Russell Investments Group Ltd. Decreases Stock Holdings in Carlyle Group Inc. $CG

Key Points

• Russell Investments Group Ltd. decreased its holdings in Carlyle Group Inc. by 6.0%, owning 1,026,231 shares valued at approximately $44.7 million.
• Carlyle Group announced a quarterly dividend of $0.35 per share, representing an annualized dividend yield of 2.2%, with a payout ratio of 40.94%.
• Analysts have a consensus rating of "Hold" for Carlyle Group, with recent price targets ranging from $45.00 to $66.00.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. cut its stake in shares of Carlyle Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CG - Free Report) by 6.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,026,231 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 65,692 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned approximately 0.28% of Carlyle Group worth $44,727,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Main Street Group LTD purchased a new position in Carlyle Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC raised its stake in Carlyle Group by 5,100.0% in the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 572 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 561 shares in the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Carlyle Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Private Trust Co. NA raised its position in shares of Carlyle Group by 101.9% during the 1st quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 636 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 321 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Johnson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in Carlyle Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $48,000. 55.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on CG. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Carlyle Group from $54.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. TD Cowen raised Carlyle Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $56.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on Carlyle Group from $43.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. Citigroup reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Carlyle Group in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Cowen raised shares of Carlyle Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $59.60.

Insider Activity at Carlyle Group

In related news, General Counsel Jeffrey W. Ferguson sold 202,606 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.23, for a total transaction of $13,013,383.38. Following the sale, the general counsel owned 753,255 shares of the company's stock, valued at $48,381,568.65. This trade represents a 21.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 26.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Carlyle Group Price Performance

Shares of CG traded down $0.36 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $63.50. The company had a trading volume of 1,203,096 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,828,308. The company has a current ratio of 2.24, a quick ratio of 2.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52. Carlyle Group Inc. has a 12-month low of $33.02 and a 12-month high of $65.97. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $56.15 and a 200-day simple moving average of $48.34. The company has a market capitalization of $22.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.58, a PEG ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.90.

Carlyle Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 28th. Investors of record on Monday, August 18th will be given a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 18th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Carlyle Group's payout ratio is currently 40.94%.

Carlyle Group Profile

The Carlyle Group Inc is an investment firm specializing in direct and fund of fund investments. Within direct investments, it specializes in management-led/ Leveraged buyouts, privatizations, divestitures, strategic minority equity investments, structured credit, global distressed and corporate opportunities, small and middle market, equity private placements, consolidations and buildups, senior debt, mezzanine and leveraged finance, and venture and growth capital financings, seed/startup, early venture, emerging growth, turnaround, mid venture, late venture, PIPES.