Algert Global LLC Lowers Stock Position in General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD)

Algert Global LLC trimmed its position in shares of General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD - Free Report) by 17.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 11,374 shares of the aerospace company's stock after selling 2,341 shares during the period. Algert Global LLC's holdings in General Dynamics were worth $2,997,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in GD. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of General Dynamics in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $197,238,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of General Dynamics by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 23,780,078 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $6,265,813,000 after purchasing an additional 706,317 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors increased its holdings in shares of General Dynamics by 7.4% in the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 6,734,148 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $1,774,381,000 after purchasing an additional 463,497 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC increased its holdings in shares of General Dynamics by 43.1% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 942,485 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $284,818,000 after purchasing an additional 283,972 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its holdings in shares of General Dynamics by 24.3% in the fourth quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 1,290,344 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $339,856,000 after purchasing an additional 252,107 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.14% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other General Dynamics news, SVP Marguerite Amy Gilliland sold 27,562 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $272.11, for a total value of $7,499,895.82. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 45,192 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,297,195.12. This trade represents a 37.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on GD shares. Baird R W cut shares of General Dynamics from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. TD Securities boosted their price objective on shares of General Dynamics from $275.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Susquehanna lifted their target price on shares of General Dynamics from $300.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock a "positive" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on shares of General Dynamics from $245.00 to $241.00 and set a "sell" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of General Dynamics from $305.00 to $300.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have issued a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $293.00.

General Dynamics Price Performance

GD stock traded up $3.99 during trading on Monday, reaching $275.55. 655,635 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,367,581. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 1.37 and a quick ratio of 0.82. General Dynamics Co. has a twelve month low of $239.20 and a twelve month high of $316.90. The company has a 50-day moving average of $268.82 and a two-hundred day moving average of $269.50. The company has a market capitalization of $73.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.19, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.49.

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The aerospace company reported $3.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.43 by $0.23. The business had revenue of $12.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.92 billion. General Dynamics had a net margin of 7.93% and a return on equity of 17.10%. General Dynamics's revenue was up 13.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.88 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that General Dynamics Co. will post 14.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

General Dynamics Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Friday, April 11th were paid a dividend of $1.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, April 11th. This is a positive change from General Dynamics's previous quarterly dividend of $1.42. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.18%. General Dynamics's dividend payout ratio is currently 41.61%.

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.