The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS) Shares Down 1.9%

The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS) shares traded down 1.9% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $414.85 and last traded at $415.21. 546,121 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 77% from the average session volume of 2,368,038 shares. The stock had previously closed at $423.04.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Daiwa Capital Markets raised The Goldman Sachs Group from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $410.00 to $430.00 in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. Citigroup lifted their price target on The Goldman Sachs Group from $410.00 to $425.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Edward Jones started coverage on The Goldman Sachs Group in a report on Tuesday, February 27th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on The Goldman Sachs Group from $445.00 to $485.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, April 5th. Finally, JMP Securities raised their price objective on The Goldman Sachs Group from $440.00 to $460.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 9th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $434.93.

The Goldman Sachs Group Trading Down 0.7 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98, a current ratio of 1.12 and a quick ratio of 0.76. The firm has a market capitalization of $136.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.30, a P/E/G ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.43. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $398.72 and its 200 day simple moving average is $368.96.

The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 15th. The investment management company reported $11.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $8.54 by $3.04. The Goldman Sachs Group had a net margin of 8.17% and a return on equity of 8.65%. The company had revenue of $14.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.94 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $8.79 earnings per share. The Goldman Sachs Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. will post 35.39 earnings per share for the current year.

The Goldman Sachs Group Announces Dividend

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 given a dividend of $2.75 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 30th. This represents a $11.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.62%. The Goldman Sachs Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 42.95%.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Goldman Sachs Group

In other The Goldman Sachs Group news, CFO Denis P. Coleman sold 12,680 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief financial officer now owns 29,417 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,602,947.31. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, CFO Denis P. Coleman sold 12,680 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 29,417 shares in the company, valued at $11,602,947.31. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Treasurer Philip R. Berlinski sold 11,650 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $390.64, for a total transaction of $4,550,956.00. Following the transaction, the treasurer now owns 18,408 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,190,901.12. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.54% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On The Goldman Sachs Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. First United Bank & Trust bought a new position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group by 106.3% in the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 66 shares of the investment management company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the period. Cambridge Trust Co. boosted its holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group by 82.0% in the 3rd quarter. Cambridge Trust Co. now owns 91 shares of the investment management company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 41 shares during the period. Pineridge Advisors LLC bought a new position in The Goldman Sachs Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Truvestments Capital LLC boosted its holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group by 88.0% in the 3rd quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 94 shares of the investment management company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.