General Electric (NYSE:GE) Given Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Shares of General Electric (NYSE:GE - Get Free Report) have been assigned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the eleven brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $151.38.

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Oppenheimer restated a "market perform" rating on shares of General Electric in a research report on Tuesday, March 5th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of General Electric from $148.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, March 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of General Electric from $180.00 to $148.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of General Electric from $135.00 to $148.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, December 11th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their target price on shares of General Electric from $210.00 to $190.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday.

General Electric Price Performance

General Electric stock traded up $9.16 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $145.63. The company had a trading volume of 16,201,702 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,457,152. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $154.45 and its 200-day simple moving average is $130.91. The company has a market capitalization of $159.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.45, a P/E/G ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 1.29. General Electric has a 1 year low of $93.47 and a 1 year high of $180.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.18 and a quick ratio of 0.85.

General Electric (NYSE:GE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 23rd. The conglomerate reported $1.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.90 by $0.13. General Electric had a net margin of 13.95% and a return on equity of 10.88%. The company had revenue of $19.42 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.27 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.24 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 15.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that General Electric will post 4.57 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at General Electric

In other General Electric news, SVP Michael J. Holston sold 22,055 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.87, for a total transaction of $3,195,107.85. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 56,284 shares in the company, valued at $8,153,863.08. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other news, SVP Michael J. Holston sold 22,055 shares of General Electric stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.87, for a total transaction of $3,195,107.85. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 56,284 shares in the company, valued at $8,153,863.08. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Michael J. Holston sold 13,601 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.55, for a total transaction of $1,843,615.55. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 48,339 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,552,351.45. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.66% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Aspect Partners LLC acquired a new stake in General Electric during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Halpern Financial Inc. raised its position in shares of General Electric by 968.4% during the 4th quarter. Halpern Financial Inc. now owns 203 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 184 shares during the period. Dagco Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of General Electric during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of General Electric in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Hobbs Group Advisors LLC acquired a new position in General Electric during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Institutional investors own 74.77% of the company's stock.

About General Electric

General Electric Company operates as a high-tech industrial company in Europe, China, Asia, the Americas, the Middle East, and Africa. It offers gas and steam turbines, full balance of plant, upgrade, and service solutions, as well as data-leveraging software for power generation, industrial, government, and other customers.