The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS) Reaches New 1-Year High - Time to Buy?

The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS - Get Free Report)'s share price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $680.81 and last traded at $679.80, with a volume of 290430 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $669.87.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GS has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Daiwa Capital Markets cut The Goldman Sachs Group from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $560.00 price target for the company. in a report on Friday, April 4th. JMP Securities reduced their target price on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $625.00 to $600.00 and set a "market outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Evercore ISI lowered their price target on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $660.00 to $594.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods downgraded shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $690.00 to $660.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $680.00 to $650.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $595.67.

The Goldman Sachs Group Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $209.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.83, a P/E/G ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 1.32. The company's 50-day moving average price is $591.14 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $585.75. 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 Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 13.76% and a net margin of 11.86%. The firm had revenue of $15.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.99 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $11.58 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. will post 47.12 earnings per share for the current year.

The Goldman Sachs Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 27th. Investors of record on Friday, May 30th will be paid a dividend of $3.00 per share. This represents a $12.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.76%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.85%.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Goldman Sachs Group

In related news, Director John B. Hess bought 3,904 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 15th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $511.68 per share, with a total value of $1,997,598.72. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 3,904 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,997,598.72. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.55% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of The Goldman Sachs Group

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of GS. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd bought a new stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group during the first quarter valued at about $25,000. American Capital Advisory LLC acquired a new position in The Goldman Sachs Group during the 1st quarter valued at about $29,000. Curio Wealth LLC bought a new stake in The Goldman Sachs Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Godsey & Gibb Inc. boosted its stake in The Goldman Sachs Group by 170.0% during the 1st quarter. Godsey & Gibb Inc. now owns 54 shares of the investment management company's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Transce3nd LLC acquired a new position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.21% of the company's stock.

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.

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