General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eighteen ratings firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, eleven have issued a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $319.06.

GD has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $320.00 price target on shares of General Dynamics in a report on Thursday, July 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their target price on General Dynamics from $320.00 to $314.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. TD Cowen raised shares of General Dynamics to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. BTIG Research assumed coverage on shares of General Dynamics in a research report on Wednesday, June 26th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $345.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised shares of General Dynamics from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $293.00 to $345.00 in a research report on Friday, August 9th.

General Dynamics Stock Up 1.6 %

NYSE GD opened at $299.44 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. General Dynamics has a 52 week low of $232.29 and a 52 week high of $309.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $82.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.36, a PEG ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a fifty day moving average of $297.56 and a two-hundred day moving average of $293.37.

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The aerospace company reported $3.26 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.30 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $11.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11.46 billion. General Dynamics had a return on equity of 16.74% and a net margin of 7.89%. General Dynamics’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.70 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that General Dynamics will post 14.38 earnings per share for the current year.

General Dynamics Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors of record on Friday, October 11th will be given a dividend of $1.42 per share. This represents a $5.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.90%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 11th. General Dynamics’s payout ratio is currently 44.31%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Peter A. Wall sold 1,320 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $308.05, for a total transaction of $406,626.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 3,592 shares in the company, valued at $1,106,515.60. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 1.52% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GD. Studio Investment Management LLC increased its stake in General Dynamics by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Studio Investment Management LLC now owns 24,573 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $6,381,000 after purchasing an additional 379 shares in the last quarter. Sanibel Captiva Trust Company Inc. acquired a new position in shares of General Dynamics in the 4th quarter valued at $28,107,000. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. purchased a new position in General Dynamics in the 4th quarter worth $36,000. Smith Shellnut Wilson LLC ADV lifted its position in General Dynamics by 22.1% during the 4th quarter. Smith Shellnut Wilson LLC ADV now owns 1,825 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $474,000 after acquiring an additional 330 shares during the period. Finally, Austin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in General Dynamics during the 4th quarter valued at about $212,000. 86.14% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About General Dynamics

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.