Anson Funds Management LP Buys New Shares in The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. $GS

Key Points

• Anson Funds Management LP has acquired a new stake in The Goldman Sachs Group, purchasing 2,000 shares valued at approximately $1,093,000 in the first quarter.
• The Goldman Sachs Group recently reported earnings per share of $10.91 for the quarter, surpassing analysts' expectations and demonstrating a year-over-year revenue increase of 14.5%.
• The company has announced a **quarterly dividend increase to $4.00**, up from the previous $3.00, representing a yield of 2.2% and reflecting a payout ratio of 26.44%.

Anson Funds Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 2,000 shares of the investment management company's stock, valued at approximately $1,093,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. King Wealth Management Group lifted its stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 1.8% during the first quarter. King Wealth Management Group now owns 1,086 shares of the investment management company's stock worth $593,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Wynn Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 0.3% in the 1st quarter. Wynn Capital LLC now owns 5,877 shares of the investment management company's stock valued at $3,211,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. 1900 Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in The Goldman Sachs Group by 2.6% during the first quarter. 1900 Wealth Management LLC now owns 777 shares of the investment management company's stock valued at $425,000 after buying an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Register Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 2.5% during the 1st quarter. Register Financial Advisors LLC now owns 805 shares of the investment management company's stock valued at $440,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Finally, World Equity Group Inc. increased its stake in The Goldman Sachs Group by 0.9% during the first quarter. World Equity Group Inc. now owns 2,330 shares of the investment management company's stock valued at $1,273,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.21% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $771.00 to $790.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. Citigroup increased their price target on The Goldman Sachs Group from $550.00 to $700.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, July 21st. Evercore ISI set a $715.00 price target on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on The Goldman Sachs Group from $680.00 to $715.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. Finally, HSBC reissued a "reduce" rating and set a $627.00 target price (up from $558.00) on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $660.00.

The Goldman Sachs Group Price Performance

NYSE GS opened at $741.8440 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $224.57 billion, a PE ratio of 16.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $705.56 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $620.70. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.57. The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $439.38 and a 12-month high of $749.05.

The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 16th. The investment management company reported $10.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $9.82 by $1.09. The Goldman Sachs Group had a net margin of 12.37% and a return on equity of 14.32%. The firm had revenue of $14.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $13.53 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $8.62 earnings per share. The Goldman Sachs Group's revenue for the quarter was up 14.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. will post 47.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Goldman Sachs Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 29th. Investors of record on Friday, August 29th will be issued a $4.00 dividend. This is an increase from The Goldman Sachs Group's previous quarterly dividend of $3.00. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 29th. This represents a $16.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. The Goldman Sachs Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 26.44%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP John F.W. Rogers sold 6,008 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $717.39, for a total value of $4,310,079.12. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 65,761 shares in the company, valued at approximately $47,176,283.79. This trade represents a 8.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO David M. Solomon sold 6,608 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $712.31, for a total transaction of $4,706,944.48. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 126,176 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $89,876,426.56. This represents a 4.98% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 20,079 shares of company stock valued at $14,423,221. Company insiders own 0.55% of the company's stock.

About The Goldman Sachs Group

The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc, a financial institution, provides a range of financial services for corporations, financial institutions, governments, and individuals worldwide. It operates through Global Banking & Markets, Asset & Wealth Management, and Platform Solutions segments. The Global Banking & Markets segment provides financial advisory services, including strategic advisory assignments related to mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, corporate defense activities, restructurings, and spin-offs; and relationship lending, and acquisition financing, as well as secured lending, through structured credit and asset-backed lending and involved in financing under securities to resale agreements.

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