General Electric (NYSE:GE) Given New $250.00 Price Target at Wells Fargo & Company

General Electric (NYSE:GE - Free Report) had its price target boosted by Wells Fargo & Company from $225.00 to $250.00 in a report published on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an overweight rating on the conglomerate's stock.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Northcoast Research started coverage on shares of General Electric in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. They issued a "neutral" rating on the stock. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of General Electric from $180.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price target on shares of General Electric from $201.00 to $225.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, October 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price objective on General Electric from $235.00 to $228.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on General Electric from $190.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $205.80.

General Electric Stock Performance

Shares of GE stock traded down $3.99 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $196.81. 7,833,579 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,456,774. General Electric has a 52-week low of $103.75 and a 52-week high of $207.65. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $175.33 and a 200 day simple moving average of $175.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $213.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.59, a P/E/G ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.19.

General Electric (NYSE:GE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The conglomerate reported $1.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.05 by $0.27. General Electric had a return on equity of 18.93% and a net margin of 11.48%. Research analysts predict that General Electric will post 4.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

General Electric Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 27th. Investors of record on Friday, December 27th will be paid a $0.28 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 27th. This represents a $1.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.57%. General Electric's payout ratio is 19.68%.

Insider Transactions at General Electric

In related news, SVP Russell Stokes sold 15,550 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $178.29, for a total transaction of $2,772,409.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 148,857 shares of the company's stock, valued at $26,539,714.53. This trade represents a 9.46 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Riccardo Procacci sold 7,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $181.13, for a total value of $1,267,910.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 13,289 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,407,036.57. This represents a 34.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.66% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of General Electric

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Calamos Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in General Electric by 29.5% during the fourth quarter. Calamos Wealth Management LLC now owns 16,089 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $2,683,000 after purchasing an additional 3,663 shares during the period. Fourpath Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of General Electric by 54.0% during the 4th quarter. Fourpath Capital Management LLC now owns 12,093 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $2,017,000 after buying an additional 4,242 shares during the period. Boston Trust Walden Corp boosted its stake in shares of General Electric by 6.5% in the 4th quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 5,739 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $957,000 after buying an additional 350 shares during the last quarter. Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in shares of General Electric in the fourth quarter worth $92,000. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC increased its position in General Electric by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 7,878,650 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $1,314,080,000 after acquiring an additional 106,891 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.77% of the company's stock.

General Electric Company Profile

General Electric Company, doing business as GE Aerospace, designs and produces commercial and defense aircraft engines, integrated engine components, electric power, and mechanical aircraft systems. It also offers aftermarket services to support its products. The company operates in the United States, Europe, China, Asia, the Americas, the Middle East, and Africa.