DnB Asset Management AS Increases Holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS)

DnB Asset Management AS grew its holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS) by 12.3% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 149,161 shares of the investment management company’s stock after purchasing an additional 16,286 shares during the period. DnB Asset Management AS’s holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group were worth $85,413,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in GS. Stephens Consulting LLC acquired a new stake in The Goldman Sachs Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Asset Planning Inc purchased a new position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Curio Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in The Goldman Sachs Group during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in The Goldman Sachs Group in the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in The Goldman Sachs Group in the fourth quarter valued at $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.21% of the company’s stock.

The Goldman Sachs Group Stock Performance

Shares of GS opened at $559.47 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.32. The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $387.12 and a 52-week high of $672.19. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $609.83 and a 200-day simple moving average of $570.55. The company has a market capitalization of $174.58 billion, a PE ratio of 13.80, a P/E/G ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 1.37.

The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 15th. The investment management company reported $11.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.21 by $3.74. The company had revenue of $13.87 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.36 billion. The Goldman Sachs Group had a net margin of 11.32% and a return on equity of 13.30%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $5.48 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. will post 47.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Goldman Sachs Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a $3.00 dividend. This represents a $12.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.14%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.59%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on GS. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut The Goldman Sachs Group from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $690.00 to $660.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Oppenheimer lowered shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $605.00 to $625.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “overweight” rating on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $713.00 to $760.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $593.27.

Insider Transactions at The Goldman Sachs Group

In related news, Treasurer Carey Halio sold 1,545 shares of The Goldman Sachs Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $624.67, for a total transaction of $965,115.15. Following the completion of the transaction, the treasurer now directly owns 8,192 shares in the company, valued at $5,117,296.64. The trade was a 15.87 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Alex S. Golten sold 5,208 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $636.25, for a total value of $3,313,590.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 3,545 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,255,506.25. This trade represents a 59.50 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 19,925 shares of company stock valued at $12,630,683 in the last 90 days. 0.54% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.