Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC Cuts Stock Position in General Electric (NYSE:GE)

Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC trimmed its position in shares of General Electric (NYSE:GE) by 1.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 28,415 shares of the conglomerate’s stock after selling 531 shares during the quarter. Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in General Electric were worth $4,739,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in GE. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of General Electric during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Hager Investment Management Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of General Electric during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of General Electric during the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of General Electric during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of General Electric during the third quarter worth approximately $30,000. 74.77% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price target on General Electric from $235.00 to $228.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Northcoast Research assumed coverage on General Electric in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on General Electric in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $250.00 price target for the company. UBS Group upped their price target on General Electric from $215.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of General Electric from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, General Electric presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $211.31.

General Electric Trading Up 2.9 %

Shares of GE stock opened at $207.22 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The firm has a market cap of $222.40 billion, a PE ratio of 34.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a 50-day moving average of $190.24 and a two-hundred day moving average of $182.10. General Electric has a 1-year low of $124.08 and a 1-year high of $212.19.

General Electric (NYSE:GE) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The conglomerate reported $1.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.05 by $0.27. General Electric had a net margin of 14.31% and a return on equity of 22.19%. On average, analysts predict that General Electric will post 5.4 EPS for the current year.

General Electric Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.36 per share. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.69%. This is a boost from General Electric’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. General Electric’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 24.04%.

General Electric Company Profile

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.