Lazard Asset Management LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS)

Lazard Asset Management LLC trimmed its position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS - Free Report) by 16.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 775,472 shares of the investment management company's stock after selling 150,704 shares during the quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC owned 0.25% of The Goldman Sachs Group worth $444,049,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GS. Stephens Consulting LLC purchased a new stake in The Goldman Sachs Group during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Asset Planning Inc purchased a new position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Curio Wealth LLC acquired a new position in The Goldman Sachs Group in the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Transce3nd LLC purchased a new stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in The Goldman Sachs Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.21% of the company's stock.

The Goldman Sachs Group Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of The Goldman Sachs Group stock opened at $567.11 on Monday. 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 stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $535.92 and a 200 day simple moving average of $576.75. The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $437.37 and a 12-month high of $672.19. The company has a market capitalization of $174.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.99, 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 announced its earnings results on Monday, April 14th. The investment management company reported $14.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $12.57 by $1.55. The Goldman Sachs Group had a return on equity of 13.30% and a net margin of 11.32%. The firm had revenue of $15.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.99 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $11.58 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. will post 47.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Goldman Sachs Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be paid a $3.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 30th. This represents a $12.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.12%. The Goldman Sachs Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 27.85%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut The Goldman Sachs Group from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and cut their target price for the company from $690.00 to $660.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Oppenheimer cut The Goldman Sachs Group from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $680.00 to $650.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $625.00 to $614.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, Daiwa Capital Markets downgraded The Goldman Sachs Group from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $560.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Friday, April 4th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $593.40.

Insider Activity

In other The Goldman Sachs Group news, Director John B. Hess acquired 3,904 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 15th. The stock was bought at an average price of $511.68 per share, with a total value of $1,997,598.72. Following the purchase, the director now owns 3,904 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,997,598.72. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.55% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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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