General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) Price Target Lowered to $315.00 at Susquehanna

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) had its target price cut by research analysts at Susquehanna from $330.00 to $315.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “positive” rating on the aerospace company’s stock. Susquehanna’s price objective points to a potential upside of 20.53% from the company’s current price.

Several other equities analysts have also commented on GD. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered shares of General Dynamics from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $283.00 to $245.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. TD Cowen raised shares of General Dynamics to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price objective on shares of General Dynamics from $303.00 to $295.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on General Dynamics from $295.00 to $279.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $300.00 price target (down previously from $345.00) on shares of General Dynamics in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $308.18.

General Dynamics Price Performance

Shares of GD opened at $261.35 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $277.21 and a two-hundred day moving average of $289.35. 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 has a twelve month low of $247.36 and a twelve month high of $316.90. The company has a market cap of $71.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 0.61.

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The aerospace company reported $3.35 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.48 by ($0.13). General Dynamics had a return on equity of 16.59% and a net margin of 7.90%. The business had revenue of $11.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.65 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.04 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that General Dynamics will post 13.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

General Dynamics declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase program on Wednesday, December 4th that permits the company to repurchase 10,000,000 shares. This repurchase authorization permits the aerospace company to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Transactions at General Dynamics

In related news, VP Christopher J. Brady sold 5,540 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.91, for a total value of $1,556,241.40. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 20,296 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,701,349.36. The trade was a 21.44 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.52% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of General Dynamics

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Norway Savings Bank lifted its position in shares of General Dynamics by 4.6% in the fourth quarter. Norway Savings Bank now owns 3,983 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,049,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co lifted its holdings in General Dynamics by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 2,221 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $585,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Capital Market Strategies LLC boosted its stake in General Dynamics by 9.0% during the 4th quarter. Capital Market Strategies LLC now owns 1,492 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $393,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division grew its holdings in shares of General Dynamics by 6.3% during the fourth quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 1,683 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $443,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in shares of General Dynamics by 17.5% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 297,577 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $89,928,000 after buying an additional 44,387 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.14% of the company’s stock.

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.