The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS) Sets New 12-Month High – Still a Buy?

Shares of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $1,098.36 and last traded at $1,064.7510, with a volume of 733091 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $1,092.61.

Key Headlines Impacting The Goldman Sachs Group

Here are the key news stories impacting The Goldman Sachs Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs was named, along with Morgan Stanley, as a lead underwriter on Anthropic’s expected IPO, reinforcing its role in major AI-related capital markets deals and supporting expectations for fee revenue. Anthropic said to pick Morgan Stanley and Goldman to lead IPO
• Positive Sentiment: Goldman also remains tied to other high-profile deals and market optimism, including its role in the SpaceX IPO process and bullish calls from analysts and commentators that highlight the firm’s influence in underwriting and research. Goldman Sachs expects SpaceX’s AI revenue to surge 100 times by 2030
• Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer publicly said “We love Goldman,” which can help sentiment by reinforcing the idea that investors and media figures still view GS as a favored bank stock. Jim Cramer Says “We Love Goldman”
• Neutral Sentiment: Goldman’s CEO said AI may cause entry-level hiring to “contract a little,” but also noted the bank is still hiring interns at pre-COVID levels, making the message more about long-term workforce shifts than an immediate business setback. Goldman CEO says the bank’s entry-level hiring may ‘contract a little’ as AI changes the talent mix
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles cite Goldman’s market views, including a strong year-end S&P 500 forecast and rate-cut expectations, which are more reflective of Goldman’s research outlook than of a direct change in GS fundamentals. Goldman Sachs delivers clear message on interest rate cuts
• Negative Sentiment: One headline featured Goldman’s top AI skeptic warning that AI companies need to prove near-term profitability, which may slightly temper enthusiasm around the AI boom that has been supporting parts of the firm’s deal pipeline. ‘At some point you’ve got to make money’: Goldman’s top AI skeptic warns the clock is running out ahead of OpenAI and Anthropic IPOs

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on GS shares. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $905.00 to $972.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Zacks Research lowered shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 16th. CICC Research raised their target price on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $825.00 to $980.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 19th. Dbs Bank raised their target price on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $890.00 to $1,050.00 in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, UBS Group raised their target price on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $930.00 to $940.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fourteen have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, The Goldman Sachs Group presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $943.95.

The Goldman Sachs Group Stock Down 3.7%

The company’s fifty day moving average price is $932.60 and its 200-day moving average price is $899.87. The stock has a market cap of $310.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 0.63.

The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS) last released its earnings results on Monday, April 13th. The investment management company reported $17.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $15.92 by $1.63. The firm had revenue of $17.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.66 billion. The Goldman Sachs Group had a net margin of 14.13% and a return on equity of 16.53%. The business’s revenue was up 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $14.12 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. will post 59.53 EPS for the current year.

The Goldman Sachs Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 29th. Investors of record on Monday, June 1st will be issued a dividend of $4.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 1st. This represents a $18.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. The Goldman Sachs Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.89%.

Insider Activity at The Goldman Sachs Group

In related news, CAO Sheara J. Fredman sold 10,301 shares of The Goldman Sachs Group stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $929.17, for a total transaction of $9,571,380.17. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 6,338 shares in the company, valued at $5,889,079.46. This trade represents a 61.91% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Denis P. Coleman sold 6,857 shares of The Goldman Sachs Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $973.55, for a total transaction of $6,675,632.35. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 31,070 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $30,248,198.50. The trade was a 18.08% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 33,681 shares of company stock worth $31,737,875. Corporate insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On The Goldman Sachs Group

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Wealthquest Corp bought a new stake in The Goldman Sachs Group during the 1st quarter valued at about $218,000. Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group by 4.7% during the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 7,633 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $6,458,000 after buying an additional 346 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group by 1.1% during the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 57,826 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $48,920,000 after buying an additional 615 shares in the last quarter. Blue Edge Capital LLC bought a new stake in The Goldman Sachs Group during the 1st quarter valued at about $1,875,000. Finally, First Nebraska Trust Co bought a new stake in The Goldman Sachs Group during the 1st quarter valued at about $1,049,000. Institutional investors own 71.21% of the company’s stock.

The Goldman Sachs Group Company Profile

The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc is a global investment banking and financial services firm headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1869 as a commercial paper business, the company has grown into a diversified financial institution that provides a broad range of services to corporations, financial institutions, governments and individuals. The firm is led by Chief Executive Officer David M. Solomon and operates across major financial centers worldwide.

Goldman Sachs’ core businesses include investment banking, global markets, asset and wealth management, and consumer banking.