General Electric (NYSE:GE) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

General Electric (NYSE:GE) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the seventeen research firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $211.31.

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on GE shares. UBS Group boosted their target price on General Electric from $215.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Redburn Atlantic started coverage on General Electric in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. They set a “buy” rating and a $250.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on General Electric from $190.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on General Electric from $200.00 to $225.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price objective on General Electric from $235.00 to $228.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. BridgePort Financial Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of General Electric in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $234,000. Park Square Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in General Electric during the fourth quarter worth $188,000. Total Wealth Planning & Management Inc. acquired a new position in General Electric during the fourth quarter worth $489,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new position in General Electric during the fourth quarter worth $92,791,000. Finally, Brucke Financial Inc. acquired a new position in General Electric during the fourth quarter worth $236,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.77% of the company’s stock.

General Electric Stock Performance

Shares of General Electric stock opened at $207.22 on Friday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $190.24 and a 200-day simple moving average of $182.00. The company has a market cap of $222.40 billion, a PE ratio of 34.59, a P/E/G ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.21. General Electric has a one year low of $124.08 and a one year high of $212.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 1.09.

General Electric (NYSE:GE) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The conglomerate reported $1.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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, equities research analysts forecast that General Electric will post 5.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

General Electric Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a $0.36 dividend. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.69%. This is a positive change from General Electric’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. General Electric’s payout ratio is presently 24.04%.

General Electric Company Profile

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.