General Electric (NYSE:GE) Shares Purchased by Arete Wealth Advisors LLC

Arete Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of General Electric (NYSE:GE - Free Report) by 25.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 7,163 shares of the conglomerate's stock after purchasing an additional 1,460 shares during the quarter. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC's holdings in General Electric were worth $1,195,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC grew its holdings in General Electric by 133.3% during the 4th quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 147 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. Hager Investment Management Services LLC purchased a new stake in General Electric during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in General Electric in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of General Electric in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Picton Mahoney Asset Management lifted its stake in shares of General Electric by 62.4% during the fourth quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 177 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 68 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.77% of the company's stock.

General Electric Stock Down 1.1 %

NYSE GE traded down $1.87 on Monday, hitting $164.95. 9,421,645 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,417,510. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88. The company has a market capitalization of $177.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.04. General Electric has a twelve month low of $146.78 and a twelve month high of $214.21. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $201.56 and a 200 day moving average of $187.10.

General Electric (NYSE:GE - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The conglomerate reported $1.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.05 by $0.27. General Electric had a net margin of 14.31% and a return on equity of 22.19%. As a group, analysts expect that General Electric will post 5.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

General Electric Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a $0.36 dividend. This is an increase from General Electric's previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.87%. General Electric's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 24.04%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GE has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $200.00 target price on shares of General Electric in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Redburn Atlantic started coverage on shares of General Electric in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $250.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target 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. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price objective on General Electric from $235.00 to $228.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Finally, Citigroup upped their target price on General Electric from $216.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $214.73.

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.