Boston Financial Mangement LLC Grows Stake in General Electric (NYSE:GE)

Boston Financial Mangement LLC raised its stake in General Electric (NYSE:GE) by 12.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,412 shares of the conglomerate’s stock after purchasing an additional 268 shares during the quarter. Boston Financial Mangement LLC’s holdings in General Electric were worth $402,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. First Bank & Trust raised its position in General Electric by 6.0% in the fourth quarter. First Bank & Trust now owns 1,525 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $254,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the period. WealthBridge Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in General Electric in the fourth quarter valued at about $259,000. Wealth Alliance raised its position in General Electric by 20.4% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Alliance now owns 3,299 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $550,000 after purchasing an additional 560 shares during the period. Ieq Capital LLC raised its position in General Electric by 87.9% in the fourth quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 94,621 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $15,782,000 after purchasing an additional 44,253 shares during the period. Finally, TBH Global Asset Management LLC raised its position in General Electric by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. TBH Global Asset Management LLC now owns 2,420 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $404,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the period. 74.77% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

General Electric Stock Down 0.7 %

NYSE:GE opened at $208.93 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $224.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.22. General Electric has a one year low of $118.13 and a one year high of $212.19. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $185.89 and a 200 day simple moving average of $180.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 1.09.

General Electric (NYSE:GE) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The conglomerate reported $1.32 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. Sell-side analysts predict that General Electric will post 5.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

General Electric Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a $0.36 dividend. 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 currently 18.70%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on GE shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their target price on General Electric from $235.00 to $228.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on General Electric from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $200.00 target price on shares of General Electric in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. UBS Group raised their target price on General Electric from $215.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Bank of America raised their target price on General Electric from $200.00 to $225.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, General Electric has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $211.31.

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.