General Electric (NYSE:GE) Stock Price Up 1.7%

General Electric (NYSE:GE - Get Free Report) was up 1.7% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $174.80 and last traded at $174.71. Approximately 1,181,106 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 82% from the average daily volume of 6,746,764 shares. The stock had previously closed at $171.87.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on shares of General Electric from $195.00 to $209.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, June 10th. UBS Group lifted their target price on General Electric from $201.00 to $209.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, July 1st. StockNews.com downgraded General Electric from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, July 29th. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of General Electric from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of General Electric from $192.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, General Electric has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $190.38.

General Electric Stock Performance

The stock's 50-day moving average price is $164.81 and its 200-day moving average price is $162.20. The company has a market capitalization of $190.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 56.91, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 1.14.

General Electric (NYSE:GE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 23rd. The conglomerate reported $1.20 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.99 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $9.09 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.44 billion. General Electric had a return on equity of 16.07% and a net margin of 7.66%. General Electric's quarterly revenue was up 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.68 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that General Electric will post 4.15 earnings per share for the current year.

General Electric Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 25th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 11th were given a $0.28 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 11th. This represents a $1.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.65%. General Electric's dividend payout ratio is presently 36.72%.

Institutional Trading of General Electric

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Macroview Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of General Electric by 37.9% during the 2nd quarter. Macroview Investment Management LLC now owns 211 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Allegheny Financial Group LTD increased its stake in shares of General Electric by 1.4% in the second quarter. Allegheny Financial Group LTD now owns 4,489 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $714,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. New England Research & Management Inc. boosted its position in General Electric by 2.2% during the second quarter. New England Research & Management Inc. now owns 2,910 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $463,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Certified Advisory Corp grew its stake in General Electric by 1.0% in the second quarter. Certified Advisory Corp now owns 6,572 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $1,045,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Argent Trust Co increased its position in General Electric by 0.6% in the 2nd quarter. Argent Trust Co now owns 10,737 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $1,707,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. 74.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.