South Dakota Investment Council Sells 5,300 Shares of General Motors (NYSE:GM)

South Dakota Investment Council cut its position in General Motors (NYSE:GM) (TSE:GMM.U) by 6.6% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 74,861 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock after selling 5,300 shares during the period. South Dakota Investment Council’s holdings in General Motors were worth $3,988,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in GM. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in General Motors in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new position in General Motors in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in General Motors in the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Truvestments Capital LLC acquired a new position in General Motors in the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Compass Planning Associates Inc acquired a new position in shares of General Motors during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. 92.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

General Motors Stock Performance

General Motors stock opened at $46.31 on Monday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $50.68 and its 200 day moving average is $50.29. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38. General Motors has a twelve month low of $38.94 and a twelve month high of $61.24. The company has a market capitalization of $46.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.53, a PEG ratio of 0.67 and a beta of 1.40.

General Motors (NYSE:GM) (TSE:GMM.U) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The auto manufacturer reported $1.92 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.17. General Motors had a return on equity of 15.29% and a net margin of 3.21%. On average, equities research analysts predict that General Motors will post 11.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

General Motors Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be issued a dividend of $0.12 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.04%. General Motors’s dividend payout ratio is presently 7.80%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley raised General Motors from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $46.00 to $54.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. StockNews.com lowered General Motors from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. HSBC cut General Motors from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $58.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Hsbc Global Res cut General Motors from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Mizuho boosted their target price on General Motors from $59.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $59.71.

Insider Buying and Selling at General Motors

In related news, Director Alfred F. Kelly, Jr. purchased 12,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 30th. The stock was bought at an average price of $50.66 per share, for a total transaction of $607,920.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 13,714 shares in the company, valued at approximately $694,751.24. The trade was a 700.12 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.72% of the company’s stock.

General Motors Profile

General Motors Company designs, builds, and sells trucks, crossovers, cars, and automobile parts; and provide software-enabled services and subscriptions worldwide. The company operates through GM North America, GM International, Cruise, and GM Financial segments. It markets its vehicles primarily under the Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Baojun, and Wuling brand names.