Investors Buy High Volume of General Mills Put Options (NYSE:GIS)

General Mills, Inc. (NYSE:GIS) saw some unusual options trading activity on Tuesday. Investors purchased 20,576 put options on the stock. This is an increase of 226% compared to the typical daily volume of 6,319 put options.

General Mills Stock Performance

GIS stock traded down $4.01 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $44.33. 16,707,987 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 8,508,896. General Mills has a twelve month low of $42.78 and a twelve month high of $67.35. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.54 and a beta of -0.06. The company has a quick ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $46.17 and a 200-day simple moving average of $47.77.

General Mills (NYSE:GIS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, December 17th. The company reported $1.10 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.03 by $0.07. General Mills had a return on equity of 21.41% and a net margin of 13.51%.The company had revenue of $4.86 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.78 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.40 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. General Mills has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.580-3.790 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that General Mills will post 4.36 earnings per share for the current year.

General Mills Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.61 per share. This represents a $2.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 10th. General Mills’s payout ratio is presently 52.47%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Paul Joseph Gallagher sold 1,500 shares of General Mills stock in a transaction on Friday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.15, for a total transaction of $72,225.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 48,568 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,338,549.20. The trade was a 3.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of General Mills

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new stake in General Mills during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC grew its holdings in shares of General Mills by 139.8% during the fourth quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 578 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 337 shares during the last quarter. Close Asset Management Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of General Mills in the third quarter valued at $28,000. Davis Capital Management bought a new position in shares of General Mills in the third quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Zions Bancorporation National Association UT lifted its position in General Mills by 248.1% during the 4th quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 630 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 449 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.71% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GIS has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Evercore reaffirmed a “positive” rating on shares of General Mills in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $63.00 price target on shares of General Mills and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on General Mills from $50.00 to $47.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on General Mills from $51.00 to $49.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, TD Cowen reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of General Mills in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $53.28.

Trending Headlines about General Mills

Here are the key news stories impacting General Mills this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company highlights its “Accelerate” strategy and management (CEO Jeff Harmening, CFO Kofi Bruce) presented progress and plans to drive sustainable growth at the Consumer Analyst Group of New York (CAGNY) conference — this frames management action and long‑term plan, which could reassure some investors. BusinessWire: CAGNY
• Neutral Sentiment: Full transcript of the CAGNY presentation is available for investors to review management’s details, assumptions and Q&A (useful for modeling scenarios and guidance drivers). Seeking Alpha: CAGNY Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Brokerage coverage remains broadly cautious — the consensus broker rating is around “Hold,” so analyst sentiment hasn’t swung to outright bullish despite the update. American Banking News: Brokerages
• Negative Sentiment: General Mills slashed its FY2026 organic net sales outlook to a decline of 1.5%–2% (from prior -1% to +1%), citing weaker consumer demand; that downgrade is the main driver of the stock drop. Proactive: Shares Slide on Slashed 2026 Guidance
• Negative Sentiment: Management cut FY2026 EPS guidance to roughly $3.37–$3.54 versus the street at ~3.66, signaling lower near‑term profitability expectations and fueling downside pressure. Seeking Alpha: Guidance Lower
• Negative Sentiment: Reuters and WSJ coverage note weaker consumer sentiment and promotion-driven buying patterns that are trimming sales and margins — broad media confirmation increases investor concern about demand trends. Reuters: Cuts Forecast WSJ: Cuts Outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Restructuring and related costs are rising (reports cite roughly $165M), pressuring near-term margins and cash flow and adding to the negative reaction. Benzinga: Restructuring Costs

General Mills Company Profile

General Mills, Inc (NYSE: GIS) is a multinational consumer foods company that develops, manufactures and markets a broad portfolio of branded food products. Its product categories include ready-to-eat and hot cereals, baking mixes and ingredients, snacks and bars, refrigerated and frozen doughs, yogurt and other dairy products, and a variety of shelf-stable meals and meal components. The company’s portfolio features widely recognized consumer brands across grocery store, mass channel and foodservice outlets.

Founded in the early 20th century and incorporated under its current name in 1928, General Mills has grown through both internal brand development and strategic expansion to become a global food company.