General Motors (NYSE:GM) Shares Gap Down - What's Next?

General Motors (NYSE:GM - Get Free Report) TSE: GMM.U gapped down prior to trading on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $54.92, but opened at $50.98. General Motors shares last traded at $50.39, with a volume of 8,907,675 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. StockNews.com upgraded General Motors from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday. UBS Group boosted their price target on General Motors from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of General Motors from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and upped their price objective for the company from $46.00 to $54.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on General Motors from $38.00 to $35.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Finally, DZ Bank downgraded shares of General Motors from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $49.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Friday, October 11th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, General Motors has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $61.17.

General Motors Trading Down 8.8 %

The company's 50 day simple moving average is $53.14 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $49.95. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24. The company has a market capitalization of $55.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.34, a P/E/G ratio of 0.38 and a beta of 1.42.

General Motors (NYSE:GM - Get Free Report) TSE: GMM.U last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The auto manufacturer reported $1.92 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.17. General Motors had a return on equity of 16.30% and a net margin of 6.06%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that General Motors will post 10.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

General Motors Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be paid a dividend of $0.12 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.96%. General Motors's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 5.12%.

Insider Activity at General Motors

In other news, EVP Rory Harvey sold 8,919 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.01, for a total transaction of $535,229.19. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 8,513 shares in the company, valued at $510,865.13. This trade represents a 51.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, President Mark L. Reuss sold 122,283 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.16, for a total transaction of $6,745,130.28. Following the sale, the president now owns 126,907 shares in the company, valued at $7,000,190.12. The trade was a 49.07 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 514,344 shares of company stock valued at $28,977,691. Corporate insiders own 0.72% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of General Motors

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in GM. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new stake in General Motors during the 2nd quarter worth $25,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of General Motors in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new stake in General Motors in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of General Motors in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Truvestments Capital LLC acquired a new stake in General Motors during the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.67% of the company's stock.

General Motors Company Profile

General Motors Company designs, builds, and sells trucks, crossovers, cars, and automobile parts; and provide software-enabled services and subscriptions worldwide. The company operates through GM North America, GM International, Cruise, and GM Financial segments. It markets its vehicles primarily under the Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Baojun, and Wuling brand names.