Capital Analysts LLC Increases Stock Position in The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. $GS

Key Points

• Capital Analysts LLC increased its stake in The Goldman Sachs Group by 1.3% in the first quarter, now holding 37,009 shares valued at approximately $20.2 million.
• Insider trades included the sale of 6,008 shares by EVP John F.W. Rogers and 7,463 shares by CFO Denis P. Coleman, representing significant decreases in their positions.
• The Goldman Sachs Group declared a quarterly dividend of $4.00, up from $3.00, signaling increased returns for stockholders with a 2.2% dividend yield.

Capital Analysts LLC increased its stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS - Free Report) by 1.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 37,009 shares of the investment management company's stock after buying an additional 457 shares during the quarter. The Goldman Sachs Group comprises about 0.8% of Capital Analysts LLC's holdings, making the stock its 24th largest position. Capital Analysts LLC's holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group were worth $20,218,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd purchased a new position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group during the first quarter worth about $25,000. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in The Goldman Sachs Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. American Capital Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in The Goldman Sachs Group in the first quarter valued at about $29,000. Transce3nd LLC acquired a new stake in The Goldman Sachs Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Godsey & Gibb Inc. lifted its position 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 valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.21% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other The Goldman Sachs Group news, CFO Denis P. Coleman sold 7,463 shares of The Goldman Sachs Group stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 directly 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John F.W. Rogers sold 6,008 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $717.39, for a total transaction of $4,310,079.12. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 65,761 shares of the company's stock, valued at $47,176,283.79. This represents a 8.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently commented on GS. Hsbc Global Res downgraded shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from a "hold" rating to a "moderate sell" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 12th. Citizens Jmp reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $550.00 to $700.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, July 21st. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $660.00.

The Goldman Sachs Group Trading Up 3.6%

GS stock traded up $25.8940 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $741.8440. The stock had a trading volume of 1,948,403 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,756,604. The firm has a market cap of $224.57 billion, a PE ratio of 16.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.38. 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 Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $439.38 and a 12-month high of $749.05. The company's 50-day moving average price is $705.56 and its 200 day moving average price is $620.87.

The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 16th. The investment management company reported $10.91 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.82 by $1.09. The firm had revenue of $14.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $13.53 billion. The Goldman Sachs Group had a net margin of 12.37% and a return on equity of 14.32%. The Goldman Sachs Group's revenue for the quarter was up 14.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $8.62 EPS. On average, equities research 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 company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 29th will be paid a $4.00 dividend. This represents a $16.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 29th. This is an increase from The Goldman Sachs Group's previous quarterly dividend of $3.00. The Goldman Sachs Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 35.26%.

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.