The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS) Shares Acquired by J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG

Key Points

• J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG increased its stake in The Goldman Sachs Group by 87.3%, purchasing an additional 5,985 shares, bringing its total holdings to 12,844 shares valued at approximately $7 million.
• CEO David M. Solomon and CFO Denis P. Coleman each executed significant stock sales, reducing their holdings by 4.98% and 28.64% respectively, amidst a broader trend of insider selling.
• The Goldman Sachs Group recently announced a dividend increase to $4.00 per share, representing a yield of 2.3% and a notable increase from the previous quarterly dividend of $3.00.

J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG grew its position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS - Free Report) by 87.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 12,844 shares of the investment management company's stock after buying an additional 5,985 shares during the period. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG's holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group were worth $7,014,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Aviso Wealth Management lifted its holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group by 90.3% during the 1st quarter. Aviso Wealth Management now owns 5,071 shares of the investment management company's stock worth $2,770,000 after buying an additional 2,406 shares during the last quarter. Mirabaud & Cie SA bought a new position in The Goldman Sachs Group during the 1st quarter worth approximately $2,584,000. Helium Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group by 4.7% during the 1st quarter. Helium Advisors LLC now owns 465 shares of the investment management company's stock worth $254,000 after buying an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. Blueshift Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 161.8% during the 1st quarter. Blueshift Asset Management LLC now owns 1,055 shares of the investment management company's stock worth $576,000 after purchasing an additional 652 shares during the period. Finally, Moors & Cabot Inc. raised its position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 38.7% during the 1st quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 4,208 shares of the investment management company's stock worth $2,299,000 after purchasing an additional 1,174 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 71.21% of the company's stock.

The Goldman Sachs Group Price Performance

Shares of GS stock traded down $9.12 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $716.92. 386,958 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,604,158. The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $439.38 and a twelve month high of $737.88. The firm has a market cap of $219.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.38. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $672.36 and its 200-day simple moving average is $611.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a current ratio of 1.12.

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 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.82 by $1.09. The Goldman Sachs Group had a return on equity of 13.84% and a net margin of 12.37%. The company had revenue of $14.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $13.53 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $8.62 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 14.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. will post 47.12 earnings per share for the current year.

The Goldman Sachs Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 29th. Investors of record on Friday, August 29th will be issued a $4.00 dividend. This represents a $16.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. 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 presently 26.44%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on GS. Wall Street Zen upgraded 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. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on The Goldman Sachs Group from $771.00 to $790.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. Evercore ISI set a $715.00 price target on The Goldman Sachs Group and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price target on The Goldman Sachs Group from $680.00 to $715.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $660.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP John F.W. Rogers sold 6,008 shares of The Goldman Sachs Group stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $717.39, for a total value of $4,310,079.12. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 65,761 shares in the company, valued at $47,176,283.79. The trade was a 8.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO David M. Solomon sold 6,608 shares of The Goldman Sachs Group stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $712.31, for a total value of $4,706,944.48. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 20,079 shares of company stock worth $14,423,221 in the last three months. 0.55% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.