The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS) Stake Cut by California State Teachers Retirement System

California State Teachers Retirement System decreased its position in The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS - Free Report) by 4.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 499,938 shares of the investment management company's stock after selling 23,590 shares during the quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System owned 0.16% of The Goldman Sachs Group worth $286,274,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in GS. Stephens Consulting LLC bought a new position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Asset Planning Inc bought a new position in The Goldman Sachs Group during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Curio Wealth LLC bought a new position in The Goldman Sachs Group during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Transce3nd LLC acquired a new stake in The Goldman Sachs Group in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new stake in The Goldman Sachs Group in the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. 71.21% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

The Goldman Sachs Group Price Performance

The Goldman Sachs Group stock traded up $12.95 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $566.78. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,881,467 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,373,151. The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $434.92 and a twelve month high of $672.19. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $540.70 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $574.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $176.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.98, a P/E/G ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.32.

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, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 company had revenue of $15.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.99 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $11.58 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. will post 47.12 earnings per share 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. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be paid a dividend of $3.00 per share. This represents a $12.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.12%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 27.85%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Oppenheimer cut shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. Morgan Stanley set a $558.00 price target on The Goldman Sachs Group and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, April 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered The Goldman Sachs Group from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $690.00 to $660.00 in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Daiwa Capital Markets downgraded The Goldman Sachs Group from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $560.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Friday, April 4th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price target on The Goldman Sachs Group from $585.00 to $550.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 24th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently 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.