Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. Acquires 193 Shares of General Electric (NYSE:GE)

Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. raised its stake in General Electric (NYSE:GE) by 4.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,407 shares of the conglomerate’s stock after acquiring an additional 193 shares during the quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc.’s holdings in General Electric were worth $735,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Hager Investment Management Services LLC acquired a new position in General Electric in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in General Electric during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in General Electric in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in General Electric in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Picton Mahoney Asset Management lifted its holdings in shares of General Electric by 62.4% during the fourth quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 177 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the period. 74.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

General Electric Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE:GE opened at $206.11 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 1.09. General Electric has a 52-week low of $133.99 and a 52-week high of $214.21. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $201.18 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $186.12. The firm has a market cap of $221.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.41, a PEG ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.19.

General Electric (NYSE:GE) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The conglomerate reported $1.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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, research analysts forecast that General Electric will post 5.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

General Electric Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.36 per share. This is a boost from General Electric’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.70%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. General Electric’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 24.04%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have commented on GE shares. Redburn Atlantic initiated coverage on General Electric in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $250.00 price target on the stock. Northcoast Research started coverage on shares of General Electric in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of General Electric from $215.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. 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 research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their target price on shares of General Electric from $235.00 to $228.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $211.31.

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.