Cetera Advisors LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS)

Cetera Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS) by 264.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 42,292 shares of the investment management company’s stock after purchasing an additional 30,698 shares during the period. Cetera Advisors LLC’s holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group were worth $17,665,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. First Personal Financial Services purchased a new stake in The Goldman Sachs Group during the 1st quarter worth $25,000. First United Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in The Goldman Sachs Group during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in The Goldman Sachs Group by 106.3% during the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 66 shares of the investment management company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the period. Pineridge Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in The Goldman Sachs Group during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Finally, LifeSteps Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in The Goldman Sachs Group during the 1st quarter worth $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.21% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on GS shares. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $450.00 to $478.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $461.00 to $464.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 16th. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $475.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 16th. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $460.00 to $485.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 16th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $360.00 to $373.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $495.94.

Insider Transactions at The Goldman Sachs Group

In related news, insider Brian J. Lee sold 3,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $505.99, for a total transaction of $1,770,965.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 12,095 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,119,949.05. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, major shareholder Goldman Sachs Group Inc sold 4,000,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $6.34, for a total value of $25,360,000.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 12,981,022 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $82,299,679.48. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Brian J. Lee sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $505.99, for a total transaction of $1,770,965.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 12,095 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,119,949.05. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 4,013,500 shares of company stock worth $32,181,365. 0.54% of the stock is owned by insiders.

The Goldman Sachs Group Stock Down 5.9 %

GS traded down $29.48 on Friday, reaching $470.64. 6,115,462 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,606,533. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.97, a current ratio of 1.12 and a quick ratio of 0.74. The company has a market cap of $151.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.36, a PEG ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 1.37. The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $289.36 and a 52-week high of $517.26. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $469.30 and its 200-day moving average price is $428.42.

The Goldman Sachs Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 30th will be paid a $3.00 dividend. This represents a $12.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.55%. This is a boost from The Goldman Sachs Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.75. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group’s payout ratio is presently 42.95%.

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.