IFP Advisors Inc Raises Holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS)

IFP Advisors Inc increased its holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS) by 41.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 4,335 shares of the investment management company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,275 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc’s holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group were worth $2,483,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GS. Stephens Consulting LLC purchased a new position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Asset Planning Inc purchased a new position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Truvestments Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group during the third quarter worth $34,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group during the third quarter worth $38,000. Finally, JDM Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group during the third quarter worth $42,000. 71.21% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

The Goldman Sachs Group Stock Down 1.8 %

The Goldman Sachs Group stock opened at $614.86 on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $381.42 and a 1-year high of $672.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.32, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The stock has a market cap of $191.86 billion, a PE ratio of 15.16, a P/E/G ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 1.39. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $613.18 and its two-hundred day moving average is $560.79.

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 for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.21 by $3.74. The Goldman Sachs Group had a return on equity of 13.30% and a net margin of 11.32%. The company had revenue of $13.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.36 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $5.48 earnings per share. The Goldman Sachs Group’s quarterly revenue was up 22.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. will post 47.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Goldman Sachs Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a dividend of $3.00 per share. This represents a $12.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.59%.

Insider Transactions at The Goldman Sachs Group

In related news, Treasurer Carey Halio sold 3,640 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $636.74, for a total transaction of $2,317,733.60. Following the transaction, the treasurer now owns 4,552 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,898,440.48. This trade represents a 44.43 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Alex S. Golten sold 5,208 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $636.25, for a total value of $3,313,590.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,545 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,255,506.25. This represents a 59.50 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 31,475 shares of company stock worth $19,692,543. Corporate insiders own 0.57% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently commented on GS. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on The Goldman Sachs Group from $686.00 to $690.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on The Goldman Sachs Group from $736.00 to $782.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Barclays lifted their target price on The Goldman Sachs Group from $713.00 to $760.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on The Goldman Sachs Group from $680.00 to $720.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on The Goldman Sachs Group from $550.00 to $605.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $593.56.

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.