Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Has $3.38 Million Stock Position in General Mills, Inc. (NYSE:GIS)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its holdings in General Mills, Inc. (NYSE:GIS) by 5.6% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 51,853 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 2,761 shares during the quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in General Mills were worth $3,378,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. FWL Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of General Mills in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Operose Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in General Mills by 214.1% in the 3rd quarter. Operose Advisors LLC now owns 402 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 274 shares during the last quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC acquired a new stake in General Mills in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Almanack Investment Partners LLC. acquired a new position in General Mills during the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Authentikos Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new position in shares of General Mills in the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. 75.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at General Mills

In other news, CEO Jeffrey L. Harmening sold 60,056 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.44, for a total transaction of $3,870,008.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 318,483 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,523,044.52. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, insider Jonathon Nudi sold 7,671 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.15, for a total transaction of $492,094.65. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 102,924 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,602,574.60. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 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 transaction of $3,870,008.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 318,483 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,523,044.52. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 77,782 shares of company stock valued at $5,057,820 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

General Mills Stock Performance

NYSE:GIS opened at $70.42 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $39.99 billion, a PE ratio of 16.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.15. The company has a quick ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. General Mills, Inc. has a 12-month low of $60.33 and a 12-month high of $90.89. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $66.85 and a 200 day moving average price of $65.31.

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

General Mills Dividend Announcement

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 dividend of $0.59 per share. This represents a $2.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.35%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 9th. General Mills’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 54.13%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently issued reports on GIS. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of General Mills from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 21st. HSBC raised their price target on General Mills from $74.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 21st. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on General Mills from $68.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 21st. Mizuho raised their target price on General Mills from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, March 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on General Mills from $58.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $72.18.

General Mills Profile

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.