BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. Cuts Stake in The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS)

BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. decreased its stake in The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS) by 46.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 213,068 shares of the investment management company’s stock after selling 184,014 shares during the period. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. owned 0.07% of The Goldman Sachs Group worth $105,492,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Mizuho Securities USA LLC raised its stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 30,068.9% during the 3rd quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 7,500,000 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $3,713,325,000 after purchasing an additional 7,475,140 shares during the period. AMF Tjanstepension AB raised its position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 1,102.4% in the second quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 810,836 shares of the investment management company’s stock worth $366,780,000 after buying an additional 743,402 shares in the last quarter. 1832 Asset Management L.P. grew its position in The Goldman Sachs Group by 7,932.6% during the second quarter. 1832 Asset Management L.P. now owns 444,285 shares of the investment management company’s stock worth $200,959,000 after buying an additional 438,754 shares in the last quarter. Swedbank AB bought a new position in The Goldman Sachs Group in the 1st quarter worth about $137,134,000. Finally, Third Point LLC purchased a new position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group during the first quarter worth about $104,422,000. 71.21% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

The Goldman Sachs Group Price Performance

Shares of GS opened at $581.93 on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $334.55 and a fifty-two week high of $607.15. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $524.58 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $491.95. The stock has a market cap of $182.67 billion, a PE ratio of 17.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.32, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.67.

The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 15th. The investment management company reported $8.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.89 by $1.51. The Goldman Sachs Group had a return on equity of 11.39% and a net margin of 9.89%. The business had revenue of $12.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11.77 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $5.47 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. will post 37.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Goldman Sachs Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 30th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd will be issued a $3.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $12.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.06%. The Goldman Sachs Group’s payout ratio is currently 35.21%.

Insider Activity at The Goldman Sachs Group

In other news, insider Brian J. Lee sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $530.90, for a total value of $1,061,800.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 10,095 shares in the company, valued at $5,359,435.50. This trade represents a 16.54 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CAO Sheara J. Fredman sold 2,974 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $594.51, for a total value of $1,768,072.74. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 8,489 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,046,795.39. This represents a 25.94 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 11,390 shares of company stock valued at $6,656,119. 0.54% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Bank of America lifted their price target on The Goldman Sachs Group from $563.00 to $575.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $600.00 to $680.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $500.00 price target on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $560.00 to $570.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $565.00 to $588.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $535.75.

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.