37,849 Shares in The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS) Acquired by ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V.

Key Points

• ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. has acquired 37,849 shares of The Goldman Sachs Group valued at approximately $20.7 million during the first quarter.
• The Goldman Sachs Group reported earnings of $10.91 per share, exceeding analysts' expectations, with a revenue rise of 14.5% year-over-year.
• Goldman Sachs has raised its quarterly dividend from $3.00 to $4.00, signaling a strong financial outlook with a 2.2% yield for investors.

ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. 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 Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 37,849 shares of the investment management company's stock, valued at approximately $20,676,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. American Capital Advisory LLC purchased a new position in The Goldman Sachs Group during the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. Godsey & Gibb Inc. increased its position in The Goldman Sachs Group by 170.0% in the 1st quarter. Godsey & Gibb Inc. now owns 54 shares of the investment management company's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the period. Transce3nd LLC purchased a new stake in The Goldman Sachs Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 326.7% in the first quarter. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 64 shares of the investment management company's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.21% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Hsbc Global Res cut shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from a "hold" rating to a "moderate sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $771.00 to $790.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $650.00 to $785.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, Citizens Jmp reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in a research note on Monday, July 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $660.00.

Insider Activity at The Goldman Sachs Group

In other 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 value of $5,406,197.20. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 18,594 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $13,469,493.60. The trade was a 28.64% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO David M. Solomon sold 6,608 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $712.31, for a total value of $4,706,944.48. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 126,176 shares in the company, valued at $89,876,426.56. The trade was 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. Corporate insiders own 0.55% of the company's stock.

The Goldman Sachs Group Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of GS stock traded up $2.02 on Friday, reaching $721.76. 1,275,362 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,022,910. The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $439.38 and a 1-year high of $737.88. The stock has a market cap of $218.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.57. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $681.52 and a two-hundred day moving average of $614.35.

The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 16th. The investment management company reported $10.91 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 business had revenue of $14.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.53 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $8.62 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 14.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. will post 47.12 EPS for the current year.

The Goldman Sachs Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 29th. Investors of record on Friday, August 29th will be issued a dividend of $4.00 per share. This represents a $16.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 29th. This is a positive change from The Goldman Sachs Group's previous quarterly dividend of $3.00. The Goldman Sachs Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.44%.

The Goldman Sachs Group Profile

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.