Wakefield Asset Management LLLP Sells 1,167 Shares of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS)

Wakefield Asset Management LLLP trimmed its holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS - Free Report) by 15.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,186 shares of the investment management company's stock after selling 1,167 shares during the quarter. The Goldman Sachs Group accounts for 1.0% of Wakefield Asset Management LLLP's portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest holding. Wakefield Asset Management LLLP's holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group were worth $3,379,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of GS. American Capital Advisory LLC bought a new position in The Goldman Sachs Group during the first quarter worth about $29,000. Godsey & Gibb Inc. boosted 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 purchasing an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Transce3nd LLC bought a new position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in The Goldman Sachs Group during the fourth quarter worth $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 buying an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. 71.21% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

The Goldman Sachs Group Trading Down 0.7%

NYSE GS opened at $701.04 on Wednesday. The company's fifty day moving average price is $647.01 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $601.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26, a current ratio of 1.12 and a quick ratio of 0.68. The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $437.37 and a 12 month high of $726.00. The company has a market capitalization of $215.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 1.35.

The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 16th. The investment management company reported $10.91 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.82 by $1.09. The company had revenue of $14.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $13.53 billion. The Goldman Sachs Group had a net margin of 12.37% and a return on equity of 13.84%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 14.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $8.62 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. will post 47.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Goldman Sachs Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 29th will be issued a $4.00 dividend. This represents a $16.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.28%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 35.26%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on GS shares. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price 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. Wall Street Zen raised The Goldman Sachs Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, July 12th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on The Goldman Sachs Group from $771.00 to $790.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday, July 17th. HSBC restated a "reduce" rating and set a $627.00 price objective (up previously from $558.00) on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, Daiwa Capital Markets lowered The Goldman Sachs Group from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $560.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Friday, April 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, The Goldman Sachs Group currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $660.00.

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.

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