Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI Purchases 3,754 Shares of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS)

Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI increased its holdings in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS - Free Report) by 9.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 41,501 shares of the investment management company's stock after buying an additional 3,754 shares during the period. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI's holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group were worth $20,548,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Mizuho Securities USA LLC increased its stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 30,068.9% during the third quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 7,500,000 shares of the investment management company's stock worth $3,713,325,000 after purchasing an additional 7,475,140 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc lifted its stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 2.9% in the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 2,780,338 shares of the investment management company's stock worth $1,257,602,000 after acquiring an additional 77,700 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group by 3.3% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,117,311 shares of the investment management company's stock worth $957,684,000 after acquiring an additional 68,141 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. boosted its stake in The Goldman Sachs Group by 0.4% during the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 998,136 shares of the investment management company's stock worth $494,187,000 after acquiring an additional 4,007 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board lifted its holdings in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 34.8% in the second quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 843,646 shares of the investment management company's stock valued at $381,598,000 after purchasing an additional 217,954 shares in the last quarter. 71.21% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

The Goldman Sachs Group Price Performance

Shares of GS stock traded up $14.38 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $596.31. 746,110 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,214,706. The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $334.87 and a 1-year high of $607.15. The firm has a market cap of $187.19 billion, a PE ratio of 17.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 1.35. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $524.58 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $491.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.32, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.67.

The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The investment management company reported $8.40 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.89 by $1.51. The company had revenue of $12.70 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.77 billion. The Goldman Sachs Group had a return on equity of 11.39% and a net margin of 9.89%. The Goldman Sachs Group's revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $5.47 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. will post 37.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Goldman Sachs Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be given a dividend of $3.00 per share. This represents a $12.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.01%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group's payout ratio is 35.21%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have commented on GS. Bank of America raised their target price 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. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and set a $500.00 price objective on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $560.00 to $570.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. JMP Securities lifted their price target on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $525.00 to $550.00 and gave the company a "market outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on The Goldman Sachs Group from $472.00 to $520.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $542.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Goldman Sachs Group

In related news, insider Brian J. Lee sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $530.90, for a total transaction of $1,061,800.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 10,095 shares in the company, valued at $5,359,435.50. This trade represents a 16.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP John F.W. Rogers sold 6,416 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $596.36, for a total transaction of $3,826,245.76. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 57,614 shares in the company, valued at $34,358,685.04. The trade was a 10.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 11,390 shares of company stock worth $6,656,119 in the last ninety days. 0.54% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.