Vanguard Group Inc. Lowers Holdings in General Mills, Inc. $GIS

Vanguard Group Inc. lessened its holdings in General Mills, Inc. (NYSE:GIS) by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 67,077,270 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,268,955 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 12.58% of General Mills worth $3,382,036,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. State Street Corp increased its holdings in General Mills by 0.8% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 33,572,271 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,739,379,000 after buying an additional 250,113 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in General Mills by 1.4% during the second quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 19,307,064 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,000,299,000 after buying an additional 265,870 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of General Mills by 1.1% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 15,173,940 shares of the company’s stock valued at $786,954,000 after acquiring an additional 170,587 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its holdings in shares of General Mills by 15.9% in the third quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 9,956,665 shares of the company’s stock valued at $494,548,000 after buying an additional 1,368,041 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in General Mills during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $417,508,000. 75.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Paul Joseph Gallagher sold 1,500 shares of General Mills stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.15, for a total value of $72,225.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 48,568 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,338,549.20. This trade represents a 3.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

More General Mills News

Here are the key news stories impacting General Mills this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Piper Sandler remains constructive (keeps an “overweight” rating) despite trimming its price target, which provides some support that parts of the selloff may be overdone. Piper Sandler PT cut, overweight
• Positive Sentiment: MarketBeat / sector pieces are highlighting food stocks (including GIS) as defensive, reminding investors of steady cash flow characteristics that can attract buyers after a drop. Food Stocks to Buy Right Now (GIS)
• Neutral Sentiment: Management presented at the CAGNY conference outlining the “Accelerate” strategy and cost actions; this is important context but not an immediate catalyst by itself. CAGNY presentation
• Negative Sentiment: General Mills cut its fiscal‑2026 sales and profit guidance, now forecasting organic net sales down ~1.5%–2% (wider downside than prior range) and lower EPS guidance — the primary trigger for the earlier >7% drop. Reuters: General Mills cuts forecast
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts and outlets flagged higher restructuring costs (~$165M) and weaker shopper demand as drivers of steeper profit declines; that pushed downgrades and target‑price cuts. Benzinga: restructuring costs
• Negative Sentiment: Unusually heavy put buying (large options activity) signals increased hedging/speculative bearish positioning, which can amplify intraday moves. (Reported increased put volume on Feb 17.)
• Negative Sentiment: Critical analyst commentary and research pieces argue valuation and flat sales outcomes make GIS less attractive at current levels, adding to selling pressure from fundamental concerns. Seeking Alpha: low valuations no longer a buy Seeking Alpha: flat-sales bias
• Negative Sentiment: Some brokers trimmed price targets or moved to neutral/equal weight (e.g., Wells Fargo lowered its PT to $45 and set equal‑weight), which moderates near‑term upside. Benzinga: Wells Fargo PT cut

General Mills Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of NYSE:GIS opened at $45.38 on Thursday. General Mills, Inc. has a 52-week low of $42.78 and a 52-week high of $67.35. The company has a market capitalization of $24.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.76 and a beta of -0.06. The company has a quick ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30. The company has a 50 day moving average of $46.15 and a two-hundred day moving average of $47.73.

General Mills (NYSE:GIS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, December 17th. The company reported $1.10 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.03 by $0.07. General Mills had a net margin of 13.51% and a return on equity of 21.41%. The company had revenue of $4.86 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.78 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.40 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. General Mills has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.580-3.790 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that General Mills, Inc. will post 4.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

General Mills Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Investors of record on Friday, April 10th will be issued a $0.61 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 10th. This represents a $2.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.4%. General Mills’s dividend payout ratio is currently 52.47%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of General Mills from $49.00 to $45.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Barclays reduced their price objective on General Mills from $52.00 to $46.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of General Mills from $47.00 to $44.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Piper Sandler decreased their price objective on General Mills from $60.00 to $53.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, TD Cowen lowered their target price on shares of General Mills from $47.00 to $45.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $51.37.

About General Mills

General Mills, Inc (NYSE: GIS) is a multinational consumer foods company that develops, manufactures and markets a broad portfolio of branded food products. Its product categories include ready-to-eat and hot cereals, baking mixes and ingredients, snacks and bars, refrigerated and frozen doughs, yogurt and other dairy products, and a variety of shelf-stable meals and meal components. The company’s portfolio features widely recognized consumer brands across grocery store, mass channel and foodservice outlets.

Founded in the early 20th century and incorporated under its current name in 1928, General Mills has grown through both internal brand development and strategic expansion to become a global food company.