General Mills (NYSE:GIS) Trading 3.4% Higher - Should You Buy?

General Mills, Inc. (NYSE:GIS - Get Free Report)'s share price traded up 3.4% on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $63.73 and last traded at $64.19. 1,073,118 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 72% from the average session volume of 3,884,543 shares. The stock had previously closed at $62.07.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on General Mills from $72.00 to $65.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Barclays lowered their target price on General Mills from $74.00 to $68.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 20th. Mizuho lowered their target price on General Mills from $72.00 to $65.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 10th. Bank of America decreased their price objective on General Mills from $78.00 to $70.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, TD Cowen decreased their price objective on General Mills from $75.00 to $64.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, December 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, General Mills currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $69.06.

General Mills Stock Up 3.7 %

The business has a 50-day moving average price of $60.33 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $66.00. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32. The firm has a market cap of $35.57 billion, a PE ratio of 14.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 0.06.

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General Mills (NYSE:GIS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, December 18th. The company reported $1.40 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.22 by $0.18. General Mills had a return on equity of 27.55% and a net margin of 13.08%. The business had revenue of $5.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.14 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.25 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that General Mills, Inc. will post 4.36 EPS for the current year.

General Mills Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 10th will be given a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.72%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 10th. General Mills's dividend payout ratio is currently 52.17%.

Insider Transactions at General Mills

In related news, insider Paul Joseph Gallagher sold 1,041 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, December 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.50, for a total value of $67,144.50. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 42,117 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,716,546.50. This represents a 2.41 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.26% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On General Mills

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in General Mills by 1.1% in the third quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. now owns 13,532 shares of the company's stock valued at $999,000 after buying an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. RFG Advisory LLC increased its holdings in General Mills by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. RFG Advisory LLC now owns 6,668 shares of the company's stock valued at $425,000 after buying an additional 172 shares during the last quarter. Planning Capital Management Corp increased its holdings in General Mills by 61.5% in the third quarter. Planning Capital Management Corp now owns 507 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 193 shares during the last quarter. TCW Group Inc. increased its holdings in General Mills by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. TCW Group Inc. now owns 23,061 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,471,000 after buying an additional 194 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quadrant Private Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in General Mills by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. Quadrant Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,579 shares of the company's stock valued at $356,000 after acquiring an additional 197 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.71% of the company's stock.

About General Mills

General Mills, Inc manufactures and markets branded consumer foods worldwide. The company operates through four segments: North America Retail; International; Pet; and North America Foodservice. It offers grain, ready-to-eat cereals, refrigerated yogurt, soup, meal kits, refrigerated and frozen dough products, dessert and baking mixes, bakery flour, frozen pizza and pizza snacks, snack bars, fruit and savory snacks, ice cream and frozen desserts, unbaked and fully baked frozen dough products, frozen hot snacks, ethnic meals, side dish mixes, frozen breakfast and entrees, nutrition bars, and frozen and shelf-stable vegetables.