General Electric (NYSE:GE) Shares Sold by Portland Global Advisors LLC

Portland Global Advisors LLC reduced its position in shares of General Electric (NYSE:GE) by 14.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,426 shares of the conglomerate’s stock after selling 402 shares during the period. Portland Global Advisors LLC’s holdings in General Electric were worth $405,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of GE. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC raised its holdings in General Electric by 133.3% during the 4th quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 147 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 84 shares during the period. Hager Investment Management Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of General Electric in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in General Electric during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of General Electric in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Picton Mahoney Asset Management lifted its stake in General Electric by 62.4% in the 4th quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 177 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. 74.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

General Electric Stock Performance

NYSE:GE opened at $199.66 on Friday. General Electric has a 52-week low of $133.99 and a 52-week high of $214.21. The company has a market cap of $214.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.33, a PEG ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.19. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $201.52 and its 200-day moving average is $186.50. 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 (NYSE:GE) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 14.31% and a return on equity of 22.19%. Equities research analysts anticipate that General Electric will post 5.4 earnings per share for the current year.

General Electric Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a $0.36 dividend. This is a positive change from General Electric’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.72%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. General Electric’s dividend payout ratio is currently 24.04%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on GE. Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on shares of General Electric in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $250.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of General Electric from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of General Electric from $215.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Northcoast Research assumed coverage on General Electric in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their target price on General Electric from $235.00 to $228.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.