General Motors (NYSE:GM) Given Average Recommendation of "Hold" by Brokerages

General Motors (NYSE:GM - Get Free Report) TSE: GMM.U has received an average rating of "Hold" from the twenty-two research firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $56.72.

A number of research analysts have weighed in on GM shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on General Motors from $64.00 to $53.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on shares of General Motors from $73.00 to $63.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Cowen started coverage on General Motors in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. They issued a "buy" rating for the company. Mizuho dropped their price target on General Motors from $63.00 to $55.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, TD Cowen assumed coverage on General Motors in a report on Friday, March 7th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $105.00 target price for the company.

General Motors Price Performance

Shares of NYSE GM traded up $0.00 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $44.54. 831,420 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 14,188,869. General Motors has a 52 week low of $38.96 and a 52 week high of $61.24. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38. The company's 50 day moving average price is $47.24 and its 200 day moving average price is $50.34. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.32 billion, a PE ratio of 7.24, a PEG ratio of 0.67 and a beta of 1.27.

General Motors (NYSE:GM - Get Free Report) TSE: GMM.U last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The auto manufacturer reported $1.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.17. General Motors had a net margin of 3.21% and a return on equity of 15.29%. Sell-side analysts forecast that General Motors will post 11.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

General Motors Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 20th. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th were given a $0.12 dividend. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.08%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 7th. General Motors's payout ratio is currently 7.80%.

General Motors announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback program on Wednesday, February 26th that permits the company to buyback $6.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the auto manufacturer to reacquire up to 12.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often an indication that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at General Motors

In related news, Director Alfred F. Kelly, Jr. acquired 12,000 shares of General Motors stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 30th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $50.66 per share, for a total transaction of $607,920.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 13,714 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $694,751.24. This represents a 700.12 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.72% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On General Motors

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in GM. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in General Motors by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 29,273,136 shares of the auto manufacturer's stock worth $1,559,380,000 after purchasing an additional 1,170,816 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of General Motors by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 23,796,969 shares of the auto manufacturer's stock worth $1,264,567,000 after buying an additional 176,436 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of General Motors by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 14,066,883 shares of the auto manufacturer's stock worth $749,382,000 after purchasing an additional 228,408 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in General Motors in the 4th quarter valued at $592,321,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in shares of General Motors by 8.1% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 10,930,178 shares of the auto manufacturer's stock valued at $582,251,000 after buying an additional 822,454 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.67% of the company's stock.

General Motors Company Profile

General Motors Company designs, builds, and sells trucks, crossovers, cars, and automobile parts; and provide software-enabled services and subscriptions worldwide. The company operates through GM North America, GM International, Cruise, and GM Financial segments. It markets its vehicles primarily under the Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Baojun, and Wuling brand names.