J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. Increases Holdings in Goldman Sachs Group

J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. has raised its stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS) by 10.0% during the fourth quarter, as reported in its latest 13F filing with the SEC. After purchasing an additional 715 shares during this period, the firm now holds 7,881 shares of the investment management company's stock. At the conclusion of the quarter, J.W. Cole Advisors Inc.'s total holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group were valued at approximately $4.51 million.

Institutional Investors' Activity

Several other institutional investors have also made adjustments to their positions in The Goldman Sachs Group. For instance, Mizuho Securities USA LLC significantly increased its holdings by 30,068.9% in the third quarter, acquiring around 7,500,000 shares, bringing its total holdings to $3.71 billion. Similarly, FMR LLC raised its stake by 21.9%, now owning 2,898,637 shares worth about $1.43 billion after adding 521,054 shares.
Janus Henderson Group PLC also saw a substantial increase, lifting its stake in The Goldman Sachs Group by 154.7%, now holding 414,867 shares valued at $205.4 million. Congress Asset Management Co. made a remarkable increase by 829.0%, rising to 260,317 shares valued at $128.89 million after purchasing an additional 232,297 shares. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI raised its stake by 45.9%, acquiring 544,178 shares worth around $269.43 million. Overall, about 71.21% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts' Perspectives

The Goldman Sachs Group has attracted attention from various research analysts. Barclays recently raised its price target from $713.00 to $760.00, maintaining an "overweight" rating. Citigroup also increased its target from $485.00 to $585.00, giving a "neutral" rating. UBS Group raised its target from $610.00 to $640.00, while Wells Fargo & Company increased it from $600.00 to $680.00, with both firms providing a "neutral" and "overweight" rating respectively.
On the other hand, HSBC downgraded The Goldman Sachs Group from a "strong-buy" to a "hold" rating. Overall, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with an average target price of $591.06 according to MarketBeat.com.

Goldman Sachs Group Stock Performance

On Friday, shares of The Goldman Sachs Group opened at $661.56. It has a market capitalization of $205.38 billion, with a price-to-earnings (PE) ratio of 16.31 and a price/earnings to growth (P/E/G) ratio of 0.91. The company shows a beta of 1.39, with quick and current ratios both at 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.32. The stock has seen a 52-week low of $379.14 and a high of $663.87, with key moving averages set at $605.16 for the fifty-day and $551.98 for the two-hundred-day.

Earnings Results and Dividend Announcement

The Goldman Sachs Group recently reported its earnings, showing an EPS of $11.95 for the quarter, surpassing analysts' expectations which predicted $8.21. Additionally, the company's revenue for the quarter reached $13.87 billion, exceeding forecasts of $12.36 billion. This reflects a significant year-over-year revenue increase of 22.5%. Analysts project an EPS of 47.12 for the current fiscal year.
Moreover, The Goldman Sachs Group announced a quarterly dividend of $3.00 per share, to be paid on March 28th. The ex-dividend date is set for February 28th, representing an annualized dividend of $12.00 and a yield of 1.81%. The company's payout ratio currently stands at 29.59%.

Insider Transactions

Recently, there have been insider trading activities within The Goldman Sachs Group. Treasurer Carey Halio disposed of 1,545 shares on January 21st, selling at an average price of $624.67, totaling around $965,115. The treasurer's ownership subsequently decreased by 15.87%, leaving them with 8,192 shares valued at approximately $5.12 million. Similarly, insider Alex S. Golten sold 5,208 shares on January 28th at an average price of $636.25, amounting to about $3.31 million. Following this sale, Golten owns 3,545 shares, reflecting a 59.50% reduction in their stake. In total, insiders sold 31,475 shares valued at nearly $19.69 million in the last ninety days, with insider ownership at 0.54%.

Overview of The Goldman Sachs Group

The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. is a prominent financial institution that provides a diverse range of financial services to corporations, financial institutions, governments, and individuals globally. Its operations are segmented into Global Banking & Markets, Asset & Wealth Management, and Platform Solutions.

Holdings, Investment, Goldman, Advisors, Stocks