DoubleLine ETF Adviser LP Acquires New Holdings in General Mills, Inc. $GIS

Key Points

• DoubleLine ETF Adviser LP opened a new position in General Mills, buying 29,412 shares (~$1.48M) in Q3; hedge funds and other institutional investors now own about 75.71% of GIS.
• Analyst sentiment has turned negative—Wells Fargo cut GIS to an underweight and several firms trimmed price targets, leaving a MarketBeat consensus rating of Reduce with a $49.11 consensus target.
• General Mills pays a quarterly dividend of $0.61 (annualized $2.44) for a yield of ~6.2%, though its payout ratio is roughly 52.47%, a point of concern cited by analysts given elevated leverage.

DoubleLine ETF Adviser LP bought a new position in General Mills, Inc. (NYSE:GIS - Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 29,412 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,483,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Austin Private Wealth LLC boosted its stake in General Mills by 5.0% during the third quarter. Austin Private Wealth LLC now owns 4,442 shares of the company's stock valued at $224,000 after buying an additional 211 shares during the period. Retirement Planning Co of New England Inc. boosted its position in shares of General Mills by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter. Retirement Planning Co of New England Inc. now owns 5,416 shares of the company's stock valued at $273,000 after acquiring an additional 219 shares during the last quarter. Smith Moore & CO. grew its holdings in shares of General Mills by 2.6% during the third quarter. Smith Moore & CO. now owns 8,785 shares of the company's stock worth $443,000 after purchasing an additional 225 shares in the last quarter. Stonebridge Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of General Mills by 0.7% in the second quarter. Stonebridge Capital Advisors LLC now owns 32,843 shares of the company's stock worth $1,702,000 after purchasing an additional 226 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AlphaCore Capital LLC raised its stake in General Mills by 10.9% in the second quarter. AlphaCore Capital LLC now owns 2,343 shares of the company's stock valued at $121,000 after purchasing an additional 231 shares in the last quarter. 75.71% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GIS has been the subject of a number of research reports. Wells Fargo & Company cut shares of General Mills from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and cut their price target for the stock from $45.00 to $35.00 in a research note on Thursday. Piper Sandler lowered their price objective on shares of General Mills from $60.00 to $53.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of General Mills from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on General Mills from $50.00 to $47.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their price target on General Mills from $53.00 to $48.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $49.11.

Insider Buying and Selling at General Mills

In other news, insider Paul Joseph Gallagher sold 1,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.15, for a total value of $72,225.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 48,568 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,338,549.20. The trade was a 3.00% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

General Mills Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of GIS opened at $39.38 on Friday. General Mills, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $39.29 and a fifty-two week high of $62.61. The firm has a market cap of $21.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.47 and a beta of -0.05. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $44.98 and a 200-day moving average price of $47.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a current ratio of 0.66.

General Mills (NYSE:GIS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, December 17th. The company reported $1.10 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.03 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $4.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.78 billion. General Mills had a net margin of 13.51% and a return on equity of 21.41%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.40 EPS. General Mills has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.580-3.790 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that General Mills, Inc. will post 4.36 earnings per share for the current year.

General Mills Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be issued a $0.61 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 10th. This represents a $2.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.2%. General Mills's payout ratio is currently 52.47%.

Key Stories Impacting General Mills

Here are the key news stories impacting General Mills this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Named Jonathan Ness as Chief Supply Chain Officer and accelerated removal of certified colors in its K–12 portfolio — a move that could improve execution, margin recovery and brand positioning if cost-savings and premiumization follow. Does General Mills' (GIS) Supply Chain Shift and Cleaner Labels Recast Its Margin Narrative?
• Neutral Sentiment: Pre-earnings coverage is digging beyond revenue/EPS to metrics investors care about (gross margin, organic sales, pricing/volume mix, working capital) ahead of the Q3 print. Watch margins and SG&A cadence. Countdown to General Mills (GIS) Q3 Earnings: A Look at Estimates Beyond Revenue and EPS
• Neutral Sentiment: Another analyst preview (Zacks) reiterates the same focus on operational metrics and margin drivers for the quarter — useful guidance but not market-moving by itself. Countdown to General Mills (GIS) Q3 Earnings: A Look at Estimates Beyond Revenue and EPS (Zacks)
• Neutral Sentiment: General market pieces on high-yield names (Fool) do not feature GIS specifically but underscore investor appetite for yield — relevant context given concerns about GIS’s payout ratio. Here Are My Top 3 High-Yield Dividend Stocks to Buy Now
• Negative Sentiment: Wells Fargo downgraded General Mills to Underweight, flagging earnings pressure, elevated leverage and a stretched dividend payout ratio — a direct catalyst behind the stock weakness. Wells Fargo downgrades General Mills (GIS)
• Negative Sentiment: Related Wells Fargo note cited across outlets downgrading Conagra, Campbell’s and General Mills for similar profit and payout risks — broad analyst skepticism for the packaged-food group. Wells Fargo downgrades Conagra, Campbell’s and General Mills on profit risks
• Negative Sentiment: Benzinga and other outlets note additional analyst downgrades and a tilt toward bearish coverage on GIS — reinforcing the negative momentum among sell-side shops. This General Mills Analyst Turns Bearish; Here Are Top 5 Downgrades For Thursday
• Negative Sentiment: Peer weakness: Campbell’s reported a weak quarter (sales down, organic sales down), highlighting consumption pressure in the category — negative signal for pricing/volume prospects across packaged foods. Campbell’s posts one of worst quarters in years: revenues fell 5%, organic sales dropped 3%

General Mills Company Profile

General Mills, Inc NYSE: GIS is a multinational consumer foods company that develops, manufactures and markets a broad portfolio of branded food products. Its product categories include ready-to-eat and hot cereals, baking mixes and ingredients, snacks and bars, refrigerated and frozen doughs, yogurt and other dairy products, and a variety of shelf-stable meals and meal components. The company's portfolio features widely recognized consumer brands across grocery store, mass channel and foodservice outlets.

Founded in the early 20th century and incorporated under its current name in 1928, General Mills has grown through both internal brand development and strategic expansion to become a global food company.

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