The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. $GS Shares Purchased by Merit Financial Group LLC

Key Points

• Merit Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in The Goldman Sachs Group by 7.9% in Q4, adding 1,520 shares to hold 20,715 shares worth about $18.21 million.
• Insiders have been net sellers: Treasurer Carey Halio sold 2,846 shares and CAO Sheara J. Fredman sold 4,863 shares, with insiders disposing 49,097 shares (~$46.2M) over the past 90 days and now owning 0.55% of the company.
• Goldman beat Q1 estimates (EPS $17.55 vs. $15.92; revenue $17.23B vs. $16.66B) and announced a $4.50 quarterly dividend ($18.00 annual, 2.0% yield), but weak FICC trading and mixed analyst views triggered a post‑earnings selloff.

Merit Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS - Free Report) by 7.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 20,715 shares of the investment management company's stock after buying an additional 1,520 shares during the quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC's holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group were worth $18,210,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Dagco Inc. acquired a new stake in The Goldman Sachs Group in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group during the third quarter valued at about $26,000. First PREMIER Bank purchased a new position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Corundum Trust Company INC purchased a new position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Elevation Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in The Goldman Sachs Group by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 40 shares of the investment management company's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. 71.21% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have weighed in on GS. Rothschild & Co Redburn dropped their target price on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $843.00 to $839.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $971.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, January 16th. Daiwa Securities Group lowered their price objective on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $940.00 to $891.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $850.00 to $1,048.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Evercore reduced their target price on The Goldman Sachs Group from $1,075.00 to $950.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fourteen have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $919.48.

Insider Activity at The Goldman Sachs Group

In other The Goldman Sachs Group news, Treasurer Carey Halio sold 2,846 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $927.17, for a total value of $2,638,725.82. Following the sale, the treasurer directly owned 2,017 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,870,101.89. This represents a 58.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CAO Sheara J. Fredman sold 4,863 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $923.75, for a total transaction of $4,492,196.25. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 10,301 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,515,548.75. The trade was a 32.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 49,097 shares of company stock valued at $46,195,364 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.55% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting The Goldman Sachs Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: Goldman filed to launch a bitcoin "premium income" ETF, a move that diversifies asset‑management revenue and targets retail/income‑seeking investors — a potential new fee stream. Goldman Sachs Seeks SEC Approval for New Bitcoin ETF
• Positive Sentiment: Large buyback activity across U.S. banks (Goldman among them) supports EPS and shareholder returns — a structural tailwind for the stock over time. Largest US banks spend record $33bn on share buybacks
• Positive Sentiment: Prominent media/market voices continue to highlight Goldman as a top bank pick after a strong reported quarter, which supports medium‑term investor confidence. Goldman Sachs bond traders stumbled as Wall Street rivals thrived
• Neutral Sentiment: Major brokerages have largely kept neutral stances on GS (RBC reaffirmed neutral), indicating analyst views are mixed despite the firm’s strategic initiatives. RBC Remains Neutral on Goldman Sachs
• Neutral Sentiment: Some broker notes (JPMorgan reiteration; Wells Fargo price‑target action) show differing analyst views — supportive for valuation but not uniformly bullish. The Goldman Sachs Group's (GS) Neutral Rating Reiterated at JPMorgan Chase & Co. Wells Fargo Cuts GS Price Target
• Negative Sentiment: Goldman's fixed‑income trading revenue materially underperformed peers amid volatile rate moves tied to the Middle East — reports say FICC revenue missed by roughly $910M, a direct hit to near‑term results and investor sentiment. Goldman Sachs bond traders stumbled as Wall Street rivals thrived
• Negative Sentiment: Despite a Q1 beat on EPS and revenue, the stock experienced a post‑earnings selloff as investors focused on FICC weakness and macro risks (inflation/geo tensions), pressuring the share price. Goldman Sachs Shows Strength Despite Q1 Earnings Sell-Off
• Negative Sentiment: Bank of America trimmed expectations for GS, reflecting concerns that trading volatility and geopolitical risks could weigh on near‑term earnings. Bank of America Lowers Expectations for The Goldman Sachs Group

The Goldman Sachs Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:GS opened at $899.50 on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $494.68 and a twelve month high of $984.70. The company's 50 day moving average is $868.70 and its 200 day moving average is $856.53. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.56. The company has a market cap of $265.34 billion, a PE ratio of 16.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.32.

The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 13th. The investment management company reported $17.55 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $15.92 by $1.63. The business had revenue of $17.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.66 billion. The Goldman Sachs Group had a net margin of 14.13% and a return on equity of 16.02%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $14.12 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. will post 47.12 EPS for the current year.

The Goldman Sachs Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 29th. Investors of record on Monday, June 1st will be issued a dividend of $4.50 per share. This represents a $18.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 35.09%.

About The Goldman Sachs Group

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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