General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD) Stock Holdings Boosted by Holowesko Partners Ltd.

Holowesko Partners Ltd. raised its stake in General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD - Free Report) by 37.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 59,920 shares of the aerospace company's stock after purchasing an additional 16,400 shares during the period. General Dynamics accounts for approximately 7.2% of Holowesko Partners Ltd.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 7th biggest position. Holowesko Partners Ltd.'s holdings in General Dynamics were worth $15,788,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in General Dynamics by 15.3% in the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 9,689 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $2,553,000 after buying an additional 1,283 shares in the last quarter. Kentucky Trust Co bought a new stake in shares of General Dynamics in the fourth quarter valued at about $607,000. Hickory Point Bank & Trust acquired a new position in shares of General Dynamics in the fourth quarter valued at about $692,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its position in General Dynamics by 69.1% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 261,992 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $69,032,000 after acquiring an additional 107,095 shares during the period. Finally, Atlas Legacy Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in General Dynamics in the 4th quarter worth about $550,000. 86.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at General Dynamics

In other news, Director Laura J. Schumacher sold 1,796 shares of the business's 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 sale, the director now directly 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Marguerite Amy Gilliland sold 27,562 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 45,192 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,297,195.12. The trade was a 37.88 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.52% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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General Dynamics Stock Down 1.6 %

Shares of General Dynamics stock traded down $4.37 during trading on Thursday, reaching $271.67. 603,439 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,312,844. The firm has a market capitalization of $73.45 billion, a PE ratio of 19.92, 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. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $259.05 and a 200-day moving average price of $276.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 1.37 and a quick ratio of 0.82.

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 17.10% and a net margin of 7.93%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that General Dynamics Co. will post 14.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

General Dynamics declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, December 4th that authorizes the company to buyback 10,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the aerospace company to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically an indication that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

General Dynamics Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 11th will be issued a dividend of $1.50 per share. This is an increase from General Dynamics's previous quarterly dividend of $1.42. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 11th. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.21%. General Dynamics's payout ratio is currently 43.99%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GD has been the topic of several recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of General Dynamics from $307.00 to $284.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Baird R W lowered shares of General Dynamics from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. UBS Group cut their target price on General Dynamics from $337.00 to $281.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on General Dynamics from $290.00 to $280.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Vertical Research lowered General Dynamics from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $352.00 to $290.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $298.59.

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.