General Electric (NYSE:GE) Shares Down 3.2%

Shares of General Electric (NYSE:GE - Get Free Report) traded down 3.2% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $155.56 and last traded at $157.46. 3,940,034 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 51% from the average session volume of 8,081,722 shares. The stock had previously closed at $162.62.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have weighed in on GE shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their target price on shares of General Electric from $210.00 to $190.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. TD Cowen upgraded shares of General Electric from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $175.00 to $180.00 in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on General Electric from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday. StockNews.com started coverage on General Electric in a research note on Sunday. They issued a "hold" rating for the company. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on General Electric from $190.00 to $211.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $167.29.

General Electric Trading Down 2.1 %

The business's 50-day simple moving average is $160.20 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $135.55. The company has a current ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The company has a market capitalization of $174.04 billion, a PE ratio of 19.02, a PEG ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 1.29.

General Electric (NYSE:GE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 23rd. The conglomerate reported $0.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.65 by $0.17. General Electric had a return on equity of 10.88% and a net margin of 13.95%. The company had revenue of $16.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.25 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.27 EPS. General Electric's revenue for the quarter was up 11.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that General Electric will post 3.76 earnings per share for the current year.

General Electric Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 25th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 15th will be given a dividend of $0.28 per share. This is a boost from General Electric's previous quarterly dividend of $0.08. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 12th. This represents a $1.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.70%. General Electric's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 13.38%.

Insider Transactions at General Electric

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of GE. Verity & Verity LLC acquired a new position in General Electric during the 1st quarter worth $6,948,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its holdings in General Electric by 243.8% in the 1st quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 6,140 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $1,078,000 after acquiring an additional 4,354 shares in the last quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of General Electric by 154.8% during the 1st quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 767 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $135,000 after purchasing an additional 466 shares in the last quarter. Townsend & Associates Inc bought a new stake in shares of General Electric during the first quarter valued at approximately $254,000. Finally, Arlington Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in General Electric in the first quarter worth $233,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.77% of the company's stock.

General Electric Company Profile

General Electric Company, doing business as GE Aerospace, designs and produces commercial and defense aircraft engines, integrated engine components, electric power, and mechanical aircraft systems. It also offers aftermarket services to support its products. The company operates in the United States, Europe, China, Asia, the Americas, the Middle East, and Africa.