The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS) Cut to Hold at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen cut shares of The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS – Free Report) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report released on Saturday,Wall Street Zen reports.

A number of other equities analysts have also commented on GS. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $970.00 to $950.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 19th. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $1,220.00 to $1,010.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 14th. HSBC upped their target price on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $995.00 to $1,007.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, September 28th. Bank of America increased their target price on The Goldman Sachs Group from $1,150.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded The Goldman Sachs Group from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,052.04.

Check Out Our Latest Report on GS

The Goldman Sachs Group Stock Up 4.9%

The Goldman Sachs Group stock opened at $907.87 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $929.87 and a 200 day simple moving average of $956.36. The company has a current ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.20. The Goldman Sachs Group has a 1-year low of $754.00 and a 1-year high of $1,153.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $261.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.34, a P/E/G ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 1.29.

The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 13th. The investment management company reported $17.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $12.86 by $4.15. The Goldman Sachs Group had a net margin of 15.77% and a return on equity of 20.21%. The firm had revenue of $18.68 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.83 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $12.25 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 23.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that The Goldman Sachs Group will post 71.49 earnings per share for the current year.

The Goldman Sachs Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 2nd will be paid a dividend of $5.00 per share. This represents a $20.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group’s dividend payout ratio is 28.76%.

Insider Transactions at The Goldman Sachs Group

In other news, insider Ericka T. Leslie sold 250 shares of The Goldman Sachs Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $890.25, for a total transaction of $222,562.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 10,710 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,534,577.50. This trade represents a 2.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO David M. Solomon sold 12,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $910.72, for a total transaction of $10,928,640.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 159,180 shares in the company, valued at approximately $144,968,409.60. This represents a 7.01% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 12,500 shares of company stock worth $11,380,508. 0.55% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On The Goldman Sachs Group

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Turim 21 Investimentos Ltda. purchased a new stake in The Goldman Sachs Group during the first quarter valued at $25,000. Strive Financial Group LLC grew its stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 316.7% during the 2nd quarter. Strive Financial Group LLC now owns 25 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares during the period. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. grew its stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 188.9% during the 2nd quarter. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. now owns 26 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 17 shares during the period. Cherry Tree Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Cherry Tree Wealth Management LLC now owns 30 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Clearstead Trust LLC purchased a new stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $33,000. Institutional investors own 71.21% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting The Goldman Sachs Group

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

The Goldman Sachs Group Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc is a global financial services firm founded in 1869 and headquartered in New York City. It serves corporations, financial institutions, governments and individuals across major financial markets worldwide.

The company’s businesses include investment banking, global markets, and asset and wealth management. Its services include advising on mergers and acquisitions and other strategic transactions, helping clients raise capital, facilitating trading and risk management, and managing investments and wealth for institutions and individuals.

Goldman Sachs also provides consumer financial products and digital financial services.

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Analyst Recommendations for The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS)

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