HTLF Bank Purchases Shares of 2,969 General Electric (NYSE:GE)

HTLF Bank bought a new stake in General Electric (NYSE:GE) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 2,969 shares of the conglomerate’s stock, valued at approximately $379,000.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Halpern Financial Inc. raised its position in shares of General Electric by 968.4% in the fourth quarter. Halpern Financial Inc. now owns 203 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 184 shares during the period. CGC Financial Services LLC increased its stake in shares of General Electric by 90.2% during the fourth quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 232 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the period. Capital Analysts LLC lifted its holdings in General Electric by 55.8% during the 4th quarter. Capital Analysts LLC now owns 243 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. boosted its stake in General Electric by 808.1% in the 1st quarter. Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 336 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 299 shares during the period. Finally, Financial Freedom LLC acquired a new position in General Electric in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. 74.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

General Electric Price Performance

Shares of GE opened at $148.09 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The stock has a market cap of $161.90 billion, a PE ratio of 17.69, a PEG ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 1.29. General Electric has a 12-month low of $76.87 and a 12-month high of $158.68. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $159.32 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $134.37.

General Electric (NYSE:GE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 23rd. The conglomerate reported $1.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.90 by $0.13. General Electric had a net margin of 13.95% and a return on equity of 10.88%. The business had revenue of $19.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.27 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.24 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 15.4% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that General Electric will post 3.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

General Electric Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 25th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.28 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 12th. This is an increase from General Electric’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.08. This represents a $1.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.76%. General Electric’s payout ratio is presently 13.38%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on GE shares. TheStreet raised shares of General Electric from a “c+” rating to a “b+” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 23rd. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of General Electric in a research report on Saturday, April 13th. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on shares of General Electric from $195.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Vertical Research started coverage on General Electric in a research report on Thursday, April 4th. They set a “buy” rating and a $160.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on General Electric from $180.00 to $160.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 4th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $160.07.

Insider Buying and Selling at General Electric

In other news, SVP Michael J. Holston sold 22,055 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.87, for a total transaction of $3,195,107.85. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 56,284 shares in the company, valued at $8,153,863.08. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other General Electric news, SVP Michael J. Holston sold 13,601 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.55, for a total transaction of $1,843,615.55. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 48,339 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,552,351.45. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Michael J. Holston sold 22,055 shares of General Electric stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.87, for a total transaction of $3,195,107.85. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 56,284 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,153,863.08. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.66% 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.