923 Shares in The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS) Purchased by Ranch Capital Advisors Inc.

Ranch Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS) during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 923 shares of the investment management company’s stock, valued at approximately $417,000.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of GS. First Personal Financial Services purchased a new position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group during the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. POM Investment Strategies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in the second quarter worth approximately $26,000. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new position in The Goldman Sachs Group during the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in The Goldman Sachs Group by 106.3% in the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 66 shares of the investment management company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. Finally, SJS Investment Consulting Inc. lifted its position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 103.3% during the second quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 61 shares of the investment management company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. 71.21% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

The Goldman Sachs Group Stock Performance

GS opened at $503.83 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $491.60 and its 200-day moving average price is $453.55. The company has a market cap of $162.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.20. The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $289.36 and a 52-week high of $517.26.

The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 15th. The investment management company reported $8.62 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.52 by $0.10. The Goldman Sachs Group had a net margin of 9.36% and a return on equity of 10.56%. The firm had revenue of $12.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.60 billion. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. will post 35.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Goldman Sachs Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 27th. Investors of record on Friday, August 30th will be given a $3.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 30th. This represents a $12.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.38%. This is a positive change from The Goldman Sachs Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.75. The Goldman Sachs Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.86%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Brian J. Lee sold 3,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $505.99, for a total value of $1,770,965.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 12,095 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,119,949.05. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, insider Brian J. Lee sold 3,500 shares of The Goldman Sachs Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $505.99, for a total transaction of $1,770,965.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 12,095 shares in the company, valued at $6,119,949.05. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Thomas K. Montag sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $505.04, for a total value of $5,050,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 12,450 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,287,748. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.54% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on GS shares. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $360.00 to $373.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. UBS Group lifted their target price on The Goldman Sachs Group from $490.00 to $535.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on The Goldman Sachs Group from $464.00 to $472.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, September 9th. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $500.00 price target on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $485.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 27th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, The Goldman Sachs Group has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $496.44.

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.