General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) Given New $285.00 Price Target at Barclays

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD - Get Free Report) had its price objective decreased by equities research analysts at Barclays from $305.00 to $285.00 in a report released on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an "overweight" rating on the aerospace company's stock. Barclays's price target would suggest a potential upside of 10.18% from the company's current price.

A number of other brokerages have also issued reports on GD. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of General Dynamics from $279.00 to $276.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Baird R W downgraded shares of General Dynamics from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on General Dynamics from $354.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of General Dynamics from $337.00 to $281.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on General Dynamics from $290.00 to $280.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $300.06.

General Dynamics Trading Up 0.5 %

GD traded up $1.23 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $258.66. 433,223 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,682,801. The firm has a market capitalization of $71.12 billion, a PE ratio of 18.96, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 0.61. General Dynamics has a fifty-two week low of $247.01 and a fifty-two week high of $316.90. The company's fifty day moving average price is $266.07 and its 200-day moving average price is $286.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 1.37.

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The aerospace company reported $4.15 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $4.29 by ($0.14). General Dynamics had a return on equity of 17.10% and a net margin of 7.93%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that General Dynamics will post 14.88 EPS for the current year.

General Dynamics declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback program on Wednesday, December 4th that authorizes the company to repurchase 10,000,000 shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the aerospace company to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Laura J. Schumacher sold 1,796 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.68, for a total transaction of $459,201.28. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 11,175 shares in the company, valued at $2,857,224. This represents a 13.85 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Christopher J. Brady sold 5,540 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.91, for a total transaction of $1,556,241.40. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 20,296 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,701,349.36. The trade was a 21.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On General Dynamics

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of GD. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in shares of General Dynamics by 0.8% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 14,205,330 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $4,292,851,000 after purchasing an additional 109,618 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its position in shares of General Dynamics by 9.4% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 10,945,110 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $3,307,612,000 after acquiring an additional 943,247 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its position in shares of General Dynamics by 2.5% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 7,829,662 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $2,366,124,000 after buying an additional 189,904 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of General Dynamics by 13.0% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,557,404 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $1,674,998,000 after buying an additional 638,342 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC raised its holdings in shares of General Dynamics by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 4,940,537 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $1,493,030,000 after buying an additional 24,464 shares during the period. 86.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About General Dynamics

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.