Sterling Investment Advisors Ltd. Boosts Stock Holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. $GS

Sterling Investment Advisors Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS) by 1.6% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 12,502 shares of the investment management company’s stock after buying an additional 197 shares during the period. The Goldman Sachs Group comprises approximately 2.0% of Sterling Investment Advisors Ltd.’s portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest position. Sterling Investment Advisors Ltd.’s holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group were worth $8,849,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd purchased a new stake in The Goldman Sachs Group during the first quarter valued at about $25,000. American Capital Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in The Goldman Sachs Group during the first quarter valued at about $29,000. Godsey & Gibb Inc. boosted its position in The Goldman Sachs Group by 170.0% during the first quarter. Godsey & Gibb Inc. now owns 54 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the period. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC boosted its position in The Goldman Sachs Group by 46.9% during the first quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 72 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 23 shares during the period. Finally, Ridgewood Investments LLC boosted its position in The Goldman Sachs Group by 45.9% during the second quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC now owns 54 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 17 shares during the period. 71.21% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

The Goldman Sachs Group Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:GS opened at $804.07 on Tuesday. The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $439.38 and a 52-week high of $825.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $243.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.72, a P/E/G ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 1.41. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $749.28 and a 200-day moving average price of $649.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.57, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.67.

The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 16th. The investment management company reported $10.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.82 by $1.09. The Goldman Sachs Group had a return on equity of 14.32% and a net margin of 12.37%.The firm had revenue of $14.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.53 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $8.62 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 14.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. will post 47.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Goldman Sachs Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 29th were given a $4.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 29th. This represents a $16.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. This is an increase from The Goldman Sachs Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $3.00. The Goldman Sachs Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 35.26%.

Insider Transactions at The Goldman Sachs Group

In other news, COO John E. Waldron sold 9,244 shares of The Goldman Sachs Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $750.11, for a total transaction of $6,934,016.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 115,268 shares in the company, valued at approximately $86,463,679.48. This trade represents a 7.42% 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, EVP John F.W. Rogers sold 6,008 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $717.39, for a total value of $4,310,079.12. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 65,761 shares in the company, valued at approximately $47,176,283.79. This represents a 8.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 38,323 shares of company stock worth $28,111,828 over the last 90 days. 0.55% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have issued reports on GS. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, July 12th. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $550.00 to $700.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, July 21st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $771.00 to $790.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 17th. HSBC reiterated a “reduce” rating and set a $627.00 target price (up from $558.00) on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, The Goldman Sachs Group presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $674.93.

The Goldman Sachs Group 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.