Centiva Capital LP Decreases Holdings in General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD)

Centiva Capital LP trimmed its position in shares of General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD - Free Report) by 82.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 828 shares of the aerospace company's stock after selling 3,948 shares during the quarter. Centiva Capital LP's holdings in General Dynamics were worth $250,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of General Dynamics by 241.7% during the third quarter. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 82 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Hara Capital LLC purchased a new position in General Dynamics in the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. American Capital Advisory LLC bought a new position in General Dynamics during the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of General Dynamics during the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of General Dynamics by 120.0% in the second quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 110 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the period. 86.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Peter A. Wall sold 1,320 shares of General Dynamics stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.05, for a total value of $406,626.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 3,592 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,106,515.60. The trade was a 26.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Christopher J. Brady sold 5,540 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.91, for a total value of $1,556,241.40. Following the transaction, 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. 1.52% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

General Dynamics Price Performance

Shares of NYSE GD traded down $2.39 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $263.04. The stock had a trading volume of 2,397,220 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,135,592. 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 12-month low of $247.36 and a 12-month high of $316.90. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $293.31 and a 200-day moving average of $294.20. The company has a market capitalization of $72.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 0.59.

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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). General Dynamics had a return on equity of 16.59% and a net margin of 7.90%. The business had revenue of $11.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $11.65 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.04 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that General Dynamics Co. will post 13.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

General Dynamics declared that its board has approved a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, December 4th that permits the company to buyback 10,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization permits the aerospace company to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often a sign that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

General Dynamics Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Investors of record on Friday, January 17th will be issued a $1.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 17th. This represents a $5.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.16%. General Dynamics's dividend payout ratio is presently 43.26%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. TD Cowen upgraded shares of General Dynamics to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Barclays increased their price target on General Dynamics from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on General Dynamics from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "hold" rating and issued a $300.00 target price (down previously from $345.00) on shares of General Dynamics in a report on Thursday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered shares of General Dynamics from a "neutral" rating to a "sell" rating and reduced their price target for the company from $283.00 to $245.00 in a research report on Thursday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, General Dynamics presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $317.38.

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.