Danica Pension Livsforsikringsaktieselskab Grows Stake in The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. $GS

Danica Pension Livsforsikringsaktieselskab raised its stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS) by 5.7% during the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 21,556 shares of the investment management company’s stock after buying an additional 1,163 shares during the period. Danica Pension Livsforsikringsaktieselskab’s holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group were worth $21,801,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Turim 21 Investimentos Ltda. acquired a new position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Garton & Associates Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in The Goldman Sachs Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 287.5% in the 4th quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC now owns 31 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares during the last quarter. Steph & Co. purchased a new stake in The Goldman Sachs Group during the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. purchased a new position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. 71.21% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on The Goldman Sachs Group from $1,195.00 to $1,325.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. HSBC raised shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Zacks Research upgraded The Goldman Sachs Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. UBS Group lifted their target price on The Goldman Sachs Group from $1,120.00 to $1,150.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered The Goldman Sachs Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 15th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,062.86.

The Goldman Sachs Group News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting The Goldman Sachs Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs was among the financial giants receiving a “Buy” growth grade, reinforcing the view that its earnings growth, capital-markets franchise and strategic positioning remain attractive. Citigroup and Goldman Sachs lead as most financial giants earn Buy growth grades
• Positive Sentiment: The firm is reportedly expanding into India’s government share-sale market. Greater participation in equity offerings could create additional investment-banking revenue and deepen Goldman’s presence in a fast-growing market. Goldman Sachs expands into India’s government share sale market
• Positive Sentiment: Goldman agreed to pay up to $2.25 billion for NEOS Investments, the issuer of high-income ETFs. The acquisition supports Goldman’s asset-management and wealth-products strategy, although investors will monitor the price paid and integration execution. Goldman Sachs acquisition of NEOS Investments
• Neutral Sentiment: Goldman research said gold could exceed its $4,900 year-end forecast amid options demand, Western investor buying and central-bank purchases. The call may benefit the firm’s commodities and trading franchise, but changing interest-rate expectations could increase market volatility and forecasting risk. Gold could top Goldman’s forecast
• Negative Sentiment: Goldman strategists described July as one of the sharpest hedge-fund de-grossing episodes of the past decade, with hedge funds posting an unusually weak month relative to the S&P 500. Continued de-risking could pressure trading activity and investment-banking sentiment across Wall Street. Goldman Sachs hedge funds worst month versus S&P 500

The Goldman Sachs Group Price Performance

NYSE GS opened at $1,041.35 on Friday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $1,053.96 and its 200 day simple moving average is $964.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $303.21 billion, a PE ratio of 16.07, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.17, a current ratio of 0.63 and a quick ratio of 0.63. The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $718.58 and a 12 month high of $1,153.99.

The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 14th. The investment management company reported $20.98 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $14.47 by $6.51. The company had revenue of $20.34 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.22 billion. The Goldman Sachs Group had a return on equity of 19.16% and a net margin of 15.53%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 39.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $10.91 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. will post 68.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Goldman Sachs Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 29th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 1st will be given a $5.00 dividend. This represents a $20.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 1st. This is a positive change from The Goldman Sachs Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $4.50. The Goldman Sachs Group’s payout ratio is currently 27.78%.

The Goldman Sachs Group Profile

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.