General Electric (NYSE:GE) Stock Price Down 0.3% - Here's What Happened

General Electric (NYSE:GE - Get Free Report) shares traded down 0.3% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $181.59 and last traded at $181.88. 4,927,432 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 10% from the average session volume of 5,456,285 shares. The stock had previously closed at $182.45.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on GE shares. Redburn Atlantic began coverage on General Electric in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. They set a "buy" rating and a $250.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on General Electric from $190.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of General Electric from $203.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $200.00 price objective on shares of General Electric in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their target price on shares of General Electric from $235.00 to $228.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, General Electric has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $213.33.

General Electric Trading Up 6.2 %

The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88. The company has a market capitalization of $203.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.63, a P/E/G ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $195.49 and a 200-day moving average price of $186.46.

General Electric (NYSE:GE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 22nd. The conglomerate reported $1.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.29 by $0.20. General Electric had a net margin of 14.31% and a return on equity of 22.19%. The business had revenue of $9.94 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.06 billion. Research analysts predict that General Electric will post 5.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

General Electric Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.36 per share. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This is a positive change from General Electric's previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. General Electric's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.04%.

Institutional Trading of General Electric

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of General Electric in the 4th quarter worth about $2,375,439,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of General Electric by 23,611.7% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 5,065,997 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $1,013,959,000 after acquiring an additional 5,044,632 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its holdings in shares of General Electric by 87.7% in the 4th quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 3,581,799 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $597,412,000 after acquiring an additional 1,673,365 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in General Electric by 14.4% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 9,544,757 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $1,591,970,000 after acquiring an additional 1,204,910 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in General Electric during the 4th quarter valued at $194,208,000. 74.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.