Smith Moore & CO. Has $933,000 Stake in General Electric (NYSE:GE)

Smith Moore & CO. increased its holdings in shares of General Electric (NYSE:GE) by 1.7% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 5,594 shares of the conglomerate’s stock after acquiring an additional 91 shares during the quarter. Smith Moore & CO.’s holdings in General Electric were worth $933,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in GE. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of General Electric by 133.3% during the fourth quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 147 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares during the period. Hager Investment Management Services LLC bought a new stake in General Electric in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in General Electric in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in General Electric during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Picton Mahoney Asset Management lifted its holdings in shares of General Electric by 62.4% during the fourth quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 177 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.77% of the company’s stock.

General Electric Stock Performance

NYSE:GE opened at $166.76 on Friday. General Electric has a twelve month low of $146.78 and a twelve month high of $214.21. 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 stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $201.56 and its 200 day simple moving average is $187.02. The firm has a market capitalization of $178.98 billion, a PE ratio of 27.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.04.

General Electric (NYSE:GE) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The conglomerate reported $1.32 earnings per share 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%. On average, analysts anticipate that General Electric will post 5.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

General Electric Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a dividend of $0.36 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.86%. This is a positive change from General Electric’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. General Electric’s payout ratio is currently 24.04%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on GE. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of General Electric from $215.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their target price on shares of General Electric from $235.00 to $228.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Redburn Atlantic started 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. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $200.00 price target on shares of General Electric in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on General Electric from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $214.73.

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.