GE gets back to basics

Article Excerpt

GE’s shares dropped from $42 in 2007 to under $6 in 2009, as the financial crisis caused big losses at its banking division. In response, the company decided to shrink this business’s assets to half of what they were before the recession. It expects to complete these cuts by the end of 2014. Meanwhile, GE is expanding its industrial operations, mainly through acquisitions. That’s generally riskier than internal growth, but these businesses have unique technologies that offer competitive advantages. GE has also entered into a new alliance with France’s Alstom that will help it expand in developing nations. GENERAL ELECTRIC CO. $26 (New York symbol GE; Conservative Growth and Income Portfolios, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 10.0 billion; Market cap: $260.0 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.9; Dividend yield: 3.4%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.ge.com) is one of the world’s largest manufacturers. It makes machinery for power generation and distribution, such as turbines, as well as other products, like jet engines, medical equipment,…