Signet Financial Management LLC Lowers Stock Position in General Mills, Inc. (NYSE:GIS)

Signet Financial Management LLC lessened its holdings in General Mills, Inc. (NYSE:GIS) by 3.4% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 10,355 shares of the company’s stock after selling 370 shares during the quarter. Signet Financial Management LLC’s holdings in General Mills were worth $674,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of GIS. FWL Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of General Mills during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Operose Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of General Mills by 214.1% during the 3rd quarter. Operose Advisors LLC now owns 402 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 274 shares in the last quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of General Mills during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Almanack Investment Partners LLC. purchased a new stake in shares of General Mills during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Authentikos Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of General Mills during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.71% of the company’s stock.

General Mills Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of GIS opened at $67.82 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $38.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 0.15. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $66.49 and its 200 day simple moving average is $65.19. General Mills, Inc. has a twelve month low of $60.33 and a twelve month high of $90.89.

General Mills (NYSE:GIS) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, March 20th. The company reported $1.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.05 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $5.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.97 billion. General Mills had a return on equity of 26.84% and a net margin of 12.66%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.97 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that General Mills, Inc. will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current year.

General Mills Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 10th will be given a $0.59 dividend. This represents a $2.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.48%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 9th. General Mills’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 54.13%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GIS has been the topic of several research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on General Mills from $68.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 21st. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on General Mills from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 21st. TD Cowen increased their target price on General Mills from $68.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, March 21st. Bank of America increased their target price on General Mills from $68.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, March 21st. Finally, Citigroup started coverage on General Mills in a report on Thursday, February 1st. They set a “neutral” rating and a $67.00 target price on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, General Mills has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $72.18.

Insider Buying and Selling at General Mills

In other General Mills news, insider Jonathon Nudi sold 7,671 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.15, for a total value of $492,094.65. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 102,924 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,602,574.60. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other General Mills news, insider Jonathon Nudi sold 7,671 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.15, for a total value of $492,094.65. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 102,924 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,602,574.60. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Jeffrey L. Harmening sold 60,056 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.44, for a total value of $3,870,008.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 318,483 shares in the company, valued at $20,523,044.52. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 77,782 shares of company stock valued at $5,057,820 over the last three months. 0.24% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About General Mills

General Mills, Inc manufactures and markets branded consumer foods worldwide. The company operates through four segments: North America Retail; International; Pet; and North America Foodservice. It offers grain, ready-to-eat cereals, refrigerated yogurt, soup, meal kits, refrigerated and frozen dough products, dessert and baking mixes, bakery flour, frozen pizza and pizza snacks, snack bars, fruit and salty snacks, ice cream and frozen desserts, nutrition bars, and savory snacks, as well as various organic products, including frozen and shelf-stable vegetables.