The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS) Shares Sold by Essex Investment Management Co. LLC

Essex Investment Management Co. LLC reduced its stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS) by 7.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 9,092 shares of the investment management company’s stock after selling 719 shares during the period. The Goldman Sachs Group makes up approximately 1.0% of Essex Investment Management Co. LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest holding. Essex Investment Management Co. LLC’s holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group were worth $4,967,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GS. American Capital Advisory LLC acquired a new position in The Goldman Sachs Group during the first quarter valued at $29,000. Godsey & Gibb Inc. increased its holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group by 170.0% in the first quarter. Godsey & Gibb Inc. now owns 54 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Transce3nd LLC purchased a new position in The Goldman Sachs Group in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in The Goldman Sachs Group in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group by 326.7% in the first quarter. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 64 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. 71.21% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

The Goldman Sachs Group Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of NYSE GS opened at $723.85 on Tuesday. The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $437.37 and a 12-month high of $732.52. The stock has a market cap of $222.11 billion, a PE ratio of 15.95, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a current ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26. The company has a 50-day moving average of $659.83 and a 200 day moving average of $607.08.

The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 16th. The investment management company reported $10.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.82 by $1.09. The Goldman Sachs Group had a net margin of 12.37% and a return on equity of 13.84%. The company had revenue of $14.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $13.53 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $8.62 EPS. The Goldman Sachs Group’s revenue was up 14.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. will post 47.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Goldman Sachs Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 29th will be issued a $4.00 dividend. This represents a $16.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.21%. This is a positive change from The Goldman Sachs Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $3.00. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group’s payout ratio is presently 35.26%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on GS shares. Wall Street Zen raised shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, July 12th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $680.00 to $715.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 17th. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $760.00 to $720.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. HSBC reaffirmed a “reduce” rating and issued a $627.00 price objective (up previously from $558.00) on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $650.00 to $785.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $660.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Goldman Sachs Group

In other The Goldman Sachs Group news, EVP John F.W. Rogers sold 6,008 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $717.39, for a total value of $4,310,079.12. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 65,761 shares in the company, valued at $47,176,283.79. The trade was a 8.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO David M. Solomon sold 6,608 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $712.31, for a total transaction of $4,706,944.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 126,176 shares in the company, valued at $89,876,426.56. The trade was a 4.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 20,079 shares of company stock worth $14,423,221 in the last ninety days. 0.55% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.