General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD) Shares Bought by Capital International Investors

Capital International Investors boosted its holdings in General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD) by 0.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 575,242 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 482 shares during the quarter. Capital International Investors’ holdings in General Dynamics were worth $151,570,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Ally Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in General Dynamics during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,581,000. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board increased its position in shares of General Dynamics by 5.4% in the 4th quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 181,703 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $47,877,000 after purchasing an additional 9,235 shares during the last quarter. GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. acquired a new stake in General Dynamics during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $75,000. Stenger Family Office LLC acquired a new stake in shares of General Dynamics during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $209,000. Finally, Master S Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of General Dynamics in the 4th quarter worth about $203,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.14% of the company’s stock.

General Dynamics Stock Down 0.3 %

GD stock opened at $275.70 on Friday. General Dynamics Co. has a 1 year low of $239.20 and a 1 year high of $316.90. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $261.54 and a 200 day simple moving average of $272.88. The firm has a market cap of $73.99 billion, a PE ratio of 20.21, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a current ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33.

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The aerospace company reported $4.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.29 by ($0.14). General Dynamics had a net margin of 7.93% and a return on equity of 17.10%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that General Dynamics Co. will post 14.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

General Dynamics Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 11th will be given a $1.50 dividend. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.18%. This is a positive change from General Dynamics’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.42. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 11th. General Dynamics’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 43.99%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GD has been the topic of several recent research reports. Barclays cut their price target on General Dynamics from $305.00 to $285.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on shares of General Dynamics from $303.00 to $295.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Robert W. Baird reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $283.00 target price (down from $345.00) on shares of General Dynamics in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Vertical Research cut General Dynamics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $352.00 to $290.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, William Blair lowered shares of General Dynamics from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $294.47.

Insider Activity at General Dynamics

In related news, Director Laura J. Schumacher sold 1,796 shares of General Dynamics stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.68, for a total transaction of $459,201.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 11,175 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,857,224. This trade represents a 13.85 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Marguerite Amy Gilliland sold 27,562 shares of General Dynamics stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $272.11, for a total transaction of $7,499,895.82. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 45,192 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,297,195.12. This trade represents a 37.88 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

General Dynamics 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.