General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD) Shares Purchased by Investment Research & Advisory Group Inc.

Investment Research & Advisory Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD) by 0.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,683 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. Investment Research & Advisory Group Inc.’s holdings in General Dynamics were worth $2,551,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. MBB Public Markets I LLC acquired a new position in shares of General Dynamics in the 2nd quarter valued at $4,911,000. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its stake in General Dynamics by 6.4% in the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 1,477,993 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $428,825,000 after acquiring an additional 88,489 shares in the last quarter. Scientech Research LLC grew its holdings in shares of General Dynamics by 363.4% during the second quarter. Scientech Research LLC now owns 4,898 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,421,000 after purchasing an additional 3,841 shares during the last quarter. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC increased its position in shares of General Dynamics by 520.1% during the second quarter. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC now owns 77,742 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $22,556,000 after purchasing an additional 65,204 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kathmere Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of General Dynamics by 4.2% in the 2nd quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC now owns 3,242 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $941,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. 86.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

General Dynamics Stock Down 0.9 %

General Dynamics stock opened at $266.22 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $73.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 1.32. General Dynamics Co. has a fifty-two week low of $257.26 and a fifty-two week high of $316.90. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $269.27 and its two-hundred day moving average is $287.64.

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The aerospace company reported $3.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.48 by ($0.13). The business had revenue of $11.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.65 billion. General Dynamics had a return on equity of 16.59% and a net margin of 7.90%. The business’s revenue was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.04 EPS. Analysts predict that General Dynamics Co. will post 13.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

General Dynamics declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback program on Wednesday, December 4th that allows the company to buyback 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the aerospace company to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

General Dynamics Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Investors of record on Friday, January 17th will be paid a $1.42 dividend. This represents a $5.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.13%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 17th. General Dynamics’s payout ratio is currently 43.26%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have commented on the company. Citigroup lifted their price target on General Dynamics from $354.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Wolfe Research downgraded shares of General Dynamics from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Robert W. Baird restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $283.00 price target (down previously from $345.00) on shares of General Dynamics in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their target price on General Dynamics from $343.00 to $331.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut General Dynamics from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $330.00 to $290.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $304.88.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other General Dynamics news, VP Christopher J. Brady sold 5,540 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $280.91, for a total value of $1,556,241.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 20,296 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,701,349.36. The trade was a 21.44 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 1.52% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

General Dynamics Company Profile

General Dynamics Corporation operates as an aerospace and defense company worldwide. It operates through four segments: Aerospace, Marine Systems, Combat Systems, and Technologies. The Aerospace segment produces and sells business jets; and offers aircraft maintenance and repair, management, aircraft-on-ground support and completion, charter, staffing, and fixed-base operator services.