The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS) Shares Sold by Westwood Holdings Group Inc.

Westwood Holdings Group Inc. cut its stake in The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS - Free Report) by 7.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 245,281 shares of the investment management company's stock after selling 20,114 shares during the quarter. The Goldman Sachs Group comprises about 1.1% of Westwood Holdings Group Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 15th biggest holding. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. owned about 0.08% of The Goldman Sachs Group worth $140,453,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in GS. Jackson Grant Investment Advisers Inc. boosted its stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 10.9% during the 4th quarter. Jackson Grant Investment Advisers Inc. now owns 163 shares of the investment management company's stock worth $93,000 after purchasing an additional 16 shares during the period. Ledyard National Bank boosted its stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Ledyard National Bank now owns 486 shares of the investment management company's stock worth $278,000 after purchasing an additional 16 shares during the period. Seelaus Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Seelaus Asset Management LLC now owns 660 shares of the investment management company's stock worth $378,000 after purchasing an additional 16 shares during the period. Pointe Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Pointe Capital Management LLC now owns 1,660 shares of the investment management company's stock worth $951,000 after purchasing an additional 16 shares during the period. Finally, Genesee Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Genesee Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,788 shares of the investment management company's stock worth $1,024,000 after purchasing an additional 17 shares during the period. 71.21% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

The Goldman Sachs Group Stock Down 2.1%

Shares of NYSE:GS traded down $12.96 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $593.56. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,633,841 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,385,451. The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $437.37 and a 52 week high of $672.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.32, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The company has a market capitalization of $182.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.64, a P/E/G ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 1.32. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $545.30 and its 200 day moving average price is $580.74.

The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 14th. The investment management company reported $14.12 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $12.57 by $1.55. The business had revenue of $15.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.99 billion. The Goldman Sachs Group had a net margin of 11.32% and a return on equity of 13.30%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $11.58 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. will post 47.12 EPS for the current year.

The Goldman Sachs Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 27th. Investors of record on Friday, May 30th will be paid a dividend of $3.00 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 30th. This represents a $12.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.02%. The Goldman Sachs Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.85%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director John B. Hess purchased 3,904 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 15th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $511.68 per share, for a total transaction of $1,997,598.72. Following the purchase, 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.55% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $610.00 to $560.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. JMP Securities decreased their price objective on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $625.00 to $600.00 and set a "market outperform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $625.00 to $614.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Daiwa Capital Markets lowered shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $560.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Friday, April 4th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $585.00 to $550.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 24th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, The Goldman Sachs Group has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $593.40.

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.