Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. Decreases Stock Holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS)

Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. cut its holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS) by 24.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,387 shares of the investment management company’s stock after selling 770 shares during the period. Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group were worth $921,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. BKM Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in The Goldman Sachs Group during the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Cambridge Trust Co. grew its holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group by 82.0% during the 3rd quarter. Cambridge Trust Co. now owns 91 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC grew its holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group by 88.0% during the 3rd quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 94 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Pacific Center for Financial Services bought a new stake in The Goldman Sachs Group in the first quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, First Capital Advisors Group LLC. purchased a new position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group during the second quarter valued at approximately $34,000. 71.21% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Goldman Sachs Group

In other news, CAO Sheara J. Fredman sold 4,300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $380.15, for a total transaction of $1,634,645.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 11,463 shares in the company, valued at $4,357,659.45. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other The Goldman Sachs Group news, CFO Denis P. Coleman sold 12,680 shares of The Goldman Sachs Group stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $394.43, for a total transaction of $5,001,372.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 29,417 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,602,947.31. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Sheara J. Fredman sold 4,300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $380.15, for a total value of $1,634,645.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 11,463 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,357,659.45. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 35,907 shares of company stock worth $13,950,851. 0.54% of the stock is owned by insiders.

The Goldman Sachs Group Stock Performance

GS stock opened at $403.91 on Thursday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $395.67 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $365.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 1.12. The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. has a one year low of $289.36 and a one year high of $419.20. The firm has a market cap of $131.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.77, a PEG ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.43.

The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS) last posted its earnings results on Monday, April 15th. The investment management company reported $11.58 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.54 by $3.04. The Goldman Sachs Group had a net margin of 8.17% and a return on equity of 8.65%. The company had revenue of $14.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.94 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $8.79 earnings per share. The Goldman Sachs Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. will post 32.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Goldman Sachs Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 27th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 30th will be given a dividend of $2.75 per share. This represents a $11.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.72%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 42.95%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on GS shares. UBS Group increased their price target on The Goldman Sachs Group from $382.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 9th. Citigroup increased their target price on The Goldman Sachs Group from $410.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Argus raised shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $465.00 target price for the company in a research note on Tuesday. JMP Securities raised their price target on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $440.00 to $460.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $437.00 to $493.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 2nd. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $434.93.

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.