AustralianSuper Pty Ltd Lowers Holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS)

AustralianSuper Pty Ltd reduced its position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS) by 6.1% in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 11,829 shares of the investment management company’s stock after selling 766 shares during the period. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd’s holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group were worth $5,350,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Apexium Financial LP raised its stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 7.1% during the fourth quarter. Apexium Financial LP now owns 5,672 shares of the investment management company’s stock worth $2,188,000 after acquiring an additional 378 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 62.7% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 6,301 shares of the investment management company’s stock worth $2,632,000 after purchasing an additional 2,428 shares during the last quarter. Duality Advisers LP bought a new stake in The Goldman Sachs Group during the 1st quarter valued at $1,388,000. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S grew its holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group by 34.2% in the 1st quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S now owns 8,256 shares of the investment management company’s stock worth $3,448,000 after acquiring an additional 2,103 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bell & Brown Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group during the fourth quarter valued at about $5,416,000. Institutional investors own 71.21% of the company’s stock.

The Goldman Sachs Group Price Performance

Shares of GS stock traded down $1.36 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $505.90. The stock had a trading volume of 412,989 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,274,588. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $481.53 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $441.40. The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. has a one year low of $289.36 and a one year high of $517.26. The stock has a market capitalization of $163.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.81, a PEG ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 1.37. 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 Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 9.36% and a return on equity of 10.26%. The business had revenue of $12.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.60 billion. Equities analysts forecast that The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. will post 36.74 EPS for the current year.

The Goldman Sachs Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 30th will be paid a dividend of $3.00 per share. 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 yield of 2.37%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group’s payout ratio is presently 46.86%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Seaport Res Ptn downgraded The Goldman Sachs Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 2nd. Evercore ISI raised their target price on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $475.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 16th. Barclays increased their target price on The Goldman Sachs Group from $493.00 to $565.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on The Goldman Sachs Group from $461.00 to $464.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 16th. Finally, Citigroup upped their target price on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $460.00 to $485.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 16th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, The Goldman Sachs Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $495.94.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Goldman Sachs Group

In other news, insider Brian J. Lee sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $505.99, for a total value of $1,770,965.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 12,095 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,119,949.05. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other The Goldman Sachs Group news, insider Brian J. Lee sold 3,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owns 12,095 shares in the company, valued at $6,119,949.05. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Thomas K. Montag sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 16th. The stock was 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 owns 12,450 shares in the company, valued at $6,287,748. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 4,013,500 shares of company stock worth $32,181,365 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.54% of the company’s stock.

The Goldman Sachs Group Company 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.