General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Susquehanna Analyst Says

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) had its target price increased by Susquehanna from $300.00 to $315.00 in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a positive rating on the aerospace company’s stock.

GD has been the subject of several other reports. UBS Group reduced their price target on General Dynamics from $337.00 to $281.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Barclays reduced their target price on General Dynamics from $305.00 to $285.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price target 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. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on shares of General Dynamics from $315.00 to $295.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of General Dynamics from $244.00 to $261.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, General Dynamics presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $298.59.

General Dynamics Trading Down 7.3 %

Shares of GD opened at $249.94 on Wednesday. General Dynamics has a fifty-two week low of $239.87 and a fifty-two week high of $316.90. The business has a 50-day moving average of $258.75 and a 200 day moving average of $275.74. The firm has a market cap of $67.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.43. 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 results on Wednesday, January 29th. The aerospace company reported $4.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.29 by ($0.14). General Dynamics had a net margin of 7.93% and a return on equity of 17.10%. As a group, research analysts forecast that General Dynamics will post 14.83 EPS for the current year.

General Dynamics Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 11th will be given a dividend of $1.50 per share. This is a boost from General Dynamics’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.42. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.40%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 11th. General Dynamics’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 43.99%.

Insider Transactions at General Dynamics

In other news, SVP Marguerite Amy Gilliland sold 27,562 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $272.11, for a total transaction of $7,499,895.82. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 45,192 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,297,195.12. This represents a 37.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Laura J. Schumacher sold 1,796 shares of General Dynamics stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.68, for a total transaction of $459,201.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 11,175 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,857,224. The trade was a 13.85 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.52% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On General Dynamics

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in shares of General Dynamics in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new stake in General Dynamics in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in General Dynamics during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Copia Wealth Management purchased a new position in General Dynamics during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC bought a new position in General Dynamics in the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Institutional investors own 86.14% 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.