Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC Sells 20,415 Shares of General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD)

Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC lowered its holdings in shares of General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD - Free Report) by 20.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 78,225 shares of the aerospace company's stock after selling 20,415 shares during the period. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC's holdings in General Dynamics were worth $20,612,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in GD. Financial Life Planners purchased a new stake in General Dynamics during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new position in General Dynamics during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of General Dynamics in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of General Dynamics in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in General Dynamics in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. 86.14% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at General Dynamics

In other news, SVP Marguerite Amy Gilliland sold 27,562 shares of the company's 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 45,192 shares in the company, valued at $12,297,195.12. This represents a 37.88% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

General Dynamics Stock Performance

NYSE:GD traded down $2.10 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $274.93. The company's stock had a trading volume of 835,858 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,373,889. General Dynamics Co. has a 12-month low of $239.20 and a 12-month high of $316.90. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $271.22 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $268.45. 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 stock has a market cap of $73.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.16, 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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.43 by $0.23. The company had revenue of $12.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $11.92 billion. General Dynamics had a net margin of 7.93% and a return on equity of 17.10%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 13.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.88 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast 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. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 11th were paid a dividend of $1.50 per share. This is an increase from General Dynamics's previous quarterly dividend of $1.42. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.18%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 11th. General Dynamics's payout ratio is currently 41.61%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective 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. TD Cowen cut their price objective on General Dynamics from $315.00 to $295.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Barclays lowered their target price on General Dynamics from $305.00 to $285.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on General Dynamics from $307.00 to $284.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, TD Securities increased their price objective on General Dynamics from $275.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, General Dynamics currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target 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.