The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. $GS Shares Bought by Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.

Key Points

• Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its stake in The Goldman Sachs Group by 4.9%, owning nearly 97,000 shares worth approximately $52.9 million after the first quarter.
• The Goldman Sachs Group reported $10.91 earnings per share, surpassing expectations, with a revenue of $14.58 billion, marking a year-over-year increase of 14.5%.
• The firm announced a quarterly dividend increase from $3.00 to $4.00, reflecting a 2.2% dividend yield and a dividend payout ratio of 26.44%.

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS - Free Report) by 4.9% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 96,925 shares of the investment management company's stock after acquiring an additional 4,518 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.'s holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group were worth $52,949,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $25,000. American Capital Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Godsey & Gibb Inc. lifted its position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 170.0% during the 1st quarter. Godsey & Gibb Inc. now owns 54 shares of the investment management company's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the period. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 326.7% during the 1st quarter. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 64 shares of the investment management company's stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares during the period. 71.21% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

The Goldman Sachs Group Stock Performance

NYSE:GS opened at $741.8440 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $705.56 and a 200-day simple moving average of $620.70. 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 firm has a market cap of $224.57 billion, a PE ratio of 16.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.58 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 $749.05.

The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 16th. The investment management company reported $10.91 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $9.82 by $1.09. The business had revenue of $14.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.53 billion. The Goldman Sachs Group had a net margin of 12.37% and a return on equity of 14.32%. The company's revenue was up 14.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $8.62 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. will post 47.12 EPS for the current year.

The Goldman Sachs Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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 is a boost from The Goldman Sachs Group's previous quarterly dividend of $3.00. This represents a $16.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.44%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO David M. Solomon sold 6,608 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $712.31, for a total value of $4,706,944.48. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 126,176 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $89,876,426.56. This trade represents a 4.98% 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. Also, EVP John F.W. Rogers sold 6,008 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $717.39, for a total transaction of $4,310,079.12. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 65,761 shares in the company, valued at $47,176,283.79. This represents a 8.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 20,079 shares of company stock valued at $14,423,221 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.55% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on GS. Zacks Research upgraded shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 15th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $680.00 to $715.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. Evercore ISI set a $715.00 price target on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $550.00 to $700.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, July 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $660.00.

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.

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