General Electric (NYSE:GE) Shares Sold by Bessemer Group Inc.

Bessemer Group Inc. reduced its position in General Electric (NYSE:GE - Free Report) by 51.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 28,714 shares of the conglomerate's stock after selling 30,023 shares during the quarter. Bessemer Group Inc.'s holdings in General Electric were worth $4,790,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of GE. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of General Electric by 133.3% in 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 in the last quarter. Hager Investment Management Services LLC purchased a new stake in General Electric during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in General Electric in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of General Electric in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of General Electric during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. 74.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently issued reports on GE. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of General Electric from $235.00 to $227.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $200.00 price target on shares of General Electric in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Northcoast Research upgraded General Electric from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $205.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on General Electric from $190.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic initiated coverage on General Electric in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $250.00 price objective for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $213.33.

General Electric Stock Performance

GE stock traded down $0.83 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $184.84. The company had a trading volume of 1,092,907 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,449,759. 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 has a 50 day moving average price of $197.59 and a 200 day moving average price of $186.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $198.39 billion, a PE ratio of 30.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.04. General Electric has a fifty-two week low of $146.78 and a fifty-two week high of $214.21.

General Electric (NYSE:GE - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The conglomerate reported $1.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 anticipate that General Electric will post 5.4 earnings per share for the current year.

General Electric Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a $0.36 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.78%. This is a positive change from General Electric's previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. General Electric's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.04%.

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.