591,488 General Dynamics Corporation $GD Shares Sold by ProShare Advisors LLC

Key Points

• ProShare Advisors cut its General Dynamics position by 54.9%, selling 591,488 shares during the third quarter and retaining 485,264 shares valued at approximately $161 million. Institutional investors collectively own 86.14% of the company.
• General Dynamics reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $4.49 versus the $4.12 consensus and revenue of $14.57 billion, up 12.9% year over year.
• Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating with an average price target of $402.44; the company also declared a quarterly dividend of $1.59, representing a 1.7% annualized yield.

ProShare Advisors LLC trimmed its position in shares of General Dynamics Corporation (NYSE:GD - Free Report) by 54.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 485,264 shares of the aerospace company's stock after selling 591,488 shares during the quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.18% of General Dynamics worth $161,025,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Whipplewood Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of General Dynamics by 1,725.0% during the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 73 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Altus USA Inc. increased its holdings in shares of General Dynamics by 77.8% in the 2nd quarter. Wellington Altus USA Inc. now owns 80 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Downshift Financial LLC boosted its stake in shares of General Dynamics by 134.3% during the third quarter. Downshift Financial LLC now owns 82 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the period. Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC lifted its stake in shares of General Dynamics by 182.8% in the 3rd quarter. Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC now owns 82 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the period. Finally, Paladin Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of General Dynamics during the second quarter valued at $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.14% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently issued reports on GD shares. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on General Dynamics from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of General Dynamics from $435.00 to $465.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein cut their price target on General Dynamics from $407.00 to $365.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 14th. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their target price on shares of General Dynamics from $410.00 to $360.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of General Dynamics from $395.00 to $408.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 8th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, General Dynamics presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $402.44.

General Dynamics Price Performance

General Dynamics stock opened at $372.72 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The stock has a market cap of $100.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.92, a P/E/G ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 0.33. General Dynamics Corporation has a 52 week low of $306.77 and a 52 week high of $400.00. The company's 50 day moving average price is $351.44 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $355.06.

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 30th. The aerospace company reported $4.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.12 by $0.37. The business had revenue of $14.57 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.72 billion. General Dynamics had a net margin of 8.18% and a return on equity of 17.43%. The company's revenue was up 12.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.88 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that General Dynamics Corporation will post 16.99 earnings per share for the current year.

General Dynamics Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Investors of record on Friday, October 9th will be issued a $1.59 dividend. This represents a $6.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 9th. General Dynamics's dividend payout ratio is 38.80%.

Insider Activity

In other General Dynamics news, Director Robert K. Steel sold 7,440 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $346.05, for a total value of $2,574,612.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 3,096 shares in the company, valued at $1,071,370.80. This represents a 70.62% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Phebe Novakovic sold 51,568 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $382.58, for a total value of $19,728,885.44. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 766,457 shares in the company, valued at $293,231,119.06. This trade represents a 6.30% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 1.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Key General Dynamics News

Here are the key news stories impacting General Dynamics this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q3 results exceeded expectations. General Dynamics reported diluted EPS of $4.49, up 15.7% year over year and ahead of the roughly $4.12–$4.14 analyst consensus. Revenue rose 12.9% to $14.57 billion, exceeding estimates near $13.72 billion. General Dynamics Reports Third-Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Growth was broad-based. Performance improved across all four operating segments, with Gulfstream business-jet demand and marine bookings helping drive the beat. Operating earnings increased 14.7% to $1.5 billion, while operating margin expanded to 10.5%. General Dynamics tops quarterly results as Gulfstream, marine drive bookings
• Positive Sentiment: Backlog reached a record level. Quarterly orders totaled approximately $98.8 billion, including $93.8 billion in defense orders, producing a 6.8-to-1 book-to-bill ratio. Ending backlog was about $220.3 billion, supporting future revenue visibility and reinforcing the company’s exposure to sustained defense spending. General Dynamics Q3 Revenue Rises 12.9% to $14.6 Billion
• Positive Sentiment: Cash generation and outlook were supportive. General Dynamics generated $1.7 billion in operating cash flow, equal to 139% of net earnings, and management raised its guidance, providing an additional catalyst for investors. General Dynamics CEO Signs Off After 14 Years With Record $220 Billion Backlog
• Neutral Sentiment: Chief Executive Officer Phebe Novakovic is signing off after 14 years, with the transition occurring as the company reports record backlog. The strong operating results reduce immediate concern, but investors may watch for continuity under new leadership. General Dynamics Q3 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Recent insider-trading data shows multiple executives, including the CEO, selling shares and no reported insider purchases over the past six months. This is a secondary concern compared with the earnings beat but could limit some investor enthusiasm.

About General Dynamics

General Dynamics Corporation NYSE: GD is a global aerospace and defense company that develops, manufactures and supports products and services for government and commercial customers. Its operations serve the U.S. government, allied nations and other customers worldwide, with a significant focus on national security, military modernization and mission support.

The company operates through four primary business areas. Aerospace provides Gulfstream business jets and related aircraft services through Gulfstream Aerospace, as well as aircraft management, charter, maintenance and completions services through Jet Aviation.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.