The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS) Trading Up 0.5%

The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS - Get Free Report)'s share price shot up 0.5% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $468.11 and last traded at $466.83. 367,890 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 84% from the average session volume of 2,327,937 shares. The stock had previously closed at $464.52.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on GS shares. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $349.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Daiwa Capital Markets raised shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and upped their price target for the company from $410.00 to $430.00 in a research report on Thursday, March 14th. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $410.00 to $425.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. JMP Securities lifted their price target on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $440.00 to $460.00 and gave the stock a "market outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on The Goldman Sachs Group from $390.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, The Goldman Sachs Group presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $440.57.

The Goldman Sachs Group Trading Up 0.7 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $150.82 billion, a PE ratio of 18.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 1.40. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $416.10 and its 200 day moving average price is $383.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18, a current ratio of 0.74 and a quick ratio of 0.74.

The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, April 15th. The investment management company reported $11.58 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $8.54 by $3.04. The business had revenue of $14.21 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.94 billion. The Goldman Sachs Group had a net margin of 8.17% and a return on equity of 8.86%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 16.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $8.79 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. will post 36.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Goldman Sachs Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 27th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 30th will be issued a $2.75 dividend. This represents a $11.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.35%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 42.95%.

Insider Activity at The Goldman Sachs Group

In other The Goldman Sachs Group news, Treasurer Philip R. Berlinski sold 11,650 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $390.64, for a total value of $4,550,956.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the treasurer now owns 18,408 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,190,901.12. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other The Goldman Sachs Group news, CFO Denis P. Coleman sold 12,680 shares of The Goldman Sachs Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $394.43, for a total transaction of $5,001,372.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 29,417 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,602,947.31. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Treasurer Philip R. Berlinski sold 11,650 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the treasurer now directly owns 18,408 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,190,901.12. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 29,330 shares of company stock valued at $11,713,578 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.54% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On The Goldman Sachs Group

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in GS. First Personal Financial Services purchased a new stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. First United Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in The Goldman Sachs Group in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in The Goldman Sachs Group by 106.3% during the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 66 shares of the investment management company's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the period. Pineridge Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Truvestments Capital LLC grew its position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 88.0% in the third 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 during the period. 71.21% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.