Guardian Investment Management Trims Stock Position in General Electric (NYSE:GE)

Guardian Investment Management decreased its holdings in General Electric (NYSE:GE) by 1.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 11,755 shares of the conglomerate’s stock after selling 187 shares during the quarter. General Electric comprises 1.2% of Guardian Investment Management’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest holding. Guardian Investment Management’s holdings in General Electric were worth $1,500,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Halpern Financial Inc. raised its position in General Electric by 968.4% in the 4th quarter. Halpern Financial Inc. now owns 203 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 184 shares during the last quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC increased its stake in General Electric by 90.2% in the 4th quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 232 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 110 shares during the period. Capital Analysts LLC increased its stake in General Electric by 55.8% in the 4th quarter. Capital Analysts LLC now owns 243 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the period. Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. increased its stake in General Electric by 808.1% in the 1st quarter. Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 336 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 299 shares during the period. Finally, Financial Freedom LLC acquired a new position in General Electric in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.77% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Oppenheimer reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of General Electric in a research note on Tuesday, March 5th. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of General Electric in a research note on Saturday, April 13th. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of General Electric in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. They set a “buy” rating and a $190.00 price target on the stock. Bank of America lowered their price target on shares of General Electric from $175.00 to $165.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 8th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price target on shares of General Electric from $210.00 to $190.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $160.07.

Insider Buying and Selling at General Electric

In other General Electric news, SVP Michael J. Holston sold 22,055 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.87, for a total value of $3,195,107.85. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 56,284 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,153,863.08. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, SVP Michael J. Holston sold 13,601 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.55, for a total transaction of $1,843,615.55. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 48,339 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,552,351.45. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Michael J. Holston sold 22,055 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.87, for a total transaction of $3,195,107.85. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 56,284 shares in the company, valued at $8,153,863.08. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.66% of the stock is owned by insiders.

General Electric Price Performance

Shares of General Electric stock traded down $1.86 on Thursday, hitting $153.81. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 3,843,256 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,950,624. General Electric has a 52-week low of $76.87 and a 52-week high of $158.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $158.87 and a 200-day moving average price of $133.96. The company has a market capitalization of $168.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 1.29.

General Electric (NYSE:GE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 23rd. The conglomerate reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.90 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $19.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.27 billion. General Electric had a net margin of 13.95% and a return on equity of 10.88%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.24 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that General Electric will post 3.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

General Electric Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 25th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 15th will be issued a $0.28 dividend. This represents a $1.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.73%. This is a positive change from General Electric’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.08. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 12th. General Electric’s dividend payout ratio is 13.38%.

General Electric 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.