General Mills, Inc. $GIS Shares Purchased by Cwm LLC

Key Points

• Cwm LLC boosted its stake in General Mills by 30.7% in Q4, buying an additional 95,839 shares to hold 407,876 shares worth about $18.97 million (roughly 0.08% of the company).
• General Mills declared a quarterly dividend of $0.61 (annualized $2.44) payable May 1 with an ex-dividend date of April 10, implying a yield of about 6.9% and a payout ratio near 59.7%.
• The company missed last-quarter expectations (EPS $0.64 vs. $0.73 estimate; revenue $4.44B vs. $4.53B), saw revenue down 8.4% year-over-year, and carries a MarketBeat consensus rating of "Reduce" with a $43.44 price target after several broker downgrades.

Cwm LLC increased its stake in shares of General Mills, Inc. (NYSE:GIS - Free Report) by 30.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 407,876 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 95,839 shares during the period. Cwm LLC owned approximately 0.08% of General Mills worth $18,966,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of General Mills in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Close Asset Management Ltd acquired a new position in shares of General Mills during the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. Davis Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of General Mills during the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC increased its holdings in shares of General Mills by 1,094.4% during the 3rd quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 645 shares of the company's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 591 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Financial Consulate Inc. acquired a new position in shares of General Mills during the 3rd quarter valued at about $32,000. 75.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

General Mills Price Performance

General Mills stock opened at $35.53 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 0.56 and a quick ratio of 0.36. The company has a market capitalization of $18.96 billion, a PE ratio of 8.69 and a beta of 0.01. General Mills, Inc. has a one year low of $34.04 and a one year high of $58.45. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $40.79 and a 200 day simple moving average of $44.76.

General Mills (NYSE:GIS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, March 18th. The company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.73 by ($0.09). The company had revenue of $4.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.53 billion. General Mills had a return on equity of 19.19% and a net margin of 12.05%.General Mills's quarterly revenue was down 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.12 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that General Mills, Inc. will post 4.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

General Mills Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be given a $0.61 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 10th. This represents a $2.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.9%. General Mills's payout ratio is presently 59.66%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently commented on GIS. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price objective on General Mills from $60.00 to $55.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 19th. Weiss Ratings lowered General Mills from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Mizuho lowered their target price on General Mills from $47.00 to $39.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 19th. BTIG Research started coverage on General Mills in a report on Monday. They issued a "neutral" rating on the stock. Finally, Barclays lowered their target price on General Mills from $46.00 to $43.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 16th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and six have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, General Mills presently has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus price target of $43.44.

About General Mills

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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