Stanley Laman Group Ltd. Has $229,000 Holdings in General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD)

Stanley Laman Group Ltd. trimmed its stake in General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD) by 9.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 880 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 87 shares during the period. Stanley Laman Group Ltd.’s holdings in General Dynamics were worth $229,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in General Dynamics by 99.3% during the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 29,045 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $7,542,000 after acquiring an additional 14,468 shares during the period. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec bought a new stake in General Dynamics during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $16,077,000. Moreno Evelyn V grew its holdings in General Dynamics by 17.1% in the 3rd quarter. Moreno Evelyn V now owns 27,310 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $6,035,000 after buying an additional 3,991 shares during the last quarter. Clough Capital Partners L P acquired a new position in shares of General Dynamics during the third quarter worth approximately $26,868,000. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of General Dynamics by 57.7% in the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 326,121 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $72,063,000 after acquiring an additional 119,264 shares during the period. 86.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

General Dynamics Price Performance

NYSE:GD traded down $0.49 on Friday, reaching $284.41. The stock had a trading volume of 1,239,528 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,114,716. The company has a market capitalization of $78.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.68. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $280.86 and a 200-day moving average price of $261.71. The company has a quick ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. General Dynamics Co. has a 1-year low of $202.35 and a 1-year high of $296.50.

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The aerospace company reported $2.88 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.89 by ($0.01). General Dynamics had a return on equity of 16.48% and a net margin of 7.85%. The business had revenue of $10.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.26 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.64 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that General Dynamics Co. will post 14.56 EPS for the current year.

General Dynamics Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 12th will be paid a $1.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 11th. This is a positive change from General Dynamics’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.32. This represents a $5.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.00%. General Dynamics’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.33%.

Insider Activity at General Dynamics

In related news, CEO Phebe N. Novakovic sold 32,355 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $264.31, for a total value of $8,551,750.05. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 773,977 shares in the company, valued at approximately $204,569,860.87. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 1.52% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on GD. Susquehanna boosted their target price on shares of General Dynamics from $301.00 to $333.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Friday, April 12th. StockNews.com raised shares of General Dynamics from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on General Dynamics from $280.00 to $298.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Citigroup upped their price target on General Dynamics from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Alembic Global Advisors lowered General Dynamics from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $296.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Monday, January 29th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $285.63.

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.