative positions may be listed or over-the-counter (“OTC”) and may or may not be centrally cleared.

The Fund’s investments in fixed income securities are limited to cash equivalents (including money market funds) and U.S. Treasury Securities.

The Fund’s benchmark index is the S&P 500^® Index.

Principal Risks of the Fund

Loss of money is a risk of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) or any government agency. The Fund should not be relied upon as a complete investment program. There can be no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. Investments in the Fund involve substantial risks which prospective investors should consider carefully before investing. The Fund's principal risks are presented below in alphabetical order, and not in the order of importance or potential exposure.

Counterparty Risk. Many of the protections afforded to cleared transactions, such as the security afforded by transacting through a clearing house, might not be available in connection with over-the-counter ("OTC") transactions. Therefore, in those instances in which the Fund enters into uncleared OTC transactions, the Fund will be subject to the risk that its direct counterparty will not perform its obligations under the transactions and that the Fund will sustain losses.

Derivatives Risk. The Fund’s use of options, futures, forwards, swaps, options on swaps, structured securities and other derivative instruments may result in losses. These instruments, which may pose risks in addition to and greater than those associated with investing directly in securities, currencies or other instruments, may be illiquid or less liquid, volatile, difficult to price and leveraged so that small changes in the value of underlying instruments may produce disproportionate losses to the Fund. Certain derivatives are also subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the other party in the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations. The use of derivatives is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with investments in more traditional securities and instruments.

Investment Style Risk.  Different investment styles (e.g., “growth”, “value” or “quantitative”) tend to shift in and out of favor depending upon market and economic conditions and investor sentiment. The Fund employs a “quantitative” style, and may outperform or underperform other funds that invest in similar asset classes but employ different investment styles.

Large Shareholder Transactions Risk. The Fund may experience adverse effects when certain large shareholders purchase or redeem large amounts of shares of the Fund. Such large shareholder redemptions, which may occur rapidly or unexpectedly, may cause the Fund to sell portfolio securities at times when it would not otherwise do so, which may negatively impact the  Fund's  NAV and liquidity. Similarly, large Fund share purchases may adversely affect the  Fund's  performance to the extent that the Fund is delayed in investing new cash or otherwise maintains a larger cash position than it ordinarily would. These transactions may also accelerate the realization of taxable income to shareholders if such sales of investments resulted in gains, and may also increase transaction costs. In addition, a large redemption could result in the  Fund's  current expenses being allocated over a smaller asset base, leading to an increase in the  Fund's  expense ratio.

Leverage Risk.  Borrowing and the use of derivatives may result in leverage and may make the Fund more volatile. The use of leverage may cause the Fund to liquidate portfolio positions to satisfy its obligations

or to meet asset segregation requirements when it may not be advantageous to do so. The use of leverage by the Fund can substantially increase the adverse impact to which the Fund’s investment portfolio may be subject.

Management Risk. A strategy used by the Investment Adviser may fail to produce the intended results. The Investment Adviser attempts to execute a complex strategy for the Fund using proprietary quantitative models. Investments selected using these models may perform differently than expected as a result of the factors used in the models, the weight placed on each factor, changes from the factors’ historical trends, and technical issues in the construction and implementation of the models (including, for example, data problems and/or software issues). There is no guarantee that the Investment Adviser’s use of these quantitative models will result in effective investment decisions for the Fund. Additionally, commonality of holdings across quantitative money managers may amplify losses.

Market Risk. The value of the securities in which the Fund  invests may go up or down in response to the prospects of individual companies, particular sectors or governments and/or general economic conditions throughout the world due to increasingly interconnected global economies and financial markets. Events such as war, acts of terrorism, social unrest, natural disasters, the spread of infectious illness or other public health threats could also significantly impact the Fund and its investments.

Options Risk.  Writing (selling) call options limits the opportunity to profit from an increase in the market value of stocks in exchange for up-front cash (the premium) at the time of selling the call options. Writing (selling) put options may obligate the Fund to buy a stock at a price that exceeds its market value. In addition, the Fund risks losing all or part of the cash (the premium) paid for purchasing put options. The Fund’s options-based overlay strategy may not fully protect it against market declines because the Fund will continue to bear the risk of a decline in the value of its portfolio securities. Furthermore, unusual market conditions or the lack of a ready market for any particular option at a particular time may reduce the effectiveness of the Fund’s options-based overlay strategy.

Stock Risk.  Stock prices have historically risen and fallen in periodic cycles. U.S. and foreign stock markets have experienced periods of substantial price volatility in the past and may do so again in the future.

Swaps Risk.  In a standard “swap” transaction, two parties agree to exchange the returns, differentials in rates of return or some other amount earned or realized on the “notional amount” of predetermined investments or instruments, which may be adjusted for an interest factor. Swaps can involve greater risks than direct investment in securities, because swaps may be leveraged and subject to counterparty risk (e.g., the risk of a counterparty’s defaulting on the obligation or bankruptcy), credit risk and pricing risk (i.e., swaps may be difficult to value). Swaps may also be considered illiquid. It may not be possible for the Fund to liquidate a swap position at an advantageous time or price, which may result in significant losses.

U.S. Government Securities Risk. The U.S. government may not provide financial support to U.S. government agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises if it is not obligated to do so by law. U.S.

Government Securities issued by those agencies, instrumentalities and sponsored enterprises, including those issued by the Federal National Mortgage Association (“Fannie Mae”), Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“Freddie Mac”) and the Federal Home Loan Banks, are neither issued nor guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury and, therefore, are not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. The maximum potential liability of the issuers of some U.S. Government Securities held by the Fund may greatly exceed their current resources, including any legal right to support from the U.S. Treasury. It is possible that issuers of U.S. Government Securities will not have the funds to meet their payment obligations in the future.

Performance

As the Fund had not operated for a full calendar year as of the date of the Prospectus, there is no performance information quoted for the Fund. Updated performance information is available at no additional cost at https://www.gsam.com/content/dam/gsam/pdfs/us/en/fund-resources/monthly-highlights/retail-fund-facts.pdf?sa=n&rd=n or by calling the phone number on the back cover of the Prospectus.

Portfolio Management

Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. is the investment adviser for the Fund (the “Investment Adviser” or “GSAM”).

Portfolio Managers:  Federico Gilly, Managing Director, and Jorge Murillo, Vice President, have managed the Fund since 2020.

Buying and Selling Fund Shares

The Fund does not impose minimum purchase requirements for initial or subsequent investments in Class P Shares.

You may purchase and redeem (sell) Class P Shares of the Fund on any business day through the Goldman Sachs Private Wealth Management business unit, The Goldman Sachs Trust Company, N.A., The Goldman Sachs Trust Company of Delaware, The Ayco Company, L.P. or with certain intermediaries that are authorized to offer Class P Shares.

Tax Information

The Fund’s distributions are taxable, and will be taxed as ordinary income or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. Investments through tax-deferred arrangements may become taxable upon withdrawal from such arrangements.

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

If you purchase the Fund through an Intermediary, the Fund and/or its related companies may pay the Intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the Intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your Intermediary’s website for more information.