The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS) Reaches New 12-Month High at $429.45

The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS) hit a new 52-week high on Monday . The stock traded as high as $429.45 and last traded at $429.45, with a volume of 1207 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $427.57.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on GS. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on The Goldman Sachs Group from $445.00 to $485.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, April 5th. JMP Securities increased their price target on The Goldman Sachs Group from $440.00 to $460.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. Bank of America increased their price objective on The Goldman Sachs Group from $450.00 to $478.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Argus raised The Goldman Sachs Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $465.00 price objective for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on The Goldman Sachs Group from $437.00 to $493.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 2nd. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $434.93.

The Goldman Sachs Group Stock Performance

The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $400.27 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $370.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $139.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.70, a PEG ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 1.12.

The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 15th. The investment management company reported $11.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $14.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.94 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $8.79 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 16.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. will post 35.86 EPS for the current year.

The Goldman Sachs Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 27th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 30th will be issued 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 dividend yield of 2.56%. The Goldman Sachs Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 42.95%.

Insider Transactions at The Goldman Sachs Group

In related news, CFO Denis P. Coleman sold 12,680 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 approximately $11,602,947.31. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, Treasurer Philip R. Berlinski sold 11,650 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $390.64, for a total value of $4,550,956.00. Following the completion of the sale, the treasurer now directly owns 18,408 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,190,901.12. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Denis P. Coleman sold 12,680 shares of The Goldman Sachs Group 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 directly owns 29,417 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,602,947.31. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.57% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of The Goldman Sachs Group

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. First Personal Financial Services purchased a new position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in the first quarter worth $25,000. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 106.3% in the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 66 shares of the investment management company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. First United Bank & Trust bought a new position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Pineridge Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, LifeSteps Financial Inc. bought a new position in The Goldman Sachs Group during the 1st quarter worth about $33,000. 71.21% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.