General Mills, Inc. (NYSE:GIS) Shares Sold by Ceeto Capital Group LLC

Ceeto Capital Group LLC lowered its holdings in General Mills, Inc. (NYSE:GIS) by 27.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 19,400 shares of the company’s stock after selling 7,350 shares during the period. Ceeto Capital Group LLC’s holdings in General Mills were worth $1,357,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in GIS. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of General Mills in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Rise Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of General Mills by 199.3% in the first quarter. Rise Advisors LLC now owns 410 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 273 shares in the last quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC grew its holdings in shares of General Mills by 409.8% in the first quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 418 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 336 shares in the last quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of General Mills by 100.0% in the fourth quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC now owns 458 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 229 shares in the last quarter. Finally, RFP Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in General Mills by 66.3% in the first quarter. RFP Financial Group LLC now owns 434 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 173 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.71% of the company’s stock.

General Mills Stock Performance

GIS stock traded up $0.49 on Friday, hitting $66.32. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,548,167 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,574,117. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $65.84 and a two-hundred day moving average of $66.55. General Mills, Inc. has a 1 year low of $60.33 and a 1 year high of $76.15. The stock has a market cap of $37.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.75 and a beta of 0.09. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17.

General Mills (NYSE:GIS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, June 26th. The company reported $1.01 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.99 by $0.02. General Mills had a net margin of 12.57% and a return on equity of 26.56%. The firm had revenue of $4.71 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.85 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.12 EPS. General Mills’s revenue for the quarter was down 6.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that General Mills, Inc. will post 4.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

General Mills Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 10th will be paid a $0.60 dividend. This is a boost from General Mills’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.59. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.62%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 10th. General Mills’s payout ratio is currently 55.68%.

Insider Buying and Selling at General Mills

In other news, insider Werner Lanette Shaffer sold 710 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.57, for a total transaction of $50,104.70. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 17,397 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,227,706.29. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on GIS shares. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of General Mills from an “underperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $62.00 to $70.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 15th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of General Mills from $70.00 to $67.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, June 27th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $70.00 price target on shares of General Mills in a research note on Thursday, June 27th. Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of General Mills from $70.00 to $62.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 3rd. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of General Mills from $71.00 to $68.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, June 27th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $68.82.

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 salty snacks, ice cream and frozen desserts, nutrition bars, and savory snacks, as well as various organic products, including frozen and shelf-stable vegetables.