Signaturefd LLC Trims Stock Holdings in General Mills, Inc. (NYSE:GIS)

Signaturefd LLC decreased its position in General Mills, Inc. (NYSE:GIS - Free Report) by 35.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 17,117 shares of the company's stock after selling 9,592 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC's holdings in General Mills were worth $1,023,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GIS. Edgestream Partners L.P. acquired a new stake in General Mills during the 1st quarter worth about $630,000. Leelyn Smith LLC grew its position in General Mills by 5.9% during the 1st quarter. Leelyn Smith LLC now owns 37,691 shares of the company's stock worth $2,254,000 after purchasing an additional 2,112 shares during the period. CWM LLC grew its position in General Mills by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 251,475 shares of the company's stock worth $15,036,000 after purchasing an additional 1,673 shares during the period. Greatmark Investment Partners Inc. grew its position in General Mills by 4.8% during the 1st quarter. Greatmark Investment Partners Inc. now owns 52,196 shares of the company's stock worth $3,121,000 after purchasing an additional 2,404 shares during the period. Finally, Oxbow Advisors LLC grew its position in General Mills by 576.7% during the 1st quarter. Oxbow Advisors LLC now owns 55,892 shares of the company's stock worth $3,342,000 after purchasing an additional 47,632 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.71% of the company's stock.

General Mills Trading Down 1.8%

GIS stock opened at $50.03 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38. General Mills, Inc. has a 12-month low of $49.86 and a 12-month high of $75.90. The stock has a market cap of $27.14 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.20. The business's 50-day moving average is $53.32 and its 200 day moving average is $57.26.

General Mills (NYSE:GIS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, June 25th. The company reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.72 by $0.02. General Mills had a return on equity of 24.88% and a net margin of 11.78%. The company had revenue of $4.56 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.60 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.01 EPS. General Mills's revenue was down 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that General Mills, Inc. will post 4.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

General Mills Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 10th will be paid a $0.61 dividend. This represents a $2.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.88%. This is a positive change from General Mills's previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 10th. General Mills's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 59.51%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on GIS shares. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "underweight" rating and set a $51.00 price target (down from $53.00) on shares of General Mills in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. Wall Street Zen upgraded General Mills from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on General Mills from $65.00 to $56.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, June 26th. Bank of America dropped their target price on General Mills from $63.00 to $61.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, June 26th. Finally, Barclays dropped their target price on General Mills from $60.00 to $54.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, June 26th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, General Mills currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $59.73.

General Mills Profile

General Mills, Inc manufactures and markets branded consumer foods worldwide. The company operates through four segments: North America Retail; International; Pet; and North America Foodservice. It offers grain, ready-to-eat cereals, refrigerated yogurt, soup, meal kits, refrigerated and frozen dough products, dessert and baking mixes, bakery flour, frozen pizza and pizza snacks, snack bars, fruit and savory snacks, ice cream and frozen desserts, unbaked and fully baked frozen dough products, frozen hot snacks, ethnic meals, side dish mixes, frozen breakfast and entrees, nutrition bars, and frozen and shelf-stable vegetables.

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