2,146 Shares in The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. $GS Acquired by Focused Alpha LLC

Key Points

• Focused Alpha LLC acquired 2,146 Goldman Sachs shares worth approximately $2.17 million in the second quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 71.21% of GS.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $1,062.86. Goldman recently exceeded quarterly earnings and revenue expectations, reporting $20.98 EPS and $20.34 billion in revenue.
• Goldman raised its quarterly dividend from $4.50 to $5.00 per share, equivalent to $20 annually and a 1.9% yield. The firm is also pursuing growth through expansion in India’s government share-sale market and its planned acquisition of NEOS Investments for up to $2.25 billion.

Focused Alpha LLC bought a new stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 2,146 shares of the investment management company's stock, valued at approximately $2,171,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of GS. MidFirst Bank acquired a new position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group during the second quarter worth $15,759,000. Paladin Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in the 2nd quarter worth $58,000. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in the 2nd quarter worth $24,172,123,000. Occidental Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in The Goldman Sachs Group during the 2nd quarter worth $569,000. Finally, Dunhill Financial LLC purchased a new position in The Goldman Sachs Group during the 2nd quarter worth $405,000. 71.21% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on GS. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on The Goldman Sachs Group from $1,070.00 to $1,190.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Evercore restated an "outperform" rating on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Daiwa Securities Group upped their price objective on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $891.00 to $930.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $1,062.86.

Key Stories Impacting The Goldman Sachs Group

Here are the key news stories impacting The Goldman Sachs Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs was among the financial giants receiving a “Buy” growth grade, reinforcing the view that its earnings growth, capital-markets franchise and strategic positioning remain attractive. Citigroup and Goldman Sachs lead as most financial giants earn Buy growth grades
• Positive Sentiment: The firm is reportedly expanding into India’s government share-sale market. Greater participation in equity offerings could create additional investment-banking revenue and deepen Goldman’s presence in a fast-growing market. Goldman Sachs expands into India's government share sale market
• Positive Sentiment: Goldman agreed to pay up to $2.25 billion for NEOS Investments, the issuer of high-income ETFs. The acquisition supports Goldman’s asset-management and wealth-products strategy, although investors will monitor the price paid and integration execution. Goldman Sachs acquisition of NEOS Investments
• Neutral Sentiment: Goldman research said gold could exceed its $4,900 year-end forecast amid options demand, Western investor buying and central-bank purchases. The call may benefit the firm’s commodities and trading franchise, but changing interest-rate expectations could increase market volatility and forecasting risk. Gold could top Goldman's forecast
• Negative Sentiment: Goldman strategists described July as one of the sharpest hedge-fund de-grossing episodes of the past decade, with hedge funds posting an unusually weak month relative to the S&P 500. Continued de-risking could pressure trading activity and investment-banking sentiment across Wall Street. Goldman Sachs hedge funds worst month versus S&P 500

The Goldman Sachs Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE GS opened at $1,041.35 on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $718.58 and a 52 week high of $1,153.99. The business's 50 day moving average price is $1,053.96 and its 200 day moving average price is $964.40. The company has a quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.17. The firm has a market cap of $303.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.07, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.30.

The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 14th. The investment management company reported $20.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $14.47 by $6.51. The company had revenue of $20.34 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.22 billion. The Goldman Sachs Group had a net margin of 15.53% and a return on equity of 19.16%. The Goldman Sachs Group's revenue for the quarter was up 39.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $10.91 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. will post 68.89 earnings per share for the current year.

The Goldman Sachs Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 29th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 1st will be given a dividend of $5.00 per share. This is a boost from The Goldman Sachs Group's previous quarterly dividend of $4.50. This represents a $20.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group's payout ratio is presently 27.78%.

About The Goldman Sachs Group

The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc is a global investment banking and financial services firm headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1869 as a commercial paper business, the company has grown into a diversified financial institution that provides a broad range of services to corporations, financial institutions, governments and individuals. The firm is led by Chief Executive Officer David M. Solomon and operates across major financial centers worldwide.

Goldman Sachs' core businesses include investment banking, global markets, asset and wealth management, and consumer banking.

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