General Electric (NYSE:GE) Shares Sold by ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.

ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of General Electric (NYSE:GE) by 0.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 43,676 shares of the conglomerate’s stock after selling 78 shares during the period. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in General Electric were worth $5,574,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in General Electric during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $87,000. Greenleaf Trust raised its stake in shares of General Electric by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 20,190 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $2,577,000 after purchasing an additional 452 shares during the period. Institute for Wealth Management LLC. raised its stake in shares of General Electric by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Institute for Wealth Management LLC. now owns 11,332 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $1,446,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares during the period. Andrew Hill Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of General Electric during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,562,000. Finally, HTLF Bank purchased a new stake in shares of General Electric during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $379,000. 74.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GE has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on shares of General Electric from $195.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of General Electric in a research note on Saturday, April 13th. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of General Electric in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $190.00 price target for the company. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on shares of General Electric from $180.00 to $160.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 4th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their target price on shares of General Electric from $175.00 to $165.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, General Electric presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $160.07.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other General Electric news, SVP Michael J. Holston sold 22,055 shares of the business’s 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 sale, the senior vice president now owns 56,284 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,153,863.08. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other news, SVP Michael J. Holston sold 13,601 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.55, for a total value of $1,843,615.55. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 48,339 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,552,351.45. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, 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 completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 56,284 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,153,863.08. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.66% of the company’s stock.

General Electric Price Performance

General Electric stock traded down $4.85 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $148.09. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 9,564,571 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,004,441. 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 stock’s 50-day moving average price is $159.32 and its 200-day moving average price is $134.37. General Electric has a 12 month low of $76.87 and a 12 month high of $158.68. The company has a market capitalization of $161.90 billion, a PE ratio of 17.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 1.29.

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

General Electric Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 25th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.28 per share. This represents a $1.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.76%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 12th. This is an increase from General Electric’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.08. General Electric’s payout ratio is presently 13.38%.

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.