Welch Group LLC Acquires 159 Shares of General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD)

Welch Group LLC increased its stake in shares of General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD) by 8.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,027 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after acquiring an additional 159 shares during the quarter. Welch Group LLC’s holdings in General Dynamics were worth $534,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of General Dynamics by 241.7% in the third quarter. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 82 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 58 shares during the period. Hara Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of General Dynamics in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Financial Life Planners acquired a new stake in shares of General Dynamics during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Heck Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of General Dynamics during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of General Dynamics in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. 86.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at General Dynamics

In other General Dynamics news, VP Christopher J. Brady sold 5,540 shares of the company’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 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

General Dynamics Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of General Dynamics stock opened at $256.80 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $70.61 billion, a PE ratio of 18.83, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 0.61. General Dynamics Co. has a 52-week low of $247.01 and a 52-week high of $316.90. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $267.05 and its 200 day simple moving average is $286.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 1.37.

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The aerospace company reported $4.15 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.29 by ($0.14). General Dynamics had a return on equity of 17.10% and a net margin of 7.93%. On average, analysts predict that General Dynamics Co. will post 14.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

General Dynamics Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 17th will be given a dividend of $1.42 per share. This represents a $5.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.21%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 17th. General Dynamics’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.64%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of General Dynamics from $305.00 to $285.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. TD Cowen dropped their price target on shares of General Dynamics from $315.00 to $295.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on General Dynamics from $290.00 to $280.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Robert W. Baird restated a “neutral” rating and set a $283.00 target price (down previously from $345.00) on shares of General Dynamics in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price target on General Dynamics from $303.00 to $295.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $300.06.

General Dynamics 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.