General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) Stock Rating Lowered by StockNews.com

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) was downgraded by equities researchers at StockNews.com from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued on Friday.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of General Dynamics from $286.00 to $296.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, January 29th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on General Dynamics from $291.00 to $322.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 4th. Susquehanna boosted their target price on General Dynamics from $301.00 to $333.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Argus raised their price target on General Dynamics from $290.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 29th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised General Dynamics from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $305.00 to $335.00 in a research note on Monday, April 29th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $300.53.

General Dynamics Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of GD stock opened at $288.14 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $282.47 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $263.37. General Dynamics has a 12-month low of $202.35 and a 12-month high of $296.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The firm has a market cap of $79.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.67.

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The aerospace company reported $2.88 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.89 by ($0.01). General Dynamics had a net margin of 7.85% and a return on equity of 16.48%. The firm had revenue of $10.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.26 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.64 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that General Dynamics will post 14.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Gregory S. Gallopoulos sold 13,567 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $288.51, for a total value of $3,914,215.17. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 103,345 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $29,816,065.95. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Phebe N. Novakovic sold 49,850 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.50, for a total transaction of $14,182,325.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 768,977 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $218,773,956.50. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Gregory S. Gallopoulos sold 13,567 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $288.51, for a total transaction of $3,914,215.17. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 103,345 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,816,065.95. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.52% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On General Dynamics

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in General Dynamics during the 4th quarter valued at $728,284,000. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in shares of General Dynamics by 12.0% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 16,360,526 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $3,615,185,000 after buying an additional 1,755,276 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in General Dynamics by 10,763.2% in the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 923,593 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $239,829,000 after buying an additional 915,091 shares in the last quarter. Verity & Verity LLC purchased a new position in General Dynamics in the 1st quarter worth about $179,000. Finally, 1832 Asset Management L.P. boosted its holdings in shares of General Dynamics by 3,645.4% during the 4th quarter. 1832 Asset Management L.P. now owns 558,586 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $145,048,000 after acquiring an additional 543,672 shares during the last quarter. 86.14% of the stock is 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.