General Mills (NYSE:GIS) Shares Up 2.4% – Here’s Why

General Mills, Inc. (NYSE:GIS)’s stock price was up 2.4% during mid-day trading on Thursday. The company traded as high as $34.15 and last traded at $32.8650. 13,641,794 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 42% from the average session volume of 9,613,980 shares. The stock had previously closed at $32.11.

More General Mills News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Record-high dividend yield attracts income investors. General Mills’ yield has reached approximately 7.6%–7.7%, its highest level ever, making the stock look compelling relative to other high-yield choices such as Verizon, Pfizer, Altria and British American Tobacco. General Mills hits its highest dividend yield ever at 7.6%
• Positive Sentiment: Debt reduction is improving the balance-sheet narrative. General Mills completed cash tender offers for as much as $750 million of senior notes, including longer-dated debt, while reaffirming its current dividend. The deleveraging pivot could reduce financial risk and support investor confidence. General Mills Debt Tender Offers And Deleveraging Pivot
• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly results exceeded expectations. Fiscal 2027 first-quarter earnings and revenue topped analyst forecasts, suggesting better execution and cost management are partially offsetting pressure on the business. General Mills Q1 Beat Masks Earnings Pressure While Guidance Holds
• Neutral Sentiment: Shareholders approved governance changes. Investors backed limits on blank-check preferred-stock issuance, officer exculpation provisions and a federal forum-selection clause. These measures may reduce certain governance risks but are unlikely to materially change near-term earnings. General Mills Shareholders Approved Limits On Blank Check Preferred Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Fundamental pressure remains the key risk. Profit declined year over year, demand remains weak and fiscal 2027 is expected to bring lower earnings and margins. The stock’s discounted valuation and retail gains may not fully offset near-term operating challenges. Is GIS Stock a Buy as Low Valuation Meets Near-Term Earnings Pressure?

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on GIS shares. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “underperform” rating and issued a $30.00 price target on shares of General Mills in a report on Thursday, September 24th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of General Mills in a research note on Thursday, September 24th. BNP Paribas Exane lifted their price objective on shares of General Mills from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. UBS Group reiterated a “sell” rating on shares of General Mills in a report on Wednesday, September 16th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on shares of General Mills from $36.00 to $37.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, September 25th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and six have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $36.59.

General Mills Stock Up 2.4%

The stock has a fifty day moving average of $36.54 and a 200-day moving average of $35.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -19.80, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.03. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.66.

General Mills (NYSE:GIS) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, September 23rd. The company reported $0.75 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.72 by $0.03. General Mills had a positive return on equity of 21.86% and a negative net margin of 4.89%. The business had revenue of $4.39 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.35 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.86 earnings per share. General Mills’s revenue was down 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that General Mills, Inc. will post 3.08 EPS for the current year.

General Mills Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 2nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.61 per share. This represents a $2.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 13th. General Mills’s payout ratio is -146.99%.

Institutional Trading of General Mills

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of GIS. Reflection Asset Management purchased a new stake in General Mills in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC acquired a new stake in General Mills during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Brown Shipley& Co Ltd acquired a new stake in General Mills during the 1st quarter worth about $26,000. Silvant Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in General Mills during the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Finally, Main Street Group LTD purchased a new position in General Mills during the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.71% of the company’s stock.

About General Mills

General Mills, Inc is a global food company that manufactures and markets branded consumer foods. Its products include cereal, snack bars, refrigerated dough, baking mixes, yogurt, soup, meals, frozen foods, and pet food, serving retail, foodservice, and pet channels.

The company’s portfolio includes well-known brands such as Cheerios, Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Nature Valley, Yoplait, Häagen-Dazs, Old El Paso, Progresso, Totino’s, Annie’s, and Blue Buffalo. General Mills sells its products primarily in the United States and also serves consumers in international markets across multiple regions.

General Mills traces its history to the Minneapolis Milling Company, established in 1856, and adopted the General Mills name following a 1928 combination of several milling businesses.