General Electric (NYSE:GE) Stock Price Up 0.8%

General Electric (NYSE:GE) shares rose 0.8% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $158.00 and last traded at $156.92. Approximately 1,230,728 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 84% from the average daily volume of 7,914,947 shares. The stock had previously closed at $155.67.

Analyst Ratings Changes

GE has been the topic of a number of research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their target price on shares of General Electric from $210.00 to $190.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Bank of America reduced their price objective on General Electric from $175.00 to $165.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 8th. TheStreet upgraded General Electric from a “c+” rating to a “b+” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on General Electric from $200.00 to $165.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 4th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on shares of General Electric from $195.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, General Electric currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $160.07.

General Electric Trading Down 3.2 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 1.18. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $159.32 and its 200-day moving average price is $134.37. The firm has a market cap of $161.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 1.29.

General Electric (NYSE:GE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 23rd. The conglomerate reported $1.03 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.90 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $19.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.27 billion. General Electric had a return on equity of 10.88% and a net margin of 13.95%. General Electric’s quarterly revenue was up 15.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.24 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that General Electric will post 3.78 EPS for the current year.

General Electric Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 25th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 15th will be given a $0.28 dividend. This is an increase from General Electric’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.08. This represents a $1.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 12th. General Electric’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 13.38%.

Insider Activity at General Electric

In other General Electric news, SVP Michael J. Holston sold 13,601 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.55, for a total value of $1,843,615.55. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 48,339 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,552,351.45. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other General Electric news, SVP Michael J. Holston sold 22,055 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.87, for a total value of $3,195,107.85. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 56,284 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,153,863.08. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Michael J. Holston sold 13,601 shares of General Electric stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.55, for a total value of $1,843,615.55. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 48,339 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,552,351.45. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.66% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of General Electric

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GE. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of General Electric by 29.3% during the 4th quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 28,311 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $3,613,000 after buying an additional 6,419 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its holdings in General Electric by 12.5% during the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 261,187 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $33,335,000 after purchasing an additional 28,985 shares in the last quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC lifted its position in General Electric by 10.9% in the third quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 109,332 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $12,087,000 after purchasing an additional 10,722 shares during the period. Hoey Investments Inc. boosted its stake in General Electric by 51,152.3% during the 3rd quarter. Hoey Investments Inc. now owns 22,551 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $2,493,000 after purchasing an additional 22,507 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Qsemble Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of General Electric during the 3rd quarter valued at $1,846,000. 74.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About General Electric

General Electric Company, doing business as GE Aerospace, designs and produces commercial and defense aircraft engines, integrated engine components, electric power, and mechanical aircraft systems. It also offers aftermarket services to support its products. The company operates in the United States, Europe, China, Asia, the Americas, the Middle East, and Africa.