Brown Advisory Inc. Decreases Holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS)

Brown Advisory Inc. reduced its holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS) by 11.4% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 11,923 shares of the investment management company’s stock after selling 1,539 shares during the period. Brown Advisory Inc.’s holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group were worth $4,600,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. First United Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in The Goldman Sachs Group during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Truvestments Capital LLC increased its position in The Goldman Sachs Group by 88.0% during the third quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 94 shares of the investment management company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. BKM Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in The Goldman Sachs Group during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Signature Resources Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in The Goldman Sachs Group during the fourth quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group during the fourth quarter valued at about $42,000. 71.21% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

The Goldman Sachs Group Stock Down 1.7 %

Shares of NYSE:GS opened at $462.57 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $149.16 billion, a PE ratio of 18.06, a P/E/G ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 1.40. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18. The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $289.36 and a twelve month high of $471.48. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $422.29 and a 200-day simple moving average of $388.77.

The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 15th. The investment management company reported $11.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $8.54 by $3.04. The business had revenue of $14.21 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.94 billion. The Goldman Sachs Group had a net margin of 8.17% and a return on equity of 8.86%. The company’s revenue was up 16.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $8.79 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. will post 36.57 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. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 30th will be issued a $2.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 30th. This represents a $11.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.38%. The Goldman Sachs Group’s payout ratio is 42.95%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Denis P. Coleman sold 12,680 shares of The Goldman Sachs Group stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $394.43, for a total value of $5,001,372.40. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 29,417 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,602,947.31. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, Director David A. Viniar sold 5,000 shares of The Goldman Sachs Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $432.25, for a total value of $2,161,250.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 623,425 shares in the company, valued at $269,475,456.25. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Denis P. Coleman sold 12,680 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the chief financial officer now owns 29,417 shares in the company, valued at $11,602,947.31. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.54% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GS has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Argus upgraded shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $465.00 price target for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $435.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $450.00 to $504.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 7th. Edward Jones assumed coverage on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in a report on Tuesday, February 27th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $349.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $440.57.

About The Goldman Sachs Group

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.