Anson Funds Management LP Invests $1.09 Million in The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. $GS

Key Points

• Anson Funds Management LP has invested approximately $1.09 million in The Goldman Sachs Group, acquiring 2,000 shares of the company.
• The Goldman Sachs Group reported better-than-expected earnings for the quarter, with $10.91 earnings per share against the projected $9.82.
• The company has announced an increase in its quarterly dividend, raising it from $3.00 to $4.00, reflecting a dividend yield of 2.1%.

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

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in GS. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd bought a new stake in The Goldman Sachs Group during the first quarter worth about $25,000. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. American Capital Advisory LLC bought a new stake in The Goldman Sachs Group in the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. Godsey & Gibb Inc. boosted its stake in The Goldman Sachs Group by 170.0% in the first quarter. Godsey & Gibb Inc. now owns 54 shares of the investment management company's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in The Goldman Sachs Group by 326.7% during the first quarter. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 64 shares of the investment management company's stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 71.21% of the company's stock.

The Goldman Sachs Group Trading Up 0.8%

GS opened at $769.95 on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. has a one year low of $439.38 and a one year high of $774.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.57, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $726.53 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $629.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $233.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.97, a PEG ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.41.

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 for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $9.82 by $1.09. The firm had revenue of $14.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.53 billion. The Goldman Sachs Group had a return on equity of 14.32% and a net margin of 12.37%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 14.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $8.62 EPS. Analysts predict that The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. will post 47.12 EPS for the current year.

The Goldman Sachs Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 29th will be issued a $4.00 dividend. This is a boost 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 2.1%. The Goldman Sachs Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 35.26%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on GS. JMP Securities reaffirmed a "market perform" rating and issued a $600.00 price objective on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in a research note on Monday, July 14th. Hsbc Global Res cut The Goldman Sachs Group from a "hold" rating to a "moderate sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on The Goldman Sachs Group from $650.00 to $785.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, Citigroup raised their price target on The Goldman Sachs Group from $550.00 to $700.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, July 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, The Goldman Sachs Group currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $660.00.

Insider Activity at The Goldman Sachs Group

In related news, CFO Denis P. Coleman sold 7,463 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $724.40, for a total transaction of $5,406,197.20. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 18,594 shares in the company, valued at $13,469,493.60. The trade was a 28.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, COO John E. Waldron sold 9,244 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $750.11, for a total transaction of $6,934,016.84. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 115,268 shares of the company's stock, valued at $86,463,679.48. This trade represents a 7.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 38,323 shares of company stock valued at $28,111,828 over the last quarter. 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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding GS? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.