Heartland Bank & Trust Co Decreases Stock Holdings in General Mills, Inc. (NYSE:GIS)

Heartland Bank & Trust Co reduced its holdings in shares of General Mills, Inc. (NYSE:GIS) by 3.6% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 7,486 shares of the company’s stock after selling 282 shares during the period. Heartland Bank & Trust Co’s holdings in General Mills were worth $553,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of GIS. Global Assets Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in General Mills during the first quarter worth approximately $1,448,000. Riverview Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of General Mills in the first quarter valued at $35,000. GoalVest Advisory LLC boosted its stake in shares of General Mills by 65.5% in the first quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC now owns 455 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares during the period. Aspiriant LLC purchased a new position in shares of General Mills in the first quarter valued at $212,000. Finally, Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of General Mills in the first quarter valued at $386,000. 75.71% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at General Mills

In related news, CAO Mark A. Pallot sold 8,083 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.28, for a total value of $576,156.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 14,813 shares in the company, valued at $1,055,870.64. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, insider Jonathon Nudi sold 9,647 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.39, for a total transaction of $717,640.33. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 128,664 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,571,314.96. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CAO Mark A. Pallot sold 8,083 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.28, for a total transaction of $576,156.24. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 14,813 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,055,870.64. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 20,055 shares of company stock worth $1,467,311 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

General Mills Stock Down 0.7 %

General Mills stock opened at $68.58 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $72.33 and a 200-day simple moving average of $69.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $38.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.91, a P/E/G ratio of 3.71 and a beta of 0.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a current ratio of 0.66. General Mills, Inc. has a one year low of $61.47 and a one year high of $75.90.

General Mills (NYSE:GIS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, September 18th. The company reported $1.07 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.06 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $4.85 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.80 billion. General Mills had a net margin of 12.14% and a return on equity of 26.85%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.09 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that General Mills, Inc. will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current year.

General Mills Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, October 10th will be given a $0.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 10th. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.50%. General Mills’s dividend payout ratio is presently 55.68%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on GIS shares. Argus restated a “hold” rating on shares of General Mills in a research note on Tuesday, July 16th. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of General Mills from $68.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of General Mills from $67.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, September 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of General Mills in a report on Monday, August 12th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $76.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Evercore ISI cut their price target on shares of General Mills from $76.00 to $72.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, June 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $73.00.

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.