L & S Advisors Inc Acquires 5,095 Shares of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. $GS

Key Points

• L & S Advisors Inc increased its Goldman Sachs stake by 29.8% in the fourth quarter, adding 5,095 shares to bring its total holdings to 22,207 shares valued at about $19.52 million.
• Goldman Sachs reported strong quarterly results, posting EPS of $17.55 versus estimates of $15.92 and revenue of $17.23 billion, both ahead of expectations.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious overall: the stock has a Hold consensus rating with a $942.24 price target, while the company also announced a quarterly dividend of $4.50 per share.

L & S Advisors Inc grew its holdings in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS - Free Report) by 29.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 22,207 shares of the investment management company's stock after purchasing an additional 5,095 shares during the period. The Goldman Sachs Group makes up about 1.8% of L & S Advisors Inc's holdings, making the stock its 8th biggest position. L & S Advisors Inc's holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group were worth $19,520,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Dagco Inc. acquired a new position in The Goldman Sachs Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC increased its position in The Goldman Sachs Group by 287.5% during the 4th quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC now owns 31 shares of the investment management company's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares during the period. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in The Goldman Sachs Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Joseph Group Capital Management acquired a new position in The Goldman Sachs Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, Ares Financial Consulting LLC acquired a new position in The Goldman Sachs Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.21% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other The Goldman Sachs Group news, insider Alex S. Golten sold 1,116 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $936.18, for a total transaction of $1,044,776.88. Following the transaction, the insider owned 2,578 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,413,472.04. This represents a 30.21% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Kathryn H. Ruemmler sold 14,292 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $939.07, for a total value of $13,421,188.44. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 15,657 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,703,018.99. This represents a 47.72% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 26,824 shares of company stock valued at $25,062,242 in the last quarter. 0.55% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GS has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. UBS Group boosted their target price on The Goldman Sachs Group from $930.00 to $940.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Daiwa Securities Group boosted their target price on The Goldman Sachs Group from $891.00 to $930.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Rothschild & Co Redburn upped their price target on The Goldman Sachs Group from $839.00 to $870.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, April 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a "neutral" rating on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in a report on Monday, April 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a "neutral" rating on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in a report on Monday, April 13th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fourteen have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $942.24.

The Goldman Sachs Group News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting The Goldman Sachs Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs lowered its 12-month U.S. recession probability to 25% from 30%, citing a resilient labor market and solid economic activity. That suggests a healthier macro backdrop for banks and markets overall. Goldman Slashes Recession Risk Odds as Labor Market Remains Resilient
• Neutral Sentiment: Goldman Sachs analysts remained active across several names, including Buy ratings on Telefonica, MercadoLibre, Insulet, Marathon Petroleum, UnitedHealth and ORIC Pharma, showing the firm continues to influence market sentiment but without direct impact on GS itself.
• Neutral Sentiment: There were also multiple media references to Goldman strategists warning that the recent market rally and volatility setup could imply more upside, but those commentary pieces were market-wide in nature and not specific to Goldman Sachs stock.
• Negative Sentiment: Financial stocks were weaker in afternoon trading, with the NYSE Financial Index down about 0.5%, which likely pressured Goldman Sachs shares along with the broader sector. Sector Update: Financial Stocks Lower in Afternoon Trading

The Goldman Sachs Group Price Performance

GS stock opened at $949.89 on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $582.50 and a 1 year high of $984.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 0.63. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $878.61 and its 200 day moving average price is $878.32. The firm has a market cap of $280.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.36, a PEG ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 1.28.

The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, April 13th. The investment management company reported $17.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $15.92 by $1.63. The Goldman Sachs Group had a return on equity of 16.53% and a net margin of 14.13%.The firm had revenue of $17.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.66 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $14.12 EPS. The Goldman Sachs Group's revenue was up 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. will post 59.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Goldman Sachs Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 29th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 1st will be paid a dividend of $4.50 per share. This represents a $18.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 32.89%.

The Goldman Sachs Group Company Profile

The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc is a global investment banking and financial services firm headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1869 as a commercial paper business, the company has grown into a diversified financial institution that provides a broad range of services to corporations, financial institutions, governments and individuals. The firm is led by Chief Executive Officer David M. Solomon and operates across major financial centers worldwide.

Goldman Sachs' core businesses include investment banking, global markets, asset and wealth management, and consumer banking.

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