General Motors (NYSE:GM) Receives New Coverage from Analysts at Sanford C. Bernstein

Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on shares of General Motors (NYSE:GM - Free Report) TSE: GMM.U in a research report sent to investors on Thursday, Marketbeat.com reports. The firm issued an outperform rating and a $55.00 target price on the auto manufacturer's stock.

Several other equities research analysts also recently commented on the company. Redburn Atlantic initiated coverage on General Motors in a report on Wednesday, January 24th. They set a neutral rating and a $40.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of General Motors from $56.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday. Wedbush upped their target price on shares of General Motors from $45.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Wednesday. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of General Motors from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on shares of General Motors from $54.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Tuesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $54.38.

General Motors Trading Up 1.2 %

General Motors stock traded up $0.54 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $45.62. The stock had a trading volume of 14,513,333 shares, compared to its average volume of 17,521,344. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $42.13 and its 200 day simple moving average is $36.19. General Motors has a twelve month low of $26.30 and a twelve month high of $46.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a current ratio of 1.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $52.67 billion, a PE ratio of 5.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.51.

General Motors (NYSE:GM - Get Free Report) TSE: GMM.U last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The auto manufacturer reported $2.62 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.02 by $0.60. General Motors had a net margin of 6.13% and a return on equity of 14.40%. The firm had revenue of $43.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $41.09 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.21 earnings per share. General Motors's revenue was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that General Motors will post 9.26 EPS for the current year.

General Motors Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 20th. Investors of record on Friday, June 7th will be given a $0.12 dividend. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.05%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 7th. General Motors's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 5.87%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Julian G. Blissett sold 13,826 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.24, for a total transaction of $528,706.24. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 87,567 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,348,562.08. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, EVP Gerald Johnson sold 27,122 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.26, for a total value of $1,227,541.72. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 71,506 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,236,361.56. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Julian G. Blissett sold 13,826 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.24, for a total transaction of $528,706.24. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 87,567 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,348,562.08. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 86,248 shares of company stock worth $3,614,078 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.54% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On General Motors

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in GM. Handelsbanken Fonder AB lifted its holdings in shares of General Motors by 18.5% during the 4th quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 475,061 shares of the auto manufacturer's stock valued at $17,064,000 after purchasing an additional 74,194 shares in the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of General Motors by 361.1% in the 4th quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 119,714 shares of the auto manufacturer's stock valued at $4,300,000 after purchasing an additional 93,754 shares during the period. Foundry Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of General Motors by 15.0% in the third quarter. Foundry Partners LLC now owns 394,047 shares of the auto manufacturer's stock worth $12,992,000 after purchasing an additional 51,336 shares in the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board boosted its position in General Motors by 10.5% during the third quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 147,383 shares of the auto manufacturer's stock valued at $4,859,000 after purchasing an additional 14,002 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AM Squared Ltd grew its position in shares of General Motors by 195.0% in the 4th quarter. AM Squared Ltd now owns 41,300 shares of the auto manufacturer's stock valued at $1,483,000 after acquiring an additional 27,300 shares during the period. 92.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About General Motors

General Motors Company designs, builds, and sells trucks, crossovers, cars, and automobile parts; and provide software-enabled services and subscriptions worldwide. The company operates through GM North America, GM International, Cruise, and GM Financial segments. It markets its vehicles primarily under the Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Baojun, and Wuling brand names.