Welch Group LLC Acquires 35 Shares of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS)

Welch Group LLC raised its holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS) by 0.2% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 15,903 shares of the investment management company’s stock after buying an additional 35 shares during the quarter. Welch Group LLC’s holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group were worth $8,637,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of GS. Stephens Consulting LLC bought a new stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Asset Planning Inc bought a new stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Curio Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Transce3nd LLC bought a new stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Institutional investors own 71.21% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other The Goldman Sachs Group news, Director John B. Hess bought 3,904 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 15th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $511.68 per share, with a total value of $1,997,598.72. Following the purchase, the director now owns 3,904 shares in the company, valued at $1,997,598.72. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.55% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

The Goldman Sachs Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:GS opened at $604.91 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $185.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.92, a P/E/G ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 1.32. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $550.42 and its 200 day simple moving average is $582.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.32, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $437.37 and a fifty-two week high of $672.19.

The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 14th. The investment management company reported $14.12 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $12.57 by $1.55. The business had revenue of $15.06 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.99 billion. The Goldman Sachs Group had a net margin of 11.32% and a return on equity of 13.30%. During the same period last year, the company posted $11.58 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. will post 47.12 earnings per share for the current year.

The Goldman Sachs Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 27th. Investors of record on Friday, May 30th will be given a $3.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 30th. This represents a $12.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.98%. The Goldman Sachs Group’s dividend payout ratio is 27.85%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on GS shares. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $610.00 to $560.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Oppenheimer downgraded shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Morgan Stanley set a $558.00 price target on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 7th. JMP Securities reduced their price target on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $625.00 to $600.00 and set a “market outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $625.00 to $614.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $593.40.

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.