Yacktman Asset Management LP Decreases Stake in The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS)

Yacktman Asset Management LP cut its stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS - Free Report) by 91.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 8,873 shares of the investment management company's stock after selling 101,321 shares during the period. Yacktman Asset Management LP's holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group were worth $4,847,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of GS. American Capital Advisory LLC bought a new stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in the first quarter worth $29,000. Curio Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Godsey & Gibb Inc. grew its stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 170.0% in the first quarter. Godsey & Gibb Inc. now owns 54 shares of the investment management company's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Transce3nd LLC bought a new stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. 71.21% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

The Goldman Sachs Group Stock Up 1.8%

NYSE GS traded up $12.73 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $709.29. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,732,329 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,392,553. The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $437.37 and a 52 week high of $726.00. The company has a market capitalization of $217.64 billion, a PE ratio of 16.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a current ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $629.38 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $595.55.

The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 14th. The investment management company reported $14.12 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $12.57 by $1.55. The Goldman Sachs Group had a net margin of 11.86% and a return on equity of 13.76%. The business 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. Research analysts anticipate that The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. will post 47.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Goldman Sachs Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 27th. Investors of record on Friday, May 30th were given a $3.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 30th. This represents a $12.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.69%. The Goldman Sachs Group's payout ratio is 27.85%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Oppenheimer cut shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Daiwa Capital Markets cut shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $560.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Friday, April 4th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in a research report on Thursday. Daiwa America cut shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, April 4th. Finally, JMP Securities cut their price target on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $625.00 to $600.00 and set a "market outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, The Goldman Sachs Group currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $614.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director John B. Hess acquired 3,904 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 15th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $511.68 per share, for a total transaction of $1,997,598.72. Following the purchase, the director owned 3,904 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,997,598.72. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.55% of the company's stock.

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.