The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS) Shares Sold by Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc.

Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. lowered its holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS - Free Report) by 23.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,403 shares of the investment management company's stock after selling 1,054 shares during the quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group were worth $1,859,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 63,864.7% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,976,684 shares of the investment management company's stock worth $2,172,423,000 after purchasing an additional 3,970,467 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in The Goldman Sachs Group in the fourth quarter worth $1,603,315,000. Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in the fourth quarter worth $944,334,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group during the fourth quarter valued at $624,844,000. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in The Goldman Sachs Group by 14,007.0% in the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,059,716 shares of the investment management company's stock worth $606,815,000 after purchasing an additional 1,052,204 shares during the last quarter. 71.21% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently issued reports on GS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on The Goldman Sachs Group from $625.00 to $614.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on The Goldman Sachs Group from $610.00 to $560.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Daiwa Capital Markets lowered The Goldman Sachs Group from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $560.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Friday, April 4th. JMP Securities reduced their target price on The Goldman Sachs Group from $625.00 to $600.00 and set a "market outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, Daiwa America downgraded The Goldman Sachs Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, April 4th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, The Goldman Sachs Group presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $593.40.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director John B. Hess bought 3,904 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 15th. The shares were bought at an average price of $511.68 per share, for a total transaction of $1,997,598.72. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 3,904 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,997,598.72. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.55% of the company's stock.

The Goldman Sachs Group Trading Up 1.4%

NYSE:GS traded up $8.61 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $614.49. 1,675,612 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,372,391. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.32. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $554.39 and a 200 day simple moving average of $582.59. The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. has a one year low of $437.37 and a one year high of $672.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $188.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 1.32.

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 11.32% and a return on equity of 13.30%. 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 expect that The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. will post 47.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Goldman Sachs Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be paid a dividend of $3.00 per share. This represents a $12.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.85%.

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.