Stifel Financial Corp Buys 45,205 Shares of General Electric (NYSE:GE)

Stifel Financial Corp lifted its stake in shares of General Electric (NYSE:GE) by 6.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 709,865 shares of the conglomerate’s stock after purchasing an additional 45,205 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp’s holdings in General Electric were worth $118,402,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Senator Investment Group LP boosted its position in General Electric by 8.4% during the fourth quarter. Senator Investment Group LP now owns 281,963 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $47,029,000 after purchasing an additional 21,963 shares during the period. Wealth Dimensions Group Ltd. grew its stake in General Electric by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Dimensions Group Ltd. now owns 7,432 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $1,240,000 after buying an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its position in shares of General Electric by 195.7% during the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 65,517 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $10,928,000 after acquiring an additional 43,359 shares in the last quarter. Transce3nd LLC bought a new position in shares of General Electric in the fourth quarter worth $48,000. Finally, Sharpepoint LLC bought a new stake in shares of General Electric during the 4th quarter valued at $3,492,000. Institutional investors own 74.77% of the company’s stock.

General Electric Trading Down 2.0 %

Shares of GE stock opened at $178.22 on Tuesday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $195.49 and a 200 day moving average of $186.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 0.81. General Electric has a 1-year low of $148.83 and a 1-year high of $214.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $191.28 billion, a PE ratio of 29.75, a P/E/G ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.04.

General Electric (NYSE:GE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 23rd. The conglomerate reported $1.32 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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, sell-side analysts anticipate that General Electric will post 5.4 earnings per share for the current year.

General Electric Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a $0.36 dividend. This is a boost from General Electric’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.81%. General Electric’s payout ratio is presently 24.04%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on GE. Northcoast Research raised General Electric from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $205.00 target price for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on shares of General Electric in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $250.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of General Electric from $203.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Bank of America upped their target price on General Electric from $200.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price objective on General Electric from $235.00 to $228.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $213.33.

General Electric 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.