The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS) Stake Boosted by O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS) by 4.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 87,786 shares of the investment management company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,910 shares during the period. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC’s holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group were worth $50,268,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Stephens Consulting LLC acquired a new stake in The Goldman Sachs Group during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Asset Planning Inc bought a new position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Curio Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in The Goldman Sachs Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $37,000. 71.21% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Sheara J. Fredman sold 2,034 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $627.01, for a total value of $1,275,338.34. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 6,455 shares in the company, valued at $4,047,349.55. This trade represents a 23.96 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Kevin R. Johnson acquired 2,400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 17th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $619.02 per share, with a total value of $1,485,648.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 2,400 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,485,648. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have sold 19,925 shares of company stock valued at $12,630,683 over the last three months. 0.55% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on GS shares. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on The Goldman Sachs Group from $720.00 to $680.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $782.00 to $659.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on The Goldman Sachs Group from $605.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. Citigroup reduced their target price 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. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $610.00 to $640.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $590.60.

The Goldman Sachs Group Stock Down 2.8 %

NYSE GS opened at $543.04 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $608.15 and its 200 day simple moving average is $571.66. The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. has a one year low of $387.12 and a one year high of $672.19. The firm has a market cap of $169.45 billion, a PE ratio of 13.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.32, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.67.

The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 15th. The investment management company reported $11.95 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.21 by $3.74. The company had revenue of $13.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.36 billion. The Goldman Sachs Group had a return on equity of 13.30% and a net margin of 11.32%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 22.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $5.48 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. will post 47.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Goldman Sachs Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were given a dividend of $3.00 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $12.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.21%. The Goldman Sachs Group’s payout ratio is 29.59%.

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.