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

General Mills, Inc. (NYSE:GIS) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Tuesday. Traders bought 20,576 put options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 226% compared to the average daily volume of 6,319 put options.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Paul Joseph Gallagher sold 1,500 shares of the 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 directly owned 48,568 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,338,549.20. This represents a 3.00% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new position in shares of General Mills during the third quarter worth $25,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC increased its holdings in shares of General Mills by 139.8% in 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 bought a new stake in shares of General Mills in the third quarter worth about $28,000. Davis Capital Management bought a new position in General Mills during the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Zions Bancorporation National Association UT grew its holdings in General Mills by 248.1% during the 4th quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 630 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 449 shares in the last quarter. 75.71% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

General Mills News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Piper Sandler remains constructive (keeps an “overweight” rating) despite trimming its price target, which provides some support that parts of the selloff may be overdone. Piper Sandler PT cut, overweight
• Positive Sentiment: MarketBeat / sector pieces are highlighting food stocks (including GIS) as defensive, reminding investors of steady cash flow characteristics that can attract buyers after a drop. Food Stocks to Buy Right Now (GIS)
• Neutral Sentiment: Management presented at the CAGNY conference outlining the “Accelerate” strategy and cost actions; this is important context but not an immediate catalyst by itself. CAGNY presentation
• Negative Sentiment: General Mills cut its fiscal‑2026 sales and profit guidance, now forecasting organic net sales down ~1.5%–2% (wider downside than prior range) and lower EPS guidance — the primary trigger for the earlier >7% drop. Reuters: General Mills cuts forecast
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts and outlets flagged higher restructuring costs (~$165M) and weaker shopper demand as drivers of steeper profit declines; that pushed downgrades and target‑price cuts. Benzinga: restructuring costs
• Negative Sentiment: Unusually heavy put buying (large options activity) signals increased hedging/speculative bearish positioning, which can amplify intraday moves. (Reported increased put volume on Feb 17.)
• Negative Sentiment: Critical analyst commentary and research pieces argue valuation and flat sales outcomes make GIS less attractive at current levels, adding to selling pressure from fundamental concerns. Seeking Alpha: low valuations no longer a buy Seeking Alpha: flat-sales bias
• Negative Sentiment: Some brokers trimmed price targets or moved to neutral/equal weight (e.g., Wells Fargo lowered its PT to $45 and set equal‑weight), which moderates near‑term upside. Benzinga: Wells Fargo PT cut

General Mills Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:GIS opened at $45.38 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $24.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.76 and a beta of -0.06. General Mills has a 1-year low of $42.78 and a 1-year high of $67.35. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $46.15 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $47.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 0.66 and a quick ratio of 0.39.

General Mills (NYSE:GIS) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, December 17th. The company reported $1.10 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.03 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $4.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.78 billion. General Mills had a net margin of 13.51% and a return on equity of 21.41%. General Mills’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.40 EPS. General Mills has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.580-3.790 EPS. Research analysts expect that General Mills will post 4.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

General Mills Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be paid a $0.61 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 10th. This represents a $2.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.4%. General Mills’s dividend payout ratio is 52.47%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently commented on GIS shares. Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their price objective on General Mills from $53.00 to $48.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of General Mills from $49.00 to $45.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings cut shares of General Mills from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Evercore set a $45.00 target price on shares of General Mills in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, UBS Group set a $46.00 target price on shares of General Mills in a report on Friday, February 13th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $51.37.

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.