Motco Sells 839 Shares of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. $GS

Motco cut its stake in The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS) by 4.0% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 19,906 shares of the investment management company’s stock after selling 839 shares during the quarter. The Goldman Sachs Group accounts for about 1.4% of Motco’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest holding. Motco’s holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group were worth $15,852,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC grew its position in The Goldman Sachs Group by 617,504.5% in the 2nd quarter. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC now owns 29,058,291 shares of the investment management company’s stock worth $20,566,005,000 after purchasing an additional 29,053,586 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group during the 2nd quarter valued at $2,138,031,000. Ninety One UK Ltd purchased a new position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in the 2nd quarter worth $408,780,000. AGF Management Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 2,429.6% in the second quarter. AGF Management Ltd. now owns 485,375 shares of the investment management company’s stock worth $343,524,000 after acquiring an additional 466,187 shares during the period. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in The Goldman Sachs Group by 100,678.6% during the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 404,122 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $286,017,000 after acquiring an additional 403,721 shares during the last quarter. 71.21% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

The Goldman Sachs Group Trading Up 3.9%

Shares of NYSE:GS opened at $913.46 on Monday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $836.84 and a 200 day moving average of $774.52. The company has a market cap of $273.97 billion, a PE ratio of 18.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 1.33. The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $439.38 and a 12-month high of $919.10. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.53.

The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 14th. The investment management company reported $12.25 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $10.27 by $1.98. The company had revenue of $15.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $13.68 billion. The Goldman Sachs Group had a net margin of 13.18% and a return on equity of 15.29%. The firm’s revenue was up 19.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $8.40 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. will post 47.12 EPS for the current year.

The Goldman Sachs Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 2nd were paid a dividend of $4.00 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 2nd. This represents a $16.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The Goldman Sachs Group’s payout ratio is 32.50%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in a research report on Monday. BNP Paribas Exane raised their price objective on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $685.00 to $775.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 17th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in a report on Friday, October 3rd. They set a “market perform” rating and a $785.00 target price for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $854.00 to $828.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $801.71.

About The Goldman Sachs Group

The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc is a global investment banking and financial services firm headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1869 as a commercial paper business, the company has grown into a diversified financial institution that provides a broad range of services to corporations, financial institutions, governments and individuals. The firm is led by Chief Executive Officer David M. Solomon and operates across major financial centers worldwide.

Goldman Sachs’ core businesses include investment banking, global markets, asset and wealth management, and consumer banking.