Leelyn Smith LLC Has $2.27 Million Stock Holdings in General Mills, Inc. (NYSE:GIS)

Leelyn Smith LLC increased its holdings in shares of General Mills, Inc. (NYSE:GIS) by 2.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 35,579 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 956 shares during the period. Leelyn Smith LLC’s holdings in General Mills were worth $2,269,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of General Mills during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $243,000. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of General Mills by 9.0% in the third quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 10,186 shares of the company’s stock valued at $752,000 after acquiring an additional 838 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc boosted its stake in General Mills by 5.9% in the third quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 96,370 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,117,000 after purchasing an additional 5,371 shares in the last quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC increased its position in General Mills by 67.4% in the 3rd quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 72,880 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,382,000 after acquiring an additional 29,350 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Natixis Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of General Mills by 1.4% in the third quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 130,210 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,616,000 after purchasing an additional 1,758 shares in the last quarter. 75.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

General Mills Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:GIS opened at $61.01 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32. General Mills, Inc. has a 12-month low of $55.15 and a 12-month high of $75.90. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $60.09 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $65.55. The firm has a market cap of $33.63 billion, a PE ratio of 13.26, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 0.06.

General Mills (NYSE:GIS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, December 18th. The company reported $1.40 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.22 by $0.18. General Mills had a return on equity of 27.55% and a net margin of 13.08%. The business had revenue of $5.24 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.14 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.25 earnings per share. General Mills’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that General Mills, Inc. will post 4.36 earnings per share for the current year.

General Mills Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, April 10th will be given a dividend of $0.60 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 10th. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.93%. General Mills’s dividend payout ratio is currently 52.17%.

Insider Transactions at General Mills

In related news, insider Paul Joseph Gallagher sold 1,041 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.50, for a total transaction of $67,144.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 42,117 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,716,546.50. This trade represents a 2.41 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Jeffrey L. Harmening sold 11,379 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.00, for a total value of $739,635.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 353,346 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $22,967,490. This trade represents a 3.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on GIS shares. Mizuho dropped their price objective on General Mills from $72.00 to $65.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 10th. Bank of America decreased their price objective on General Mills from $78.00 to $70.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Citigroup lowered their target price on General Mills from $60.00 to $58.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of General Mills from $58.00 to $62.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $70.00 target price on shares of General Mills in a report on Monday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $67.71.

General Mills Company Profile

General Mills, Inc manufactures and markets branded consumer foods worldwide. The company operates through four segments: North America Retail; International; Pet; and North America Foodservice. It offers grain, ready-to-eat cereals, refrigerated yogurt, soup, meal kits, refrigerated and frozen dough products, dessert and baking mixes, bakery flour, frozen pizza and pizza snacks, snack bars, fruit and savory snacks, ice cream and frozen desserts, unbaked and fully baked frozen dough products, frozen hot snacks, ethnic meals, side dish mixes, frozen breakfast and entrees, nutrition bars, and frozen and shelf-stable vegetables.