Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC Has $5.82 Million Holdings in General Mills, Inc. (NYSE:GIS)

Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC decreased its holdings in General Mills, Inc. (NYSE:GIS) by 0.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 91,189 shares of the company’s stock after selling 750 shares during the quarter. Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in General Mills were worth $5,815,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of GIS. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. bought a new position in shares of General Mills during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in General Mills during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Planning Capital Management Corp increased its stake in General Mills by 61.5% during the 3rd quarter. Planning Capital Management Corp now owns 507 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 193 shares during the period. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new position in General Mills in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of General Mills during the 3rd quarter valued at $44,000. Institutional investors own 75.71% of the company’s stock.

General Mills Price Performance

General Mills stock opened at $60.62 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $60.49 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $66.26. General Mills, Inc. has a 12 month low of $55.15 and a 12 month high of $75.90. The company has a market capitalization of $33.42 billion, a PE ratio of 13.18, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 0.10. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32.

General Mills (NYSE:GIS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, December 18th. The company reported $1.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.22 by $0.18. General Mills had a net margin of 13.08% and a return on equity of 27.55%. The business had revenue of $5.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.14 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.25 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that General Mills, Inc. will post 4.36 EPS for the current year.

General Mills Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, April 10th will be paid a $0.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 10th. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.96%. General Mills’s dividend payout ratio is 52.17%.

Insider Activity at General Mills

In related news, insider Paul Joseph Gallagher sold 1,041 shares of General Mills stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.50, for a total value of $67,144.50. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 42,117 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,716,546.50. The trade was a 2.41 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on GIS shares. Bank of America decreased their price target on General Mills from $78.00 to $70.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $70.00 target price on shares of General Mills in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of General Mills from $74.00 to $68.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on shares of General Mills from $72.00 to $65.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Mizuho decreased their price objective on shares of General Mills from $72.00 to $65.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, General Mills currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $69.06.

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 savory snacks, ice cream and frozen desserts, unbaked and fully baked frozen dough products, frozen hot snacks, ethnic meals, side dish mixes, frozen breakfast and entrees, nutrition bars, and frozen and shelf-stable vegetables.