Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Sells 46,353 Shares of General Mills, Inc. (NYSE:GIS)

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC reduced its position in shares of General Mills, Inc. (NYSE:GIS - Free Report) by 21.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 171,376 shares of the company's stock after selling 46,353 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC's holdings in General Mills were worth $10,246,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of General Mills in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in General Mills during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Perkins Coie Trust Co grew its position in General Mills by 69.2% during the 1st quarter. Perkins Coie Trust Co now owns 516 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 211 shares during the last quarter. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in General Mills during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Transce3nd LLC purchased a new position in General Mills in the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. 75.71% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

General Mills Price Performance

NYSE:GIS traded up $0.14 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $50.51. 9,004,739 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,545,391. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $54.48 and a 200 day moving average price of $58.47. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38. The company has a market cap of $27.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 0.02. General Mills, Inc. has a 1 year low of $50.19 and a 1 year high of $75.90.

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

General Mills Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, July 10th will be given a dividend of $0.61 per share. This is a positive change from General Mills's previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 10th. This represents a $2.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.83%. General Mills's dividend payout ratio is currently 52.75%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada raised General Mills from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $67.00 to $63.00 in a research report on Thursday. Barclays lowered their price target on General Mills from $60.00 to $54.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Mizuho reduced their price objective on General Mills from $62.00 to $60.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of General Mills from $60.00 to $54.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "underweight" rating and set a $51.00 price target (down previously from $53.00) on shares of General Mills in a report on Tuesday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $60.50.

About General Mills

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.