Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado Has $20.35 Million Holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS)

Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado decreased its stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS) by 2.5% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 44,992 shares of the investment management company’s stock after selling 1,146 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado’s holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group were worth $20,351,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. grew its stake in The Goldman Sachs Group by 5.3% in the 2nd quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 6,057 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $2,740,000 after buying an additional 303 shares during the last quarter. GM Advisory Group LLC grew its position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 21.8% in the second quarter. GM Advisory Group LLC now owns 592 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $268,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Ieq Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 9.4% in the second quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 26,449 shares of the investment management company’s stock worth $11,963,000 after purchasing an additional 2,282 shares during the period. ProVise Management Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group during the 2nd quarter worth about $285,000. Finally, Leuthold Group LLC bought a new stake in The Goldman Sachs Group during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $6,760,000. 71.21% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

The Goldman Sachs Group Trading Down 1.1 %

Shares of The Goldman Sachs Group stock opened at $498.28 on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $289.36 and a 12-month high of $517.26. The stock has a market capitalization of $160.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $491.96 and a 200 day simple moving average of $454.28. 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 (NYSE:GS) last posted its earnings results on Monday, July 15th. The investment management company reported $8.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.52 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $12.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.60 billion. The Goldman Sachs Group had a net margin of 9.36% and a return on equity of 10.56%. Research analysts expect that The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. will post 35.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Goldman Sachs Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 30th will be paid a $3.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 30th. This represents a $12.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.41%. This is a positive change from The Goldman Sachs Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.75. The Goldman Sachs Group’s payout ratio is currently 46.86%.

Insider Activity

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target 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. Seaport Res Ptn downgraded shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 2nd. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $360.00 to $373.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $504.00 to $550.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on The Goldman Sachs Group from $513.00 to $561.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 30th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, The Goldman Sachs Group currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $496.44.

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.