Advisors Asset Management Inc. Grows Stock Holdings in General Electric (NYSE:GE)

Advisors Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of General Electric (NYSE:GE) by 13.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 21,264 shares of the conglomerate’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,558 shares during the period. Advisors Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in General Electric were worth $3,547,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Hager Investment Management Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of General Electric during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in General Electric during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in General Electric during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new position in General Electric in the third quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Picton Mahoney Asset Management raised its position in shares of General Electric by 62.4% in the fourth quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 177 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the period. 74.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

General Electric Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of General Electric stock opened at $203.92 on Friday. 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 stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $197.98 and its 200-day simple moving average is $184.67. The stock has a market cap of $218.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.04, a P/E/G ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.19. General Electric has a 1-year low of $133.99 and a 1-year high of $212.19.

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, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.05 by $0.27. General Electric had a return on equity of 22.19% and a net margin of 14.31%. Analysts predict that General Electric will post 5.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

General Electric Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.36 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. This is an increase from General Electric’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.71%. General Electric’s payout ratio is 24.04%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GE has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Citigroup raised their target price on General Electric from $216.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on General Electric from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their target price on 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 began coverage on shares of General Electric in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $250.00 price target for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of General Electric from $190.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $211.31.

General Electric Company 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.