Choate Investment Advisors Boosts Stock Position in The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS)

Choate Investment Advisors boosted its holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS) by 16.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,558 shares of the investment management company’s stock after buying an additional 503 shares during the quarter. Choate Investment Advisors’ holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group were worth $2,037,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of GS. Stephens Consulting LLC acquired a new position in The Goldman Sachs Group in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Asset Planning Inc acquired a new position in The Goldman Sachs Group in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Truvestments Capital LLC acquired a new position in The Goldman Sachs Group in the third quarter valued at $34,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position 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. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.21% of the company’s stock.

The Goldman Sachs Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:GS opened at $542.31 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 company has a market cap of $169.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.37, a PEG ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 1.37. The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $383.41 and a 52 week high of $672.19. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $612.79 and a 200 day moving average price of $566.78.

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

The Goldman Sachs Group Announces Dividend

The business 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 dividend of $3.00 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $12.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.21%. The Goldman Sachs Group’s payout ratio is 29.59%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Kevin R. Johnson acquired 2,400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 17th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $619.02 per share, for a total transaction of $1,485,648.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,485,648. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CAO Sheara J. Fredman sold 2,034 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 $627.01, for a total value of $1,275,338.34. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 6,455 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,047,349.55. This represents a 23.96 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 19,925 shares of company stock worth $12,630,683. Company insiders own 0.54% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

GS has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $713.00 to $760.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Hsbc Global Res downgraded shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $782.00 to $659.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $550.00 to $605.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, The Goldman Sachs Group has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $594.27.

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.