General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD) Stake Boosted by Simon Quick Advisors LLC

Simon Quick Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD) by 23.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 892 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after acquiring an additional 168 shares during the period. Simon Quick Advisors LLC’s holdings in General Dynamics were worth $235,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in General Dynamics by 241.7% during the 3rd quarter. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 82 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares during the period. Hara Capital LLC bought a new position in General Dynamics in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in General Dynamics during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in General Dynamics during the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new stake in shares of General Dynamics in the third quarter valued at $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.14% of the company’s stock.

General Dynamics Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:GD opened at $266.22 on Friday. General Dynamics Co. has a twelve month low of $257.26 and a twelve month high of $316.90. The company has a market cap of $73.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.28, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.61. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $269.70 and a 200 day moving average price of $287.74. 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) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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). The company had revenue of $11.67 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.65 billion. General Dynamics had a net margin of 7.90% and a return on equity of 16.59%. General Dynamics’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.04 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that General Dynamics Co. will post 13.66 earnings per share for the current 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 given a dividend of $1.42 per share. This represents a $5.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.13%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 17th. General Dynamics’s dividend payout ratio is presently 43.26%.

General Dynamics declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, December 4th that allows the company to repurchase 10,000,000 shares. This repurchase authorization allows the aerospace company to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada cut General Dynamics from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $330.00 to $290.00 in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $300.00 price target (down previously from $345.00) on shares of General Dynamics in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on General Dynamics from $354.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their target price on shares of General Dynamics from $303.00 to $295.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Finally, Susquehanna decreased their price objective on shares of General Dynamics from $330.00 to $315.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $304.88.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other General Dynamics news, VP Christopher J. Brady sold 5,540 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the vice president now directly owns 20,296 shares in the company, valued at $5,701,349.36. The trade was a 21.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Company 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.