General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD) Shares Sold by Avidian Wealth Solutions LLC

Avidian Wealth Solutions LLC lowered its position in shares of General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD) by 1.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,994 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 56 shares during the quarter. Avidian Wealth Solutions LLC’s holdings in General Dynamics were worth $777,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. TCG Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in General Dynamics during the 4th quarter worth about $276,000. Red Cedar Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of General Dynamics by 60.3% in the 4th quarter. Red Cedar Investment Management LLC now owns 8,076 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $2,097,000 after buying an additional 3,038 shares during the period. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. acquired a new position in shares of General Dynamics in the 4th quarter valued at about $308,000. First National Trust Co lifted its holdings in shares of General Dynamics by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. First National Trust Co now owns 10,831 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $2,812,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the period. Finally, Royal Fund Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of General Dynamics by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. Royal Fund Management LLC now owns 6,169 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,605,000 after buying an additional 209 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.14% of the company’s stock.

General Dynamics Price Performance

NYSE:GD traded up $0.78 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $288.14. 974,321 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,217,434. General Dynamics Co. has a 52-week low of $202.35 and a 52-week high of $296.50. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $282.47 and its 200 day moving average price is $263.69. The company has a current ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The company has a market cap of $79.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.50, a P/E/G ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.67.

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

General Dynamics Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 12th will be given 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 1.97%. General Dynamics’s dividend payout ratio is 46.33%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Phebe N. Novakovic sold 49,850 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.50, for a total value of $14,182,325.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 768,977 shares in the company, valued at $218,773,956.50. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Phebe N. Novakovic sold 49,850 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.50, for a total value of $14,182,325.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 768,977 shares in the company, valued at $218,773,956.50. The sale was disclosed in a document filed 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 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 transaction, the vice president now owns 103,345 shares in the company, valued at $29,816,065.95. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.52% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Alembic Global Advisors cut General Dynamics from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $296.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Monday, January 29th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on General Dynamics from $286.00 to $296.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, January 29th. Argus upped their price target on General Dynamics from $290.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 29th. Susquehanna upped their price target on General Dynamics from $301.00 to $333.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. Finally, StockNews.com cut General Dynamics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $300.53.

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.