General Electric (NYSE:GE) Stock Price Down 0.5% - Here's Why

Shares of General Electric (NYSE:GE - Get Free Report) traded down 0.5% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $182.65 and last traded at $184.82. 822,284 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 86% from the average session volume of 5,848,750 shares. The stock had previously closed at $185.67.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on GE shares. Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on shares of General Electric in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. They set a "buy" rating and a $250.00 price objective on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price target on shares of General Electric from $235.00 to $228.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of General Electric from $200.00 to $225.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on General Electric from $190.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, UBS Group raised their target price on shares of General Electric from $215.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $213.33.

General Electric Price Performance

The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $196.12 and a 200-day simple moving average of $186.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $195.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.36, a PEG ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 1.09.

General Electric (NYSE:GE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The conglomerate reported $1.32 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.05 by $0.27. General Electric had a net margin of 14.31% and a return on equity of 22.19%. Sell-side analysts expect that General Electric will post 5.4 earnings per share 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. Shareholders 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 yield of 0.79%. 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 24.04%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On General Electric

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Johnson & White Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in General Electric during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $733,000. Chung Wu Investment Group LLC bought a new position in shares of General Electric in the fourth quarter worth approximately $795,000. National Bank of Canada FI increased its stake in shares of General Electric by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 1,064,417 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $177,535,000 after purchasing an additional 29,844 shares in the last quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of General Electric by 60.7% during the 3rd quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 13,662 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $2,576,000 after purchasing an additional 5,162 shares during the period. Finally, National Pension Service lifted its position in shares of General Electric by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. National Pension Service now owns 2,254,637 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $376,051,000 after acquiring an additional 37,884 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.77% of the company's stock.

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.