General Electric (NYSE:GE) Trading 2.7% Higher – What’s Next?

General Electric (NYSE:GE)’s stock price traded up 2.7% during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $186.83 and last traded at $186.66. 1,451,485 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 73% from the average session volume of 5,457,556 shares. The stock had previously closed at $181.67.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Redburn Atlantic began 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. Bank of America raised their price objective on General Electric from $200.00 to $225.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of General Electric from $215.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target 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. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price objective 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $212.73.

General Electric Stock Up 3.0 %

The stock has a 50-day moving average of $198.36 and a 200-day moving average of $186.61. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88. The company has a market cap of $200.91 billion, a PE ratio of 31.25, a P/E/G ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.04.

General Electric (NYSE:GE) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The conglomerate reported $1.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 predict that General Electric will post 5.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

General Electric Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a $0.36 dividend. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.77%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. This is a boost from General Electric’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. General Electric’s dividend payout ratio is currently 24.04%.

Institutional Trading of General Electric

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Truvestments Capital LLC raised its position in General Electric by 26.2% in the 4th quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 236 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the period. Ritter Daniher Financial Advisory LLC DE grew its holdings in shares of General Electric by 17.6% in the fourth quarter. Ritter Daniher Financial Advisory LLC DE now owns 334 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Ballast Advisors LLC raised its holdings in General Electric by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Ballast Advisors LLC now owns 2,093 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $349,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Blue Barn Wealth LLC boosted its position in General Electric by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Blue Barn Wealth LLC now owns 1,466 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $245,000 after buying an additional 54 shares during the period. Finally, First Heartland Consultants Inc. grew its holdings in General Electric by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. First Heartland Consultants Inc. now owns 4,729 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $789,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.77% of the company’s stock.

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.