Canada Pension Plan Investment Board Acquires 217,954 Shares of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS)

Canada Pension Plan Investment Board raised its position in The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS) by 34.8% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 843,646 shares of the investment management company’s stock after purchasing an additional 217,954 shares during the quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board owned 0.26% of The Goldman Sachs Group worth $381,598,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. First Personal Financial Services acquired a new stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in the first quarter valued at about $25,000. POM Investment Strategies LLC acquired a new stake in The Goldman Sachs Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in The Goldman Sachs Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted 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 valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SJS Investment Consulting Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 103.3% in the second quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 61 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. 71.21% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

The Goldman Sachs Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE GS opened at $503.83 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $162.47 billion, a PE ratio of 19.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 1.36. The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $289.36 and a fifty-two week high of $517.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.20, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 0.72. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $491.60 and a 200-day moving average of $453.55.

The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 15th. The investment management company reported $8.62 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $8.52 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $12.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.60 billion. The Goldman Sachs Group had a return on equity of 10.56% and a net margin of 9.36%. Equities research analysts anticipate that The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. will post 35.5 earnings per share for the current year.

The Goldman Sachs Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 30th will be given a $3.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 30th. This is a boost from The Goldman Sachs Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.75. This represents a $12.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.38%. The Goldman Sachs Group’s payout ratio is 46.86%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Brian J. Lee sold 3,500 shares of the business’s 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 12,095 shares in the company, valued at $6,119,949.05. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, Director Thomas K. Montag sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $505.04, for a total transaction of $5,050,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 12,450 shares in the company, valued at $6,287,748. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Brian J. Lee sold 3,500 shares of the business’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 transaction, the insider now owns 12,095 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,119,949.05. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.54% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on GS. Seaport Res Ptn lowered The Goldman Sachs Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $500.00 price target on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in a report on Tuesday, July 30th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on The Goldman Sachs Group from $360.00 to $373.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on The Goldman Sachs Group from $464.00 to $472.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, September 9th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on The Goldman Sachs Group from $513.00 to $561.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 30th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, The Goldman Sachs Group has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $496.44.

The Goldman Sachs Group Profile

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.