Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. Takes Position in General Motors (NYSE:GM)

Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. bought a new stake in General Motors (NYSE:GM) (TSE:GMM.U) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund bought 500 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock, valued at approximately $27,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GM. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in General Motors by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 29,273,136 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock valued at $1,559,380,000 after purchasing an additional 1,170,816 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in General Motors by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 23,796,969 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock valued at $1,264,567,000 after buying an additional 176,436 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in General Motors by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 14,066,883 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock worth $749,382,000 after buying an additional 228,408 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in General Motors during the 4th quarter worth approximately $592,321,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in shares of General Motors by 8.1% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 10,930,178 shares of the auto manufacturer’s stock valued at $582,251,000 after acquiring an additional 822,454 shares during the last quarter. 92.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

General Motors Trading Up 1.7%

NYSE:GM opened at $50.47 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $46.71 and its 200-day simple moving average is $50.05. General Motors has a 12-month low of $38.96 and a 12-month high of $61.24. The firm has a market cap of $48.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.21, a PEG ratio of 0.67 and a beta of 1.36.

General Motors (NYSE:GM) (TSE:GMM.U) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The auto manufacturer reported $2.78 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.63 by $0.15. General Motors had a net margin of 3.21% and a return on equity of 15.29%. The firm had revenue of $44.02 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $42.64 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.62 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that General Motors will post 11.44 EPS for the current year.

General Motors announced that its board has approved a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, February 26th that allows the company to repurchase $6.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the auto manufacturer to reacquire up to 12.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

General Motors Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 19th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 6th will be paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. This is a boost from General Motors’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.12. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.19%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 6th. General Motors’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 8.65%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of General Motors from $64.00 to $53.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Wedbush lowered their target price on General Motors from $60.00 to $55.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on General Motors from $73.00 to $63.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Barclays lifted their price objective on General Motors from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded General Motors from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $43.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, General Motors currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $54.28.

General Motors Profile

General Motors Company designs, builds, and sells trucks, crossovers, cars, and automobile parts; and provide software-enabled services and subscriptions worldwide. The company operates through GM North America, GM International, Cruise, and GM Financial segments. It markets its vehicles primarily under the Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Baojun, and Wuling brand names.