Lecap Asset Management Ltd. Has $615,000 Holdings in General Mills, Inc. (NYSE:GIS)

Lecap Asset Management Ltd. trimmed its position in General Mills, Inc. (NYSE:GIS) by 59.7% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,726 shares of the company’s stock after selling 14,411 shares during the quarter. Lecap Asset Management Ltd.’s holdings in General Mills were worth $615,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Private Trust Co. NA raised its stake in General Mills by 1.4% during the first quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 10,280 shares of the company’s stock worth $719,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. raised its stake in General Mills by 0.8% during the first quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. now owns 17,228 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,205,000 after acquiring an additional 145 shares in the last quarter. Park Place Capital Corp raised its stake in General Mills by 40.6% during the first quarter. Park Place Capital Corp now owns 540 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 156 shares in the last quarter. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd raised its stake in General Mills by 0.3% during the first quarter. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd now owns 48,176 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,370,000 after acquiring an additional 165 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Financial Counselors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of General Mills by 0.3% during the first quarter. Financial Counselors Inc. now owns 56,652 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,964,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares during the last quarter. 75.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. Argus restated a “hold” rating on shares of General Mills in a report on Tuesday, July 16th. Bank of America decreased their target price on General Mills from $70.00 to $68.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, June 27th. Mizuho decreased their target price on General Mills from $70.00 to $62.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on 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 decreased their price target on 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, fifteen have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, General Mills has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $69.71.

General Mills Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE GIS remained flat at $70.63 during mid-day trading on Thursday. The stock had a trading volume of 235,540 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,997,443. The stock has a market capitalization of $39.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.83 and a beta of 0.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 0.65 and a quick ratio of 0.38. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $66.12 and its two-hundred day moving average is $67.15. General Mills, Inc. has a 52 week low of $60.33 and a 52 week high of $74.45.

General Mills (NYSE:GIS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, June 26th. The company reported $1.01 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.99 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $4.71 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.85 billion. General Mills had a return on equity of 26.56% and a net margin of 12.57%. General Mills’s revenue was down 6.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.12 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that General Mills, Inc. will post 4.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

General Mills Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 10th were given a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.40%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, July 10th. This is a positive change from General Mills’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.59. General Mills’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 55.68%.

About General Mills

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.