TD Cowen Boosts General Mills (NYSE:GIS) Price Target to $75.00

General Mills (NYSE:GIS) had its price target boosted by TD Cowen from $72.00 to $75.00 in a research report released on Friday, Benzinga reports. TD Cowen currently has a hold rating on the stock.

A number of other equities analysts have also commented on the stock. Mizuho cut their price objective on shares of General Mills from $70.00 to $62.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 3rd. Evercore ISI reduced their price target on General Mills from $76.00 to $72.00 and set an in-line rating for the company in a report on Friday, June 28th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on General Mills from $68.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Thursday, September 12th. Argus reiterated a hold rating on shares of General Mills in a research note on Tuesday, July 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of General Mills from $67.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research note on Friday, September 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $72.73.

General Mills Price Performance

Shares of NYSE GIS opened at $74.51 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $41.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.29, a PEG ratio of 3.86 and a beta of 0.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 0.65 and a quick ratio of 0.38. General Mills has a 1-year low of $60.33 and a 1-year high of $75.90. The business has a 50-day moving average of $69.92 and a 200-day moving average of $68.57.

General Mills (NYSE:GIS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, September 18th. The company reported $1.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.06 by $0.01. General Mills had a net margin of 12.57% and a return on equity of 26.56%. The company had revenue of $4.85 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.80 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.09 earnings per share. General Mills’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that General Mills will post 4.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

General Mills Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 10th were paid a dividend of $0.60 per share. This is a positive change from General Mills’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.59. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 10th. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.22%. General Mills’s dividend payout ratio is 55.68%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On General Mills

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of GIS. Rise Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of General Mills by 199.3% in the 1st quarter. Rise Advisors LLC now owns 410 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 273 shares during the last quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC lifted its stake in General Mills by 409.8% in the first quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 418 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 336 shares during the last quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC lifted its stake in General Mills by 100.0% in the fourth quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC now owns 458 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 229 shares during the last quarter. RFP Financial Group LLC grew its position in shares of General Mills by 66.3% during the first quarter. RFP Financial Group LLC now owns 434 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 173 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Perkins Coie Trust Co increased its holdings in shares of General Mills by 769.2% in the 1st quarter. Perkins Coie Trust Co now owns 452 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 400 shares during the period. 75.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

General Mills Company Profile

General Mills, Inc manufactures and markets branded consumer foods worldwide. The company operates through four segments: North America Retail; International; Pet; and North America Foodservice. It offers grain, ready-to-eat cereals, refrigerated yogurt, soup, meal kits, refrigerated and frozen dough products, dessert and baking mixes, bakery flour, frozen pizza and pizza snacks, snack bars, fruit and savory snacks, ice cream and frozen desserts, unbaked and fully baked frozen dough products, frozen hot snacks, ethnic meals, side dish mixes, frozen breakfast and entrees, nutrition bars, and frozen and shelf-stable vegetables.