General Motors Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:GM)

General Motors Company (NYSE:GM) (TSE:GMM.U) saw some unusual options trading activity on Thursday. Stock traders purchased 58,263 call options on the company. This represents an increase of 77% compared to the typical daily volume of 32,962 call options.

General Motors Trading Up 0.8%

GM stock traded up $0.58 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $75.27. 6,110,937 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 10,828,638. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 1.06. General Motors has a fifty-two week low of $41.60 and a fifty-two week high of $76.23. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $65.89 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $57.64. The company has a market capitalization of $70.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.16, a PEG ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 1.30.

General Motors (NYSE:GM) (TSE:GMM.U) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 21st. The auto manufacturer reported $2.80 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.32 by $0.48. The business had revenue of $48.59 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $44.60 billion. General Motors had a net margin of 1.62% and a return on equity of 12.29%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.96 EPS. General Motors has set its FY 2025 guidance at 9.750-10.500 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that General Motors will post 11.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

General Motors Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 5th will be given a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 5th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. General Motors’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 12.07%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on GM shares. Argus set a $78.00 price target on General Motors in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on General Motors from $77.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on General Motors from $60.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 30th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of General Motors from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 8th. Finally, Mizuho set a $76.00 price objective on shares of General Motors in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $70.27.

Insider Activity

In other General Motors news, President Mark L. Reuss sold 260,600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.45, for a total transaction of $17,316,870.00. Following the sale, the president directly owned 98,006 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,512,498.70. This trade represents a 72.67% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Rory Harvey sold 6,600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $61.95, for a total transaction of $408,870.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 8,513 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $527,380.35. This represents a 43.67% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 1,288,534 shares of company stock valued at $79,253,568 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.54% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Mirova increased its holdings in shares of General Motors by 4.1% in the first quarter. Mirova now owns 133,969 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock valued at $6,301,000 after buying an additional 5,293 shares in the last quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of General Motors by 6.3% in the 2nd quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 8,811 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock worth $434,000 after acquiring an additional 526 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners acquired a new stake in shares of General Motors during the first quarter worth $719,000. Ieq Capital LLC raised its position in shares of General Motors by 233.7% during the first quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 507,213 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock worth $23,854,000 after purchasing an additional 355,235 shares during the period. Finally, United Advisor Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of General Motors during the second quarter valued at $220,000. 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.