General Electric (NYSE:GE) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

General Electric (NYSE:GE) has been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the sixteen analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and fourteen have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $208.73.

A number of research firms recently commented on GE. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their target price on General Electric from $235.00 to $228.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $200.00 price objective on shares of General Electric in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their target price on shares of General Electric from $201.00 to $225.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on General Electric from $190.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on General Electric from $215.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Russell Stokes sold 15,550 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $178.29, for a total value of $2,772,409.50. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 148,857 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,539,714.53. The trade was a 9.46 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Riccardo Procacci sold 7,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $181.13, for a total value of $1,267,910.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 13,289 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,407,036.57. This trade represents a 34.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.66% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On General Electric

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Toth Financial Advisory Corp purchased a new stake in General Electric during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. acquired a new position in shares of General Electric during the third quarter worth about $25,000. O Brien Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of General Electric during the third quarter worth approximately $27,000. Hager Investment Management Services LLC acquired a new stake in General Electric in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in General Electric in the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. 74.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

General Electric Stock Down 1.0 %

NYSE:GE opened at $203.59 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88. General Electric has a twelve month low of $105.70 and a twelve month high of $207.65. The company has a market cap of $220.35 billion, a PE ratio of 33.99, a P/E/G ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 1.19. The company’s 50 day moving average is $177.41 and its two-hundred day moving average is $176.30.

General Electric (NYSE:GE) last released 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 return on equity of 22.19% and a net margin of 14.31%. Analysts anticipate that General Electric will post 5.39 EPS for the current year.

General Electric Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 27th were given a $0.28 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 27th. This represents a $1.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.55%. General Electric’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.