Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA Trims Position in General Dynamics Corporation $GD

Key Points

• Massachusetts Financial Services trimmed its stake in General Dynamics by 1.1% in Q4, selling 69,670 shares and leaving it with 6,265,295 shares (2.32% ownership) valued at about $2.109 billion.
• Analysts are mixed but the consensus is a Moderate Buy with an average price target of $384.53, as some firms raised targets while Deutsche Bank downgraded the stock to a Hold.
• General Dynamics beat Q4 estimates (EPS $4.17 vs. $4.11; revenue $14.38B vs. $13.77B), set FY2026 guidance of 16.100–16.200 EPS, and raised its quarterly dividend to $1.59 (annualized $6.36, ~1.9% yield).

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lessened its position in shares of General Dynamics Corporation (NYSE:GD - Free Report) by 1.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 6,265,295 shares of the aerospace company's stock after selling 69,670 shares during the quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA owned 2.32% of General Dynamics worth $2,109,274,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of GD. Dunhill Financial LLC increased its position in General Dynamics by 620.0% during the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 72 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp purchased a new stake in General Dynamics during the third quarter valued at $25,000. Dagco Inc. purchased a new stake in General Dynamics during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in General Dynamics during the third quarter valued at $26,000. Finally, Burkett Financial Services LLC increased its position in General Dynamics by 650.0% during the third quarter. Burkett Financial Services LLC now owns 75 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.14% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently commented on GD. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut General Dynamics from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $387.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen cut General Dynamics from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on General Dynamics from $380.00 to $385.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, December 19th. TD Cowen boosted their price target on General Dynamics from $370.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, Argus boosted their price target on General Dynamics from $380.00 to $395.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $384.53.

General Dynamics Stock Performance

NYSE:GD opened at $334.78 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $351.70 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $346.89. General Dynamics Corporation has a 52-week low of $262.84 and a 52-week high of $369.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 1.44. The firm has a market capitalization of $90.67 billion, a PE ratio of 21.67, a P/E/G ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.38.

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The aerospace company reported $4.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.11 by $0.06. General Dynamics had a return on equity of 17.57% and a net margin of 8.01%.The business had revenue of $14.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.77 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $4.15 earnings per share. General Dynamics's revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. General Dynamics has set its FY 2026 guidance at 16.100-16.200 EPS. Analysts forecast that General Dynamics Corporation will post 14.83 EPS for the current year.

General Dynamics Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be issued a dividend of $1.59 per share. This is a boost from General Dynamics's previous quarterly dividend of $1.50. This represents a $6.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 10th. General Dynamics's dividend payout ratio is presently 41.17%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Marguerite Amy Gilliland sold 3,819 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $353.50, for a total value of $1,350,016.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 44,767 shares of the company's stock, valued at $15,825,134.50. This represents a 7.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Mark Lagrand Burns sold 10,153 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $354.95, for a total value of $3,603,807.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 38,975 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $13,834,176.25. This trade represents a 20.67% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 51,260 shares of company stock worth $18,133,971. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About General Dynamics

General Dynamics is a major American aerospace and defense contractor that designs, manufactures and supports a broad range of products and services for government and commercial customers worldwide. Headquartered in the United States (Reston, Virginia), the company supplies platforms and systems used by armed forces, civil authorities and private operators across multiple domains including air, land, sea and cyber.

Its principal activities span several operating businesses: a business aviation unit that develops and supports Gulfstream business jets; land systems that produce armored combat vehicles and related logistics and sustainment services; marine systems that design and construct submarines and surface ships for navies; and mission systems and information technology operations that provide command-and-control, communications, cybersecurity and systems-integration services.

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