PBU The Pension Fund of Early Childhood & Youth Educators Purchases New Shares in General Mills, Inc. $GIS

PBU The Pension Fund of Early Childhood & Youth Educators purchased a new stake in shares of General Mills, Inc. (NYSE:GIS) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm purchased 167,072 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,769,000.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new stake in General Mills during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Close Asset Management Ltd acquired a new stake in General Mills during the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC grew its holdings in General Mills by 139.8% during the 4th quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 578 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 337 shares in the last quarter. Binnacle Investments Inc grew its holdings in General Mills by 312.5% during the 3rd quarter. Binnacle Investments Inc now owns 660 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kelleher Financial Advisors acquired a new stake in General Mills during the 3rd quarter valued at $34,000. 75.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently weighed in on GIS. Zacks Research lowered shares of General Mills from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of General Mills from $41.00 to $36.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 11th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of General Mills from $37.00 to $32.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Evercore set a $45.00 price objective on shares of General Mills in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, BTIG Research assumed coverage on shares of General Mills in a research note on Monday, April 13th. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and seven have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $39.39.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Jacqueline Williams-Roll sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.27, for a total value of $342,700.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 86,002 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,947,288.54. This trade represents a 10.42% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Ricardo Fernandez sold 7,995 shares of General Mills stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.50, for a total transaction of $275,827.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 62,283 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,148,763.50. This trade represents a 11.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

General Mills Trading Up 3.1%

NYSE GIS opened at $33.18 on Friday. General Mills, Inc. has a 12 month low of $31.75 and a 12 month high of $55.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 0.56 and a quick ratio of 0.36. The company has a market capitalization of $17.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.11 and a beta of -0.03. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $34.81 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $41.48.

General Mills (NYSE:GIS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 18th. The company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73 by ($0.09). General Mills had a net margin of 12.05% and a return on equity of 19.19%. The company had revenue of $4.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.53 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.12 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that General Mills, Inc. will post 3.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About General Mills

General Mills, Inc (NYSE: GIS) is a multinational consumer foods company that develops, manufactures and markets a broad portfolio of branded food products. Its product categories include ready-to-eat and hot cereals, baking mixes and ingredients, snacks and bars, refrigerated and frozen doughs, yogurt and other dairy products, and a variety of shelf-stable meals and meal components. The company’s portfolio features widely recognized consumer brands across grocery store, mass channel and foodservice outlets.

Founded in the early 20th century and incorporated under its current name in 1928, General Mills has grown through both internal brand development and strategic expansion to become a global food company.