The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS) Trading Down 0.1% - Here's Why

Shares of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS - Get Free Report) dropped 0.1% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $542.15 and last traded at $545.03. Approximately 457,059 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 81% from the average daily volume of 2,367,041 shares. The stock had previously closed at $545.37.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on GS. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on The Goldman Sachs Group from $610.00 to $560.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut 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 research note on Thursday, February 27th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective 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. Oppenheimer lowered shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price objective on The Goldman Sachs Group from $585.00 to $550.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 24th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $593.40.

The Goldman Sachs Group Trading Up 0.5 %

The stock has a 50-day moving average of $546.52 and a 200 day moving average of $574.64. 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 stock has a market cap of $171.28 billion, a PE ratio of 13.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 1.33.

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 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $12.57 by $1.55. The Goldman Sachs Group had a net margin of 11.32% and a return on equity of 13.30%. The business had revenue of $15.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $14.99 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $11.58 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. will post 47.12 earnings per share for the current year.

The Goldman Sachs Group Announces Dividend

The business 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. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 30th. This represents a $12.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.19%. The Goldman Sachs Group's payout ratio is currently 27.85%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director John B. Hess purchased 3,904 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 15th. The shares were bought at an average price of $511.68 per share, for a total transaction of $1,997,598.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 3,904 shares in the company, valued at $1,997,598.72. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.55% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On The Goldman Sachs Group

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Stephens Consulting LLC acquired a new stake in The Goldman Sachs Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Asset Planning Inc acquired a new stake in The Goldman Sachs Group in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. American Capital Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in The Goldman Sachs Group in the 1st quarter worth $29,000. Curio Wealth LLC acquired a new position in The Goldman Sachs Group during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Godsey & Gibb Inc. lifted its holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group by 170.0% during the first 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. 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.