General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD) Director Laura J. Schumacher Sells 1,796 Shares

General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD - Get Free Report) Director Laura J. Schumacher sold 1,796 shares of General Dynamics stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.68, for a total value of $459,201.28. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 11,175 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,857,224. The trade was a 13.85 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.

General Dynamics Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of GD traded down $0.69 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $254.84. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,290,574 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,659,087. The company has a 50 day moving average of $264.47 and a two-hundred day moving average of $285.62. General Dynamics Co. has a 1-year low of $247.01 and a 1-year high of $316.90. The firm has a market cap of $70.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.68, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33.

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The aerospace company reported $4.15 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.29 by ($0.14). General Dynamics had a net margin of 7.93% and a return on equity of 17.10%. As a group, research analysts predict that General Dynamics Co. will post 14.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

General Dynamics declared that its board has approved a stock buyback program on Wednesday, December 4th that allows the company to buyback 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the aerospace company to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

General Dynamics Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 17th were paid a dividend of $1.42 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 17th. This represents a $5.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.23%. General Dynamics's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.64%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently commented on GD. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on General Dynamics from $303.00 to $295.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on General Dynamics from $279.00 to $276.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of General Dynamics from $307.00 to $284.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Seaport Res Ptn lowered General Dynamics from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, October 11th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on General Dynamics from $290.00 to $280.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $300.06.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On General Dynamics

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in General Dynamics by 241.7% in the 3rd quarter. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 82 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares during the period. Hara Capital LLC acquired a new stake in General Dynamics in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in shares of General Dynamics during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of General Dynamics in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Finally, Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of General Dynamics in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. 86.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.