The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. $GS Shares Sold by CSM Advisors LLC

Key Points

• CSM Advisors LLC reduced its stake in The Goldman Sachs Group by 1.8%, now holding 32,059 shares valued at approximately $17.5 million.
• Insider selling has been notable, with EVP John F.W. Rogers and CEO David M. Solomon selling a combined 12,616 shares valued at over $9 million recently.
• The Goldman Sachs Group announced an increase in its quarterly dividend from $3.00 to $4.00, reflecting a dividend yield of 2.2% for investors of record.

CSM Advisors LLC cut its position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS - Free Report) by 1.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 32,059 shares of the investment management company's stock after selling 580 shares during the quarter. The Goldman Sachs Group comprises 1.0% of CSM Advisors LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest position. CSM Advisors LLC's holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group were worth $17,511,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GS. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd acquired a new stake in The Goldman Sachs Group during the first quarter worth about $25,000. American Capital Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in The Goldman Sachs Group during the first quarter worth about $29,000. Godsey & Gibb Inc. grew its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake 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 buying an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. 71.21% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

The Goldman Sachs Group Stock Up 0.1%

GS traded up $0.92 on Wednesday, reaching $749.87. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,534,747 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,726,042. The stock has a market cap of $227.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.38. The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $439.38 and a 1 year high of $753.00. 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's 50 day moving average is $712.55 and its 200 day moving average is $622.80.

The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 16th. The investment management company reported $10.91 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $9.82 by $1.09. The firm had revenue of $14.58 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.53 billion. The Goldman Sachs Group had a return on equity of 14.32% and a net margin of 12.37%.The Goldman Sachs Group's revenue for the quarter was up 14.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $8.62 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. will post 47.12 EPS 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. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 29th will be given a $4.00 dividend. This represents a $16.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date 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 payout ratio is 26.44%.

Insider Activity

In other The Goldman Sachs Group news, EVP John F.W. Rogers sold 6,008 shares of The Goldman Sachs Group 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 65,761 shares of the company's stock, valued at $47,176,283.79. The trade was a 8.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Denis P. Coleman sold 7,463 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on 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 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 20,079 shares of company stock worth $14,423,221. 0.55% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Zacks Research upgraded The Goldman Sachs Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 15th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on The Goldman Sachs Group from $680.00 to $715.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on The Goldman Sachs Group from $650.00 to $785.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, Evercore ISI set a $715.00 target price on The Goldman Sachs Group and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $660.00.

The Goldman Sachs Group Company 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.