General Electric (NYSE:GE) Shares Sold by Sentry Investment Management LLC

Sentry Investment Management LLC cut its stake in shares of General Electric (NYSE:GE) by 14.0% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 4,544 shares of the conglomerate’s stock after selling 740 shares during the quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC’s holdings in General Electric were worth $758,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. purchased a new stake in General Electric during the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Hager Investment Management Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of General Electric in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in General Electric in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in General Electric during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in General Electric during the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. 74.77% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

General Electric Price Performance

NYSE GE opened at $198.68 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $213.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.21. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $187.23 and its two-hundred day moving average is $181.22. General Electric has a fifty-two week low of $122.48 and a fifty-two week high of $212.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 0.81.

General Electric (NYSE:GE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 23rd. The conglomerate reported $1.32 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.05 by $0.27. General Electric had a return on equity of 22.19% and a net margin of 14.31%. On average, analysts anticipate that General Electric will post 5.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

General Electric Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a $0.36 dividend. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.72%. This is a boost from General Electric’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. General Electric’s payout ratio is presently 24.04%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GE has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Citigroup lifted their price target on General Electric from $216.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of General Electric from $215.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of General Electric from $190.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their target price on shares of General Electric from $235.00 to $228.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $200.00 price target on shares of General Electric in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $211.31.

About General Electric

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.