Insight Inv LLC Decreases Stake in General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD)

Insight Inv LLC reduced its position in General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD) by 3.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 7,599 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 296 shares during the period. General Dynamics accounts for approximately 1.4% of Insight Inv LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest holding. Insight Inv LLC’s holdings in General Dynamics were worth $2,002,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GD. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in General Dynamics by 241.7% in the 3rd 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 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in General Dynamics in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in General Dynamics in the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new position in shares of General Dynamics during the 3rd quarter valued at $34,000. Institutional investors own 86.14% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at General Dynamics

In related news, VP Christopher J. Brady sold 5,540 shares of the company’s 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 20,296 shares in the company, valued at $5,701,349.36. This represents a 21.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.52% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

General Dynamics Price Performance

Shares of General Dynamics stock opened at $266.22 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 0.80. General Dynamics Co. has a one year low of $257.26 and a one year high of $316.90. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $269.27 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $287.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $73.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.61.

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) last issued 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). The firm had revenue of $11.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11.65 billion. General Dynamics had a return on equity of 16.59% and a net margin of 7.90%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.04 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that General Dynamics Co. will post 13.66 EPS for the current year.

General Dynamics declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback program on Wednesday, December 4th that authorizes the company to repurchase 10,000,000 shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the aerospace company to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

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 dividend of $1.42 per share. This represents a $5.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.13%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 17th. General Dynamics’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 43.26%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on GD. Barclays dropped their price objective on General Dynamics from $330.00 to $305.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Baird R W downgraded General Dynamics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their target price on shares of General Dynamics from $343.00 to $331.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered shares of General Dynamics from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $330.00 to $290.00 in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective 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, January 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock 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.