General Electric (NYSE:GE) Receives New Coverage from Analysts at Vertical Research

Equities research analysts at Vertical Research assumed coverage on shares of General Electric (NYSE:GE - Get Free Report) in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, Marketbeat reports. The firm set a "buy" rating and a $160.00 price target on the conglomerate's stock. Vertical Research's price objective suggests a potential upside of 8.59% from the stock's current price.

A number of other brokerages also recently weighed in on GE. Citigroup raised their target price 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. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price objective on shares of General Electric from $210.00 to $190.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on General Electric from $177.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. TheStreet raised General Electric from a "c+" rating to a "b+" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 23rd. Finally, StockNews.com assumed coverage on General Electric in a research report on Thursday, March 28th. They set a "hold" rating on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, General Electric currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $148.79.

General Electric Price Performance

Shares of GE stock traded up $1.73 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $147.35. The stock had a trading volume of 11,876,544 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,540,667. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $154.76 and its 200 day simple moving average is $131.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $161.09 billion, a PE ratio of 17.95, a PEG ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.29. General Electric has a 12 month low of $93.47 and a 12 month high of $180.36. The company has a current ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

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

Insider Activity at General Electric

In related news, SVP Michael J. Holston sold 22,055 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the senior vice president now owns 56,284 shares in the company, valued at $8,153,863.08. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In related news, SVP Michael J. Holston sold 22,055 shares of General Electric stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 14th. The stock was 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 directly owns 56,284 shares in the company, valued at $8,153,863.08. The transaction was disclosed in a 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 stock was sold at an average price of $135.55, for a total value of $1,843,615.55. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 48,339 shares in the company, valued at $6,552,351.45. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.66% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On General Electric

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of GE. Halpern Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of General Electric by 968.4% during the fourth quarter. Halpern Financial Inc. now owns 203 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 184 shares in the last quarter. Aspect Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of General Electric during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of General Electric in the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Dagco Inc. purchased a new stake in General Electric in the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Hobbs Group Advisors LLC bought a new stake in General Electric in the 4th quarter worth 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.