Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Has $69.03 Million Position in General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD)

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD - Free Report) by 69.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 261,992 shares of the aerospace company's stock after buying an additional 107,095 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC owned approximately 0.10% of General Dynamics worth $69,032,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in General Dynamics by 241.7% in the 3rd quarter. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 82 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the period. Hara Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of General Dynamics in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of General Dynamics in the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new stake in General Dynamics during the third quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in General Dynamics by 385.2% during the 2nd quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 131 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 104 shares during the period. 86.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

General Dynamics Trading Down 0.8 %

NYSE GD traded down $2.09 on Friday, hitting $259.38. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,708,667 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,511,261. The company's 50-day moving average is $276.54 and its 200 day moving average is $289.03. The firm has a market cap of $71.32 billion, a PE ratio of 19.75, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 0.61. General Dynamics Co. has a 1-year low of $247.36 and a 1-year high of $316.90. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD - Get Free Report) last announced 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). General Dynamics had a return on equity of 16.59% and a net margin of 7.90%. The company had revenue of $11.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.65 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.04 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that General Dynamics Co. will post 13.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

General Dynamics Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 17th will be paid a $1.42 dividend. This represents a $5.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 17th. General Dynamics's dividend payout ratio is currently 43.26%.

General Dynamics declared that its board has initiated a share buyback program on Wednesday, December 4th that authorizes the company to buyback 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the aerospace company to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered General Dynamics from a "neutral" rating to a "sell" rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $283.00 to $245.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Wolfe Research lowered shares of General Dynamics from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Seaport Res Ptn cut shares of General Dynamics from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, October 11th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of General Dynamics from $295.00 to $279.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated a "hold" rating and set a $300.00 price objective (down from $345.00) on shares of General Dynamics in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $308.18.

Insider Activity

In other General Dynamics news, VP Christopher J. Brady sold 5,540 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the vice president now directly owns 20,296 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,701,349.36. This represents a 21.44 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 1.52% of the company's stock.

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.