Brokerages Set General Electric (NYSE:GE) Target Price at $211.31

Shares of General Electric (NYSE:GE) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the sixteen research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and fifteen have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $211.31.

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of General Electric from $190.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Redburn Atlantic started coverage on shares of General Electric in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. They set a “buy” rating and a $250.00 target price for the company. Northcoast Research began coverage on shares of General Electric in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price objective on General Electric from $235.00 to $228.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Finally, Bank of America increased their target price on General Electric from $200.00 to $225.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th.

General Electric Trading Up 0.9 %

GE stock opened at $212.18 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88. General Electric has a 52-week low of $133.99 and a 52-week high of $212.76. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $200.12 and its 200-day simple moving average is $185.83. The firm has a market cap of $227.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.42, a PEG ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.19.

General Electric (NYSE:GE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 23rd. The conglomerate reported $1.32 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.05 by $0.27. General Electric had a return on equity of 22.19% and a net margin of 14.31%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that General Electric will post 5.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

General Electric Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a $0.36 dividend. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.68%. This is a positive change from General Electric’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. General Electric’s payout ratio is presently 24.04%.

Institutional Trading of General Electric

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of General Electric by 133.3% in the 4th quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 147 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in General Electric in the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Hager Investment Management Services LLC acquired a new position in General Electric in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in General Electric during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Putney Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of General Electric during the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Hedge funds and other 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.