The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eighteen ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $495.94.

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $500.00 target price on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in a report on Tuesday, July 30th. BMO Capital Markets boosted 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 research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Seaport Res Ptn downgraded The Goldman Sachs Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 2nd. UBS Group lifted their price objective on The Goldman Sachs Group from $490.00 to $535.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 9th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on The Goldman Sachs Group from $513.00 to $561.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Goldman Sachs Group

In related news, insider Brian J. Lee sold 3,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $505.99, for a total value of $1,770,965.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 12,095 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,119,949.05. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, Director Thomas K. Montag sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $505.04, for a total value of $5,050,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 12,450 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,287,748. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Brian J. Lee sold 3,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the insider now owns 12,095 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,119,949.05. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 4,013,500 shares of company stock valued at $32,181,365 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.54% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of The Goldman Sachs Group

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of GS. First Personal Financial Services purchased a new stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. First United Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in The Goldman Sachs Group in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. POM Investment Strategies LLC bought a new position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group during the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Semmax Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. 71.21% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

The Goldman Sachs Group Stock Up 0.0 %

GS opened at $510.25 on Monday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $485.69 and a 200 day moving average of $444.43. The company has a current ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.20. The Goldman Sachs Group has a 12 month low of $289.36 and a 12 month high of $517.26. The company has a market cap of $161.14 billion, a PE ratio of 19.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 1.37.

The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 15th. The investment management company reported $8.62 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.52 by $0.10. The Goldman Sachs Group had a return on equity of 10.56% and a net margin of 9.36%. The firm had revenue of $12.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.60 billion. On average, sell-side analysts expect that The Goldman Sachs Group will post 35.07 EPS for the current year.

The Goldman Sachs Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 27th. Investors of record on Friday, August 30th will be paid a $3.00 dividend. This represents a $12.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.35%. This is an increase 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.