The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS) Shares Up 0.8%

The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS - Get Free Report) shares were up 0.8% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $420.80 and last traded at $420.79. Approximately 702,558 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 70% from the average daily volume of 2,374,881 shares. The stock had previously closed at $417.35.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on GS shares. Evercore ISI upped their price target on The Goldman Sachs Group from $435.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. UBS Group upped their price target on The Goldman Sachs Group from $382.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 9th. Argus upgraded The Goldman Sachs Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $465.00 price target for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. Morgan Stanley upgraded The Goldman Sachs Group from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $333.00 to $449.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 30th. Finally, Edward Jones started coverage on The Goldman Sachs Group in a research report on Tuesday, February 27th. They issued a "buy" rating for the company. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, The Goldman Sachs Group presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $434.93.

The Goldman Sachs Group Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $137.51 billion, a PE ratio of 16.55, a PEG ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 1.43. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $397.82 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $368.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 1.12.

The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 15th. The investment management company reported $11.58 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $8.54 by $3.04. The business had revenue of $14.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $12.94 billion. The Goldman Sachs Group had a return on equity of 8.65% and a net margin of 8.17%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 16.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $8.79 EPS. Equities analysts predict that The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. will post 35.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Goldman Sachs Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 27th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 30th will be paid a $2.75 dividend. This represents a $11.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.60%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group's payout ratio is 42.95%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Denis P. Coleman sold 12,680 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $394.43, for a total value of $5,001,372.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 29,417 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,602,947.31. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, Treasurer Philip R. Berlinski sold 11,650 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $390.64, for a total transaction of $4,550,956.00. Following the completion of the sale, the treasurer now directly owns 18,408 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,190,901.12. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Denis P. Coleman sold 12,680 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $394.43, for a total value of $5,001,372.40. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 29,417 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,602,947.31. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.57% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On The Goldman Sachs Group

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. First United Bank & Trust bought a new stake in The Goldman Sachs Group during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in The Goldman Sachs Group by 106.3% during the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 66 shares of the investment management company's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Cambridge Trust Co. raised its position in The Goldman Sachs Group by 82.0% during the 3rd quarter. Cambridge Trust Co. now owns 91 shares of the investment management company's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Pineridge Advisors LLC bought a new stake in The Goldman Sachs Group during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Truvestments Capital LLC raised its position in The Goldman Sachs Group by 88.0% during the 3rd quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 94 shares of the investment management company's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. 71.21% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About The Goldman Sachs Group

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.