Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. Purchases 779 Shares of General Electric (NYSE:GE)

Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. grew its position in General Electric (NYSE:GE) by 1.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 73,170 shares of the conglomerate’s stock after buying an additional 779 shares during the period. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in General Electric were worth $12,204,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. bought a new stake in shares of General Electric in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Hager Investment Management Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of General Electric in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of General Electric in the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of General Electric in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in General Electric in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. 74.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

General Electric Price Performance

General Electric stock opened at $194.08 on Monday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $193.02 and its 200 day moving average price is $183.20. General Electric has a 1 year low of $130.38 and a 1 year high of $212.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $208.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 1.09.

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, topping 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%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that General Electric will post 5.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

General Electric Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a dividend of $0.36 per share. This is a boost from General Electric’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.74%. General Electric’s payout ratio is presently 24.04%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of General Electric from $215.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of General Electric from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $200.00 target price on shares of General Electric in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price 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. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price target on shares of General Electric from $235.00 to $228.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $211.31.

General Electric Profile

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.