The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS) Trading 1.7% Higher - Should You Buy?

The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS - Get Free Report) was up 1.7% on Friday . The stock traded as high as $567.35 and last traded at $563.21. Approximately 778,227 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 73% from the average daily volume of 2,915,160 shares. The stock had previously closed at $553.83.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley set a $558.00 price target on The Goldman Sachs Group and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Barclays lowered their price target on The Goldman Sachs Group from $760.00 to $720.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $680.00 to $650.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $625.00 to $614.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, Evercore ISI cut their target price on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $660.00 to $594.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, The Goldman Sachs Group presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $593.40.

The Goldman Sachs Group Price Performance

The company has a fifty day moving average price of $539.53 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $575.66. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.32. The company has a market cap of $171.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 1.32.

The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 14th. The investment management company reported $14.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $12.57 by $1.55. The firm had revenue of $15.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.99 billion. The Goldman Sachs Group had a net margin of 11.32% and a return on equity of 13.30%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $11.58 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. will post 47.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Goldman Sachs Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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 2.18%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group's dividend payout ratio is 27.85%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director John B. Hess bought 3,904 shares of The Goldman Sachs Group stock in a transaction dated 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 purchase, the director now owns 3,904 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,997,598.72. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.55% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On The Goldman Sachs Group

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in The Goldman Sachs Group by 63,864.7% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,976,684 shares of the investment management company's stock worth $2,172,423,000 after acquiring an additional 3,970,467 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in The Goldman Sachs Group in the first quarter worth $1,766,238,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group during the fourth quarter worth $1,603,315,000. Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $944,334,000. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in The Goldman Sachs Group during the 4th quarter worth about $624,844,000. 71.21% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.