Ethic Inc. Acquires 36,514 Shares of GE Aerospace (NYSE:GE)

Ethic Inc. boosted its stake in shares of GE Aerospace (NYSE:GE - Free Report) by 280.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 49,537 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 36,514 shares during the quarter. Ethic Inc.'s holdings in GE Aerospace were worth $8,262,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in GE Aerospace by 133.3% during the fourth quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 147 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. Hager Investment Management Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of GE Aerospace during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of GE Aerospace during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of GE Aerospace during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of GE Aerospace during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. 74.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

GE Aerospace Price Performance

Shares of GE stock traded up $3.77 on Monday, hitting $218.73. 5,464,160 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,358,289. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 0.81. GE Aerospace has a 12 month low of $150.20 and a 12 month high of $221.53. The stock has a market cap of $233.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a 50 day moving average of $195.24 and a 200 day moving average of $187.97.

GE Aerospace (NYSE:GE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 22nd. The company reported $1.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.29 by $0.20. GE Aerospace had a return on equity of 22.19% and a net margin of 14.31%. The company had revenue of $9.94 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.06 billion. On average, equities research analysts predict that GE Aerospace will post 5.4 EPS for the current year.

GE Aerospace Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 25th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th were issued a $0.36 dividend. This is an increase from GE Aerospace's previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.66%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. GE Aerospace's payout ratio is presently 22.40%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Robert M. Giglietti sold 4,104 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $196.73, for a total value of $807,379.92. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 11,540 shares in the company, valued at $2,270,264.20. This trade represents a 26.23% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Mohamed Ali sold 1,602 shares of GE Aerospace stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.67, for a total value of $321,473.34. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 8,805 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,766,899.35. The trade was a 15.39% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.21% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on GE shares. Northcoast Research raised GE Aerospace from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $205.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on GE Aerospace from $190.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on GE Aerospace from $212.00 to $222.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on GE Aerospace from $235.00 to $227.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price objective on GE Aerospace from $207.00 to $216.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, GE Aerospace presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $216.92.

GE Aerospace Company Profile

GE Aerospace (also known as General Electric) is a company that specializes in providing aerospace products and services. It operates through two reportable segments: Commercial Engines and Services and Defense and Propulsion Technologies. It offers jet and turboprop engines, as well as integrated systems for commercial, military, business, and general aviation aircraft.