Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC Grows Stock Holdings in General Electric (NYSE:GE)

Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in General Electric (NYSE:GE - Free Report) by 70.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 45,765 shares of the conglomerate's stock after buying an additional 18,961 shares during the quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC's holdings in General Electric were worth $5,841,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in GE. Halpern Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in 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 buying an additional 184 shares in the last quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of General Electric by 90.2% during the fourth quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 232 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares during the period. Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. boosted its holdings in General Electric by 808.1% in the first quarter. Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 336 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 299 shares during the last quarter. Financial Freedom LLC acquired a new stake in General Electric in the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Macroview Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in General Electric by 43.4% during the 3rd quarter. Macroview Investment Management LLC now owns 317 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. 74.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

General Electric Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of GE traded up $1.07 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $157.68. 5,990,441 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,749,427. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $157.46 and a 200 day simple moving average of $132.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.18 and a quick ratio of 0.85. The company has a market cap of $172.39 billion, a PE ratio of 18.84, a P/E/G ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 1.29. General Electric has a 52 week low of $93.47 and a 52 week high of $180.36.

General Electric (NYSE:GE - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, January 23rd. The conglomerate reported $1.03 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.90 by $0.13. General Electric had a net margin of 13.95% and a return on equity of 10.88%. The business had revenue of $19.42 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.27 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.24 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 15.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that General Electric will post 4.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

General Electric Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 25th. Investors of record on Monday, April 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.28 per share. This represents a $1.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.71%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 12th. This is a positive change from General Electric's previous quarterly dividend of $0.08. General Electric's dividend payout ratio is presently 3.82%.

Insider Activity at General Electric

In other General Electric news, SVP Michael J. Holston sold 13,601 shares of the business's 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 transaction, the senior vice president now owns 48,339 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,552,351.45. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, SVP Michael J. Holston sold 22,055 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.87, for a total value 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 approximately $8,153,863.08. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Michael J. Holston sold 13,601 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 48,339 shares in the company, 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.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on GE shares. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on shares of General Electric from $195.00 to $180.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. TD Cowen raised General Electric from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $175.00 to $180.00 in a research note on Tuesday. Oppenheimer reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of General Electric in a research note on Tuesday, March 5th. Vertical Research started coverage on General Electric in a research report on Thursday, April 4th. They set a "buy" rating and a $160.00 target price for the company. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on General Electric in a research note on Tuesday. They issued a "buy" rating and a $190.00 price target for the company. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $156.67.

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.