Rafferty Asset Management LLC Sells 1,453 Shares of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. $GS

Rafferty Asset Management LLC decreased its position in The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GSFree Report) by 1.4% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 101,189 shares of the investment management company’s stock after selling 1,453 shares during the quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC’s holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group were worth $80,582,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Gilliland Jeter Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. Gilliland Jeter Wealth Management LLC now owns 388 shares of the investment management company’s stock worth $309,000 after purchasing an additional 13 shares during the period. EWA LLC lifted its holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. EWA LLC now owns 612 shares of the investment management company’s stock worth $488,000 after purchasing an additional 13 shares in the last quarter. Carrera Capital Advisors boosted its position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 3.5% during the third quarter. Carrera Capital Advisors now owns 385 shares of the investment management company’s stock worth $306,000 after acquiring an additional 13 shares during the last quarter. Centerpoint Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Centerpoint Advisors LLC now owns 863 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $687,000 after purchasing an additional 13 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,488 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $1,185,000 after buying an additional 13 shares in the last quarter. 71.21% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

The Goldman Sachs Group Price Performance

NYSE GS opened at $857.90 on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $439.38 and a 1 year high of $984.70. The company has a market cap of $254.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.73, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 1.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.29, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.65. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $924.23 and its 200 day moving average price is $836.28.

The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GSGet Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 15th. The investment management company reported $13.55 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $11.52 by $2.03. The Goldman Sachs Group had a return on equity of 15.19% and a net margin of 13.73%.The firm had revenue of $15.71 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.30 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $11.95 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. will post 47.12 earnings per share for the current year.

The Goldman Sachs Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 2nd will be paid a dividend of $4.50 per share. This represents a $18.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 2nd. This is an increase from The Goldman Sachs Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $4.00. The Goldman Sachs Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.20%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other The Goldman Sachs Group news, Director David A. Viniar sold 45,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $965.33, for a total value of $43,439,850.00. Following the sale, the director owned 555,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $535,758,150. This represents a 7.50% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CAO Sheara J. Fredman sold 4,863 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $923.75, for a total transaction of $4,492,196.25. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 10,301 shares in the company, valued at $9,515,548.75. This trade represents a 32.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 117,283 shares of company stock valued at $112,016,033 in the last three months. 0.55% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GS has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $980.00 to $985.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $898.00 to $1,087.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on The Goldman Sachs Group from $900.00 to $1,030.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group upped their price target on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $927.00 to $940.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and fourteen have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $916.86.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on GS

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About The Goldman Sachs Group

(Free Report)

The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc is a global investment banking and financial services firm headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1869 as a commercial paper business, the company has grown into a diversified financial institution that provides a broad range of services to corporations, financial institutions, governments and individuals. The firm is led by Chief Executive Officer David M. Solomon and operates across major financial centers worldwide.

Goldman Sachs’ core businesses include investment banking, global markets, asset and wealth management, and consumer banking.

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Institutional Ownership by Quarter for The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS)

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