General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD) Shares Sold by HF Advisory Group LLC

HF Advisory Group LLC lowered its holdings in General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD - Free Report) by 45.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,770 shares of the aerospace company's stock after selling 3,954 shares during the period. HF Advisory Group LLC's holdings in General Dynamics were worth $1,257,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GD. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake 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 worth $25,000 after buying an additional 58 shares during the period. Hara Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of General Dynamics in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of General Dynamics in the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new stake in shares of General Dynamics during the 3rd quarter worth $34,000. Finally, Coston McIsaac & Partners grew its stake in shares of General Dynamics by 22.8% during the third quarter. Coston McIsaac & Partners now owns 178 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. 86.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

General Dynamics Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE GD traded down $1.97 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $266.86. 1,543,957 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,419,689. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The company has a market capitalization of $73.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.32, a P/E/G ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.61. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $272.86 and a 200-day moving average price of $288.19. General Dynamics Co. has a 52-week low of $247.36 and a 52-week high of $316.90.

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The aerospace company reported $3.35 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.48 by ($0.13). The business had revenue of $11.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.65 billion. General Dynamics had a net margin of 7.90% and a return on equity of 16.59%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.04 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that General Dynamics Co. will post 13.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

General Dynamics Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced 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. This represents a $5.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.13%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 17th. General Dynamics's payout ratio is currently 43.26%.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. Vertical Research downgraded shares of General Dynamics from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their target price for the company from $352.00 to $290.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Barclays cut their target price on General Dynamics from $330.00 to $305.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their target price on General Dynamics from $343.00 to $331.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Royal Bank of Canada cut General Dynamics from an "outperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $330.00 to $290.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, TD Cowen raised shares of General Dynamics to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $304.53.

Insider Buying and Selling at General Dynamics

In related news, VP Christopher J. Brady sold 5,540 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 20,296 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,701,349.36. This represents a 21.44 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 1.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.