Principal Securities Inc. Purchases 1,114 Shares of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. $GS

Principal Securities Inc. grew its position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GSFree Report) by 11.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 11,032 shares of the investment management company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,114 shares during the quarter. Principal Securities Inc.’s holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group were worth $9,697,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GS. Acropolis Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Acropolis Investment Management LLC now owns 630 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $554,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Walkner Condon Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in The Goldman Sachs Group by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Walkner Condon Financial Advisors LLC now owns 574 shares of the investment management company’s stock worth $505,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Optas LLC raised its stake in The Goldman Sachs Group by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Optas LLC now owns 2,553 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $2,244,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Pines Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in The Goldman Sachs Group by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Pines Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,566 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $2,255,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Welch & Forbes LLC raised its stake in The Goldman Sachs Group by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Welch & Forbes LLC now owns 1,430 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $1,257,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 71.21% of the company’s stock.

The Goldman Sachs Group Stock Up 3.5%

Shares of GS opened at $1,036.12 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $305.67 billion, a PE ratio of 18.93, a P/E/G ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 1.30. The business has a fifty day moving average of $953.27 and a 200 day moving average of $908.78. The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $609.59 and a 52-week high of $1,098.36. The company has a quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89.

The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GSGet Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 13th. The investment management company reported $17.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $15.92 by $1.63. The company had revenue of $17.23 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.66 billion. The Goldman Sachs Group had a return on equity of 16.53% and a net margin of 14.13%.The Goldman Sachs Group’s revenue was up 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $14.12 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. will post 59.08 EPS for the current year.

The Goldman Sachs Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 29th. Investors of record on Monday, June 1st will be given a $4.50 dividend. 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 currently 32.89%.

The Goldman Sachs Group News Summary

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Sheara J. Fredman sold 10,301 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $929.17, for a total value of $9,571,380.17. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 6,338 shares in the company, valued at $5,889,079.46. This trade represents a 61.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Denis P. Coleman sold 6,857 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $973.55, for a total value of $6,675,632.35. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 31,070 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $30,248,198.50. This represents a 18.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 33,681 shares of company stock valued at $31,737,875 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently issued reports on GS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in a research note on Monday, April 13th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $905.00 to $972.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $930.00 to $940.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Dbs Bank upped their price target on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $890.00 to $1,050.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $1,100.00 to $1,050.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fourteen have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, The Goldman Sachs Group presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $943.95.

Read Our Latest Stock Report on The Goldman Sachs Group

About The Goldman Sachs Group

(Free Report)

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.

Further Reading

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Institutional Ownership by Quarter for The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS)

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