General Electric (NYSE:GE) Shares Bought by Value Partners Investments Inc.

Value Partners Investments Inc. lifted its position in shares of General Electric (NYSE:GE) by 5.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 13,638 shares of the conglomerate’s stock after buying an additional 746 shares during the quarter. General Electric makes up 0.1% of Value Partners Investments Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest position. Value Partners Investments Inc.’s holdings in General Electric were worth $2,275,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in General Electric during the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,375,439,000. Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in shares of General Electric by 14.4% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 9,544,757 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $1,591,970,000 after buying an additional 1,204,910 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of General Electric during the 4th quarter worth $194,208,000. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in shares of General Electric by 206.5% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,444,466 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $278,247,000 after buying an additional 973,135 shares during the period. Finally, FMR LLC boosted its holdings in General Electric by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 66,823,968 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $11,145,570,000 after acquiring an additional 965,012 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.77% of the company’s stock.

General Electric Price Performance

Shares of NYSE GE opened at $181.60 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88. General Electric has a fifty-two week low of $146.78 and a fifty-two week high of $214.21. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $198.36 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $186.61. The firm has a market cap of $194.91 billion, a PE ratio of 30.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.04.

General Electric (NYSE:GE) last released its quarterly 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 net margin of 14.31% and a return on equity of 22.19%. Sell-side analysts expect that General Electric will post 5.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

General Electric Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a dividend of $0.36 per share. This is a boost from General Electric’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.79%. General Electric’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.04%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on General Electric from $250.00 to $203.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $200.00 price target on shares of General Electric in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on shares of General Electric from $235.00 to $228.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of General Electric from $190.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of General Electric from $235.00 to $227.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, General Electric presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $212.73.

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.