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

Shares of General Motors (NYSE:GM - Get Free Report) TSE: GMM.U have been given a consensus recommendation of "Hold" by the twenty-three brokerages that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, nine have issued a hold recommendation, nine have issued a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $54.56.

GM has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Cowen initiated coverage on shares of General Motors in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. They set a "buy" rating on the stock. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of General Motors from $53.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on shares of General Motors from $55.00 to $57.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. UBS Group reduced their target price on General Motors from $51.00 to $50.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, TD Cowen assumed coverage on General Motors in a report on Friday, March 7th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $105.00 price target for the company.

General Motors Trading Down 2.7%

GM stock traded down $1.32 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $47.74. The company's stock had a trading volume of 9,885,301 shares, compared to its average volume of 13,228,245. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $46.79 and its 200-day simple moving average is $49.49. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38. General Motors has a 52 week low of $38.96 and a 52 week high of $61.24. The stock has a market cap of $45.90 billion, a PE ratio of 7.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.67 and a beta of 1.34.

General Motors (NYSE:GM - Get Free Report) TSE: GMM.U last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The auto manufacturer reported $2.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.63 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $44.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $42.64 billion. General Motors had a return on equity of 15.29% and a net margin of 3.21%. The firm's revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.62 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that General Motors will post 11.44 EPS for the current year.

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

General Motors Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 19th. Investors of record on Friday, June 6th will be given a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 6th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.26%. This is an increase from General Motors's previous quarterly dividend of $0.12. General Motors's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 8.65%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On General Motors

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in General Motors during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new stake in shares of General Motors during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Compass Planning Associates Inc acquired a new stake in shares of General Motors in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. grew its stake in shares of General Motors by 9,960.0% in the fourth quarter. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. now owns 503 shares of the auto manufacturer's stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 498 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. increased its holdings in General Motors by 551.9% during the fourth quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 502 shares of the auto manufacturer's stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 425 shares during the last quarter. 92.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About General Motors

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.