Generali Asset Management SPA SGR Takes Position in General Electric (NYSE:GE)

Generali Asset Management SPA SGR purchased a new stake in General Electric (NYSE:GE) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 42,482 shares of the conglomerate’s stock, valued at approximately $7,086,000.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in General Electric in the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Hager Investment Management Services LLC acquired a new stake in General Electric in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in General Electric in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in General Electric in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Picton Mahoney Asset Management grew its stake in General Electric by 62.4% in the 4th quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 177 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. 74.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

General Electric Price Performance

GE opened at $200.74 on Wednesday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $196.70 and its 200 day simple moving average is $184.38. 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 has a 1 year low of $133.99 and a 1 year high of $212.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $215.45 billion, a PE ratio of 33.51, a P/E/G ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.19.

General Electric (NYSE:GE) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The conglomerate reported $1.32 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that General Electric will post 5.4 EPS for the current year.

General Electric Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a $0.36 dividend. This is a positive change from General Electric’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.72%. General Electric’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.04%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on GE shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price objective on shares of General Electric from $235.00 to $228.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. UBS Group raised their price target 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. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of General Electric from $200.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on shares of General Electric in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. They set a “buy” rating and a $250.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $200.00 price target on shares of General Electric in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $211.31.

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.