Blue Trust Inc. Increases Stock Position in General Motors (NYSE:GM)

Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in General Motors (NYSE:GM) (TSE:GMM.U) by 19.7% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 9,164 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,510 shares during the quarter. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in General Motors were worth $488,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new position in shares of General Motors in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in General Motors in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of General Motors during the third quarter worth $27,000. Truvestments Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of General Motors in the 3rd quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Eastern Bank purchased a new position in General Motors during the 3rd quarter worth $34,000. Institutional investors own 92.67% of the company’s stock.

General Motors Price Performance

NYSE:GM opened at $49.46 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $49.21 billion, a PE ratio of 8.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.28 and a beta of 1.42. General Motors has a 52 week low of $37.60 and a 52 week high of $61.24. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $52.82 and its 200-day moving average price is $49.95.

General Motors (NYSE:GM) (TSE:GMM.U) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The auto manufacturer reported $1.92 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.17. General Motors had a return on equity of 15.29% and a net margin of 3.21%. As a group, equities analysts expect that General Motors will post 11.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

General Motors Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be paid a dividend of $0.12 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.97%. General Motors’s dividend payout ratio is currently 7.80%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Alfred F. Kelly, Jr. acquired 12,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 30th. The shares were bought at an average price of $50.66 per share, for a total transaction of $607,920.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 13,714 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $694,751.24. This trade represents a 700.12 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Rory Harvey sold 8,919 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.01, for a total transaction of $535,229.19. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 8,513 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $510,865.13. The trade was a 51.16 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 514,344 shares of company stock worth $28,977,691 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.72% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GM has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on General Motors from $35.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of General Motors from $64.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Wedbush lifted their price objective on shares of General Motors from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised General Motors from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the company from $56.00 to $60.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on General Motors from $58.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $61.28.

General Motors Company Profile

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.