J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. Increases Stock Position in General Electric (NYSE:GE)

J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of General Electric (NYSE:GE) by 30.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 14,211 shares of the conglomerate’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,320 shares during the quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc.’s holdings in General Electric were worth $2,370,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of GE. Valmark Advisers Inc. lifted its holdings in General Electric by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 9,454 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $1,577,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Game Plan Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of General Electric by 10.5% in the 4th quarter. Game Plan Financial Advisors LLC now owns 578 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $96,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. WD Rutherford LLC raised its position in shares of General Electric by 7.0% in the 4th quarter. WD Rutherford LLC now owns 19,639 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $3,276,000 after purchasing an additional 1,278 shares during the last quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC acquired a new position in General Electric in the 4th quarter worth approximately $228,000. Finally, Allworth Financial LP lifted its stake in shares of General Electric by 14.9% in the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 25,182 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $4,200,000 after purchasing an additional 3,273 shares during the period. 74.77% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on GE. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of General Electric from $190.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on General Electric from $216.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Bank of America lifted their price target on General Electric from $200.00 to $225.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target on General Electric from $235.00 to $228.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Finally, Melius Research upped their price target on General Electric from $194.00 to $202.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $208.73.

General Electric Price Performance

NYSE:GE opened at $208.62 on Monday. General Electric has a one year low of $117.43 and a one year high of $211.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $182.66 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $179.33. The company has a market cap of $223.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.83, a P/E/G ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 1.22.

General Electric (NYSE:GE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 23rd. The conglomerate reported $1.32 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.05 by $0.27. General Electric had a return on equity of 22.19% and a net margin of 14.31%. Equities analysts expect that General Electric will post 5.39 earnings per share for the current year.

General Electric Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a $0.36 dividend. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.69%. This is an increase from General Electric’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. General Electric’s dividend payout ratio is presently 18.70%.

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.