Investors Purchase High Volume of GE Aerospace Call Options (NYSE:GE)

Key Points

• Unusual bullish options activity: Investors bought 55,877 call options on GE Aerospace—about a 156% increase over the average—while the stock rose roughly 2.3% to $289.97 intraday.
• Strong quarter and shareholder actions: GE Aerospace beat Q1 EPS estimates ($1.86 vs. $1.60) with revenue up 24.6% YoY and set FY2026 guidance of 7.10–7.40 EPS; the company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.47 (annualized $1.88, 0.6% yield) and carries an average analyst target of about $349.89.

GE Aerospace (NYSE:GE - Get Free Report) was the target of some unusual options trading on Thursday. Investors bought 55,877 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 156% compared to the average volume of 21,840 call options.

GE Aerospace Stock Up 2.3%

NYSE:GE traded up $6.40 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $289.97. The company had a trading volume of 3,149,265 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,971,540. GE Aerospace has a 12-month low of $200.86 and a 12-month high of $348.48. The firm has a market capitalization of $302.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.75, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a current ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $306.50 and its 200-day simple moving average is $306.39.

GE Aerospace (NYSE:GE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The company reported $1.86 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.60 by $0.26. The company had revenue of $11.61 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.61 billion. GE Aerospace had a return on equity of 37.99% and a net margin of 17.86%.GE Aerospace's revenue was up 24.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.49 EPS. GE Aerospace has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.100-7.400 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that GE Aerospace will post 7.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

GE Aerospace Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 27th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 9th were given a $0.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 9th. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. This is a boost from GE Aerospace's previous quarterly dividend of $0.36. GE Aerospace's payout ratio is currently 23.15%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently weighed in on GE. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on shares of GE Aerospace in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. They set an "overweight" rating and a $325.00 price objective for the company. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price objective on GE Aerospace from $374.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Susquehanna reissued a "positive" rating and set a $380.00 target price on shares of GE Aerospace in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on GE Aerospace from $375.00 to $387.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, TD Cowen lowered their price objective on shares of GE Aerospace from $350.00 to $330.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, GE Aerospace has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $349.89.

Insider Transactions at GE Aerospace

In other news, SVP Amy L. Gowder sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $305.73, for a total transaction of $1,222,920.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 16,535 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,055,245.55. This represents a 19.48% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Russell Stokes sold 30,363 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $306.47, for a total transaction of $9,305,348.61. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 150,434 shares in the company, valued at approximately $46,103,507.98. This trade represents a 16.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 37,398 shares of company stock worth $11,455,491. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On GE Aerospace

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of GE. REAP Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of GE Aerospace in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Blueline Advisors LLC acquired a new position in GE Aerospace in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Marquette Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in GE Aerospace in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in GE Aerospace by 147.2% in the third quarter. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 89 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Roble Belko & Company Inc raised its holdings in GE Aerospace by 98.1% during the third quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc now owns 103 shares of the company's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. 74.77% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About GE Aerospace

GE Aerospace NYSE: GE is the aerospace business of General Electric, focused on the design, manufacture and support of aircraft engines, integrated propulsion systems and related aftermarket services. The company serves commercial airlines, airframers, business and general aviation operators, and defense customers, providing propulsion solutions for a broad range of aircraft types from single‑aisle airliners to widebody and military platforms.

Its product portfolio includes a family of commercial and military jet engines as well as spare parts, components and systems engineering.

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