GE settlement cuts your uncertainty

Article Excerpt

GENERAL ELECTRIC CO. $11 is still a hold. The company (New York symbol GE; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 8.75 billion; Market cap: $96.3 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.1; Dividend yield: 0.4%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.ge.com) has three main businesses: aviation (jet engines and aircraft electronics); electrical power equipment (such as turbines and related equipment for gas-fired and nuclear power plants); and renewable power equipment (wind farms and hydroelectric plants). The company has agreed to pay $200 million to settle charges that it misled investors by failing to disclose problems in its gas-turbine power and insurance businesses. The Securities and Exchange Commission claims GE employed accounting procedures between 2015 and 2017 that boosted its earnings by billions of dollars. The disclosure of these problems caused the stock to drop 75% in 2017 and 2018. GE has already set aside funds to cover this settlement, so this new deal will not impact its future earnings. However, restrictions on air travel due to COVID-19…