Vaccine weighs on General Mills

Article Excerpt

GENERAL MILLS INC. $60 is a hold. This leading maker of packaged foods (New York symbol GIS; Income-Growth Dividend Payer Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 609.9 million; Market cap: $36.6 billion; Dividend yield: 3.4%; Divd. Sustainability Rating: Above Average; www.generalmills.com) raised its quarterly dividend by 4.1% in November 2020. Investors now receive $0.51 a share instead of $0.49. The new annual rate of $2.04 yields 3.4%. The stock has gained 13% in 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic spurred strong demand for packaged foods as more people ate at home. However, it has moved down from its August peak of $66 on positive news about COVID-19 vaccines. Reopening restaurants in 2021 will likely hurt sales of groceries and pantry foods. General Mills is a hold. hold…