D.A. Davidson & CO. Increases Holdings in General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD)

D.A. Davidson & CO. grew its stake in shares of General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD - Free Report) by 2.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 74,961 shares of the aerospace company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,077 shares during the period. D.A. Davidson & CO.'s holdings in General Dynamics were worth $19,752,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of GD. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in shares of General Dynamics by 15.3% during the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 9,689 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $2,553,000 after purchasing an additional 1,283 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in General Dynamics by 67.6% in the 3rd quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 8,546 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $2,583,000 after buying an additional 3,448 shares during the last quarter. Olstein Capital Management L.P. lifted its position in shares of General Dynamics by 36.4% during the 3rd quarter. Olstein Capital Management L.P. now owns 15,000 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $4,533,000 after buying an additional 4,000 shares in the last quarter. Kentucky Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of General Dynamics in the 4th quarter worth approximately $607,000. Finally, Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. grew its holdings in shares of General Dynamics by 10.0% in the third quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 37,074 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $11,204,000 after acquiring an additional 3,363 shares in the last quarter. 86.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at General Dynamics

In related news, Director Laura J. Schumacher sold 1,796 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 1.52% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

General Dynamics Price Performance

GD stock traded down $3.19 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $243.02. 1,947,405 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,735,765. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $259.68 and a 200-day moving average price of $282.54. General Dynamics Co. has a 52-week low of $239.87 and a 52-week high of $316.90. The company has a market capitalization of $65.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.82, a P/E/G ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.61. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The aerospace company reported $4.15 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, analysts anticipate that General Dynamics Co. will post 14.83 earnings per share for the current year.

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

General Dynamics Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 7th. Investors of record on Friday, January 17th were given a $1.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 17th. This represents a $5.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.34%. General Dynamics's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.64%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on GD. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price objective on General Dynamics from $303.00 to $295.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of General Dynamics from $337.00 to $281.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Susquehanna lowered their price objective on shares of General Dynamics from $315.00 to $300.00 and set a "positive" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. William Blair downgraded shares of General Dynamics from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on shares of General Dynamics from $245.00 to $241.00 and set a "sell" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, General Dynamics currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $298.59.

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.