General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD) Shares Bought by Commonwealth Equity Services LLC

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC boosted its position in shares of General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD - Free Report) by 11.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 166,288 shares of the aerospace company's stock after buying an additional 17,345 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC owned 0.06% of General Dynamics worth $43,815,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in General Dynamics by 15.3% during the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 9,689 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $2,553,000 after buying an additional 1,283 shares during the period. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of General Dynamics by 67.6% in the third quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 8,546 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $2,583,000 after purchasing an additional 3,448 shares during the period. Kentucky Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of General Dynamics in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $607,000. Hickory Point Bank & Trust acquired a new position in shares of General Dynamics in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $692,000. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of General Dynamics by 69.1% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 261,992 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $69,032,000 after purchasing an additional 107,095 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.14% of the company's stock.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GD has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Wolfe Research lowered General Dynamics from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on General Dynamics from $244.00 to $261.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on General Dynamics from $307.00 to $284.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 30th. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on General Dynamics from $315.00 to $295.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, BTIG Research lowered General Dynamics from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, General Dynamics currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $297.71.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Marguerite Amy Gilliland sold 27,562 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $272.11, for a total value of $7,499,895.82. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 45,192 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,297,195.12. This represents a 37.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Laura J. Schumacher sold 1,796 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.68, for a total value of $459,201.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 11,175 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,857,224. The trade was a 13.85 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.52% of the company's stock.

General Dynamics Price Performance

GD traded up $0.59 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $268.11. 1,495,788 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,238,310. The business's 50 day moving average price is $258.20 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $278.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 1.37 and a quick ratio of 0.82. The company has a market capitalization of $72.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.66, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.59. General Dynamics Co. has a 1 year low of $239.87 and a 1 year high of $316.90.

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The aerospace company reported $4.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.29 by ($0.14). General Dynamics had a net margin of 7.93% and a return on equity of 17.10%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that General Dynamics Co. will post 14.83 earnings per share for the current year.

General Dynamics Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 11th will be given a $1.50 dividend. This is an increase from General Dynamics's previous quarterly dividend of $1.42. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.24%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 11th. General Dynamics's dividend payout ratio is currently 43.99%.

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

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.