General Motors (NYSE:GM) Shares Acquired by Franklin Resources Inc.

Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in shares of General Motors (NYSE:GM - Free Report) TSE: GMM.U by 4.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 29,273,136 shares of the auto manufacturer's stock after acquiring an additional 1,170,816 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. owned about 2.94% of General Motors worth $1,559,380,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of General Motors during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in General Motors during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Compass Planning Associates Inc purchased a new position in General Motors during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. boosted its holdings in General Motors by 9,960.0% in the 4th quarter. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. now owns 503 shares of the auto manufacturer's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 498 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. grew its stake in shares of General Motors by 551.9% in the 4th quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 502 shares of the auto manufacturer's stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 425 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.67% of the company's stock.

General Motors Stock Down 4.2 %

GM traded down $1.92 on Friday, hitting $43.99. 15,014,520 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 13,374,629. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $48.41 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $50.57. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38. General Motors has a twelve month low of $38.96 and a twelve month high of $61.24. The company has a market cap of $43.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.67 and a beta of 1.27.

General Motors (NYSE:GM - Get Free Report) TSE: GMM.U last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The auto manufacturer reported $1.92 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.17. General Motors had a return on equity of 15.29% and a net margin of 3.21%. On average, equities analysts predict that General Motors will post 11.44 earnings per share for the current year.

General Motors declared that its board has approved a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, February 26th that allows the company to repurchase $6.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the auto manufacturer to reacquire up to 12.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often an indication that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

General Motors Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th were issued a $0.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 7th. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.09%. General Motors's payout ratio is 7.80%.

Insider Activity

In other General Motors news, Director Alfred F. Kelly, Jr. bought 12,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 30th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $50.66 per share, with a total value of $607,920.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 13,714 shares of the company's stock, valued at $694,751.24. This represents a 700.12 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.72% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently commented on GM. Morgan Stanley upgraded General Motors from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and upped their price objective for the company from $46.00 to $54.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Hsbc Global Res lowered General Motors from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $73.00 price objective on General Motors in a research report on Saturday, March 1st. HSBC lowered shares of General Motors from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $58.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of General Motors from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $62.11.

About General Motors

General Motors Company designs, builds, and sells trucks, crossovers, cars, and automobile parts; and provide software-enabled services and subscriptions worldwide. The company operates through GM North America, GM International, Cruise, and GM Financial segments. It markets its vehicles primarily under the Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Baojun, and Wuling brand names.