Huntington National Bank Acquires 33,683 Shares of General Electric (NYSE:GE)

Huntington National Bank boosted its holdings in General Electric (NYSE:GE - Free Report) by 6.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 518,908 shares of the conglomerate's stock after acquiring an additional 33,683 shares during the quarter. Huntington National Bank's holdings in General Electric were worth $86,549,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on GE. Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on shares of General Electric in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. They set a "buy" rating and a $250.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on General Electric from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Bank of America increased their target price on General Electric from $200.00 to $225.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Citigroup raised their price target on General Electric from $216.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on General Electric from $215.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $211.31.

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General Electric Trading Down 6.2 %

NYSE GE traded down $12.47 during trading on Thursday, hitting $187.30. The company had a trading volume of 12,747,869 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,455,385. The company's fifty day moving average is $202.43 and its 200-day moving average is $187.12. General Electric has a one year low of $138.01 and a one year high of $214.21. 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 cap of $201.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.19.

General Electric (NYSE:GE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The conglomerate reported $1.32 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that General Electric will post 5.4 earnings per share for the current year.

General Electric Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a $0.36 dividend. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.77%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. This is a boost from General Electric's previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. General Electric's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.04%.

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.