MML Investors Services LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD)

MML Investors Services LLC lifted its position in shares of General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD - Free Report) by 14.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 72,216 shares of the aerospace company's stock after buying an additional 9,234 shares during the quarter. MML Investors Services LLC's holdings in General Dynamics were worth $19,028,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in General Dynamics by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 23,780,078 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $6,265,813,000 after purchasing an additional 706,317 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors raised its position in shares of General Dynamics by 7.4% in the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 6,734,148 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $1,774,381,000 after buying an additional 463,497 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of General Dynamics by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,688,672 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $1,496,939,000 after acquiring an additional 131,268 shares during the period. Sanders Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of General Dynamics by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Sanders Capital LLC now owns 4,212,422 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $1,109,931,000 after acquiring an additional 33,962 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in General Dynamics by 10.6% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,428,644 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $639,923,000 after acquiring an additional 232,383 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.14% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other General Dynamics news, 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 transaction of $459,201.28. Following the transaction, the director now owns 11,175 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,857,224. This represents a 13.85 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Marguerite Amy Gilliland sold 27,562 shares of General Dynamics stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $272.11, for a total value of $7,499,895.82. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 45,192 shares of the company's stock, valued at $12,297,195.12. This trade represents a 37.88 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

General Dynamics Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE:GD traded up $0.59 during trading on Friday, reaching $272.30. The stock had a trading volume of 947,647 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,364,511. General Dynamics Co. has a 52 week low of $239.20 and a 52 week high of $316.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 1.37. The firm's fifty day moving average is $263.62 and its 200 day moving average is $272.30. The stock has a market cap of $73.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.96, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.43.

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The aerospace company reported $3.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.43 by $0.23. The firm had revenue of $12.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.92 billion. General Dynamics had a return on equity of 17.10% and a net margin of 7.93%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that General Dynamics Co. will post 14.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

General Dynamics Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 11th will be paid a $1.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 11th. This is a positive change from General Dynamics's previous quarterly dividend of $1.42. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.20%. General Dynamics's payout ratio is 41.61%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on GD shares. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on General Dynamics from $290.00 to $280.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 30th. UBS Group raised their price objective on General Dynamics from $268.00 to $279.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday. TD Cowen lowered their target price on General Dynamics from $315.00 to $295.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Baird R W downgraded shares of General Dynamics from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Robert W. Baird reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $283.00 price target (down from $345.00) on shares of General Dynamics in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have issued a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $293.83.

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.