General Electric (NYSE:GE) Shares Sold by Sentry Investment Management LLC

Sentry Investment Management LLC lessened its holdings in General Electric (NYSE:GE) by 14.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 4,544 shares of the conglomerate’s stock after selling 740 shares during the quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC’s holdings in General Electric were worth $758,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. acquired a new position in shares of General Electric in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Hager Investment Management Services LLC bought a new position in General Electric in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in General Electric in the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of General Electric during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of General Electric during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Institutional investors own 74.77% of the company’s stock.

General Electric Price Performance

NYSE GE opened at $198.68 on Tuesday. General Electric has a 12 month low of $122.48 and a 12 month high of $212.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $213.24 billion, a PE ratio of 33.17, a P/E/G ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.21. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $187.23 and its 200 day simple moving average is $181.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 0.81.

General Electric (NYSE:GE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The conglomerate reported $1.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.05 by $0.27. General Electric had a return on equity of 22.19% and a net margin of 14.31%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that General Electric will post 5.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

General Electric Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a $0.36 dividend. This is a boost from General Electric’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.72%. General Electric’s payout ratio is 24.04%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently issued reports on GE. Bank of America boosted their price objective on General Electric from $200.00 to $225.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price target on shares of General Electric from $235.00 to $228.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of General Electric from $190.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of General Electric from $216.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of General Electric from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $211.31.

General Electric Profile

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.