Financial Counselors Inc. Decreases Position in The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS)

Financial Counselors Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS - Free Report) by 13.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,689 shares of the investment management company's stock after selling 430 shares during the period. Financial Counselors Inc.'s holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group were worth $1,469,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Prestige Wealth Management Group LLC increased its holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Prestige Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 1,659 shares of the investment management company's stock valued at $950,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the period. Wynn Capital LLC grew its holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group by 0.3% during the 1st quarter. Wynn Capital LLC now owns 5,877 shares of the investment management company's stock worth $3,211,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the period. 1900 Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group by 2.6% during the 1st quarter. 1900 Wealth Management LLC now owns 777 shares of the investment management company's stock worth $425,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the period. World Equity Group Inc. grew its holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group by 0.9% during the 1st quarter. World Equity Group Inc. now owns 2,330 shares of the investment management company's stock worth $1,273,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the period. Finally, Register Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group by 2.5% during the 1st quarter. Register Financial Advisors LLC now owns 805 shares of the investment management company's stock worth $440,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.21% of the company's stock.

The Goldman Sachs Group Stock Performance

Shares of The Goldman Sachs Group stock traded up $9.20 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $705.76. 542,653 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,679,576. The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $437.37 and a 12 month high of $726.00. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $626.30 and a 200 day simple moving average of $594.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a current ratio of 0.68. The company has a market capitalization of $216.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.38, a P/E/G ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 1.35.

The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, April 14th. The investment management company reported $14.12 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $12.57 by $1.55. The Goldman Sachs Group had a net margin of 11.86% and a return on equity of 13.76%. The firm had revenue of $15.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $14.99 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $11.58 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. will post 47.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Goldman Sachs Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 30th were given a dividend of $3.00 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 30th. This represents a $12.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.70%. The Goldman Sachs Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 27.85%.

Insider Activity at The Goldman Sachs Group

In related news, Director John B. Hess purchased 3,904 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 15th. The stock was bought at an average price of $511.68 per share, for a total transaction of $1,997,598.72. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 3,904 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,997,598.72. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.55% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GS has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on The Goldman Sachs Group from $625.00 to $614.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Daiwa Capital Markets downgraded The Goldman Sachs Group from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $560.00 price target for the company. in a report on Friday, April 4th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $570.00 to $592.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Hsbc Global Res cut shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from a "hold" rating to a "moderate sell" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Daiwa America cut shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, April 4th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $614.00.

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.