Sky Investment Group LLC Raises Stock Holdings in General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD)

Sky Investment Group LLC lifted its holdings in General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD - Free Report) by 9.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 13,990 shares of the aerospace company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,224 shares during the period. Sky Investment Group LLC's holdings in General Dynamics were worth $3,686,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of GD. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in 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 purchasing an additional 58 shares during the period. Hara Capital LLC bought a new stake in General Dynamics during the third quarter worth about $26,000. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in General Dynamics during the third quarter worth about $30,000. True Wealth Design LLC bought a new stake in General Dynamics during the third quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Coston McIsaac & Partners lifted its position in 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 during the period. 86.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other General Dynamics news, VP Christopher J. Brady sold 5,540 shares of General Dynamics stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $280.91, for a total transaction of $1,556,241.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 20,296 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,701,349.36. The trade was a 21.44 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

General Dynamics Stock Up 1.7 %

NYSE:GD traded up $4.63 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $271.30. 2,444,160 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,521,406. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $271.92 and its 200-day simple moving average is $288.09. General Dynamics Co. has a one year low of $247.88 and a one year high of $316.90. The company has a market cap of $74.60 billion, a PE ratio of 20.66, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.61.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $3.48 by ($0.13). The business had revenue of $11.67 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.65 billion. General Dynamics had a return on equity of 16.59% and a net margin of 7.90%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.04 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that General Dynamics Co. will post 13.81 earnings per share for the current year.

General Dynamics declared that its board has authorized a share buyback plan on Wednesday, December 4th that authorizes the company to buyback 10,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the aerospace company to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often a sign that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

General Dynamics Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.09%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 17th. General Dynamics's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 43.26%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on GD. Royal Bank of Canada cut shares of General Dynamics from an "outperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $330.00 to $290.00 in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Susquehanna dropped their target price on shares of General Dynamics from $330.00 to $315.00 and set a "positive" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of General Dynamics from $354.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of General Dynamics from $330.00 to $305.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "hold" rating and issued a $300.00 price objective (down previously from $345.00) on shares of General Dynamics in a report on Thursday, December 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $304.88.

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.