Caxton Associates LP Purchases Shares of 3,048 General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD)

Caxton Associates LP acquired a new stake in General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 3,048 shares of the aerospace company's stock, valued at approximately $803,000.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in shares of General Dynamics by 15.3% during the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 9,689 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $2,553,000 after buying an additional 1,283 shares in the last quarter. Kentucky Trust Co acquired a new stake in General Dynamics in the 4th quarter worth about $607,000. Hickory Point Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in General Dynamics in the 4th quarter worth about $692,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in General Dynamics by 69.1% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 261,992 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $69,032,000 after purchasing an additional 107,095 shares during the period. Finally, Atlas Legacy Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of General Dynamics during the 4th quarter worth approximately $550,000. 86.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

General Dynamics Stock Performance

Shares of General Dynamics stock opened at $270.92 on Wednesday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $267.70 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $270.45. General Dynamics Co. has a 1-year low of $239.20 and a 1-year high of $316.90. The company has a current ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The company has a market cap of $72.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.86, a PEG 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 for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.43 by $0.23. The business had revenue of $12.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.92 billion. General Dynamics had a return on equity of 17.10% and a net margin of 7.93%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 13.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.88 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that General Dynamics Co. will post 14.83 EPS for the current year.

General Dynamics Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Friday, April 11th will be paid a dividend of $1.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is 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 2.21%. General Dynamics's dividend payout ratio is currently 41.61%.

Insider Buying and Selling at General Dynamics

In related news, SVP Marguerite Amy Gilliland sold 27,562 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $12,297,195.12. This trade represents a 37.88 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on GD shares. UBS Group increased their price target on General Dynamics from $268.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on General Dynamics from $307.00 to $284.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of General Dynamics from $261.00 to $236.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of General Dynamics from $335.00 to $330.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on General Dynamics from $245.00 to $241.00 and set a "sell" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have issued a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, General Dynamics currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $292.88.

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.

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