Two Sigma Investments LP Boosts Stock Holdings in General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD)

Two Sigma Investments LP raised its holdings in shares of General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD - Free Report) by 11.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 693,698 shares of the aerospace company's stock after buying an additional 69,067 shares during the period. Two Sigma Investments LP owned about 0.25% of General Dynamics worth $182,782,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Empowered Funds LLC raised its stake 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 valued at $2,553,000 after acquiring an additional 1,283 shares during the last quarter. Kentucky Trust Co bought a new position in shares of General Dynamics during the fourth quarter valued at about $607,000. Hickory Point Bank & Trust bought a new position in shares of General Dynamics during the fourth quarter valued at about $692,000. Atlas Legacy Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of General Dynamics during the fourth quarter valued at about $550,000. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its stake in shares of General Dynamics by 45.4% during the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 80,565 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $21,228,000 after acquiring an additional 25,144 shares during the last quarter. 86.14% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Marguerite Amy Gilliland sold 27,562 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $272.11, for a total transaction of $7,499,895.82. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 45,192 shares in the company, valued at $12,297,195.12. This represents a 37.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

General Dynamics Price Performance

Shares of NYSE GD opened at $280.54 on Monday. General Dynamics Co. has a fifty-two week low of $239.20 and a fifty-two week high of $316.90. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $269.70 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $268.65. The company has a market capitalization of $75.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.57, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 1.37.

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

General Dynamics Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 11th were issued a dividend of $1.50 per share. This is a boost from General Dynamics's previous quarterly dividend of $1.42. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 11th. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.14%. General Dynamics's dividend payout ratio is presently 41.61%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently commented on GD. TD Securities upped their price objective on shares of General Dynamics from $275.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of General Dynamics in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Morgan Stanley lowered 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 research note on Thursday, April 24th. William Blair downgraded shares of General Dynamics from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on shares of General Dynamics from $290.00 to $280.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have issued a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, General Dynamics has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $293.00.

General Dynamics Company 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.

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