Level Four Advisory Services LLC Lowers Position in General Electric (NYSE:GE)

Level Four Advisory Services LLC decreased its stake in shares of General Electric (NYSE:GE) by 1.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,036 shares of the conglomerate’s stock after selling 87 shares during the period. Level Four Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in General Electric were worth $1,174,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in General Electric during the 4th quarter valued at $2,375,439,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its holdings in shares of General Electric by 505.8% in the third quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 1,908,434 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $359,882,000 after purchasing an additional 1,593,413 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of General Electric during the fourth quarter valued at about $194,208,000. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in General Electric by 206.5% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,444,466 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $278,247,000 after purchasing an additional 973,135 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp grew its position in General Electric by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 43,322,827 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $8,181,801,000 after purchasing an additional 898,296 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.77% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on GE shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of General Electric from $190.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on General Electric in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $250.00 price objective on the stock. UBS Group upped their price objective on General Electric from $215.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Bank of America lifted their target price on General Electric from $200.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on shares of General Electric from $216.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $211.31.

General Electric Stock Down 3.0 %

General Electric stock opened at $199.66 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $201.52 and a 200 day simple moving average of $186.50. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88. General Electric has a 1-year low of $133.99 and a 1-year high of $214.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $214.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.33, a P/E/G ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.19.

General Electric (NYSE:GE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 23rd. The conglomerate reported $1.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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, analysts predict that General Electric will post 5.4 earnings per share for the current year.

General Electric Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared 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 0.72%. This is an increase from General Electric’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. General Electric’s dividend 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.