General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) Issues FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Key Points

• Raised FY‑2026 EPS guidance to $16.450–$16.550 (above the $16.30 consensus) after reporting a Q1 beat with EPS of $4.10 and revenue of $13.48 billion, up 10.3% year‑over‑year.
• Order and cash‑flow strength — the company cited a ~2:1 book‑to‑bill and about $2.2 billion in Q1 operating cash flow, while the Columbia‑class submarine program is tracking toward a 2028 delivery, improving multi‑year revenue visibility.
• Shareholder returns and insider activity — the quarterly dividend was raised to $1.59 ($6.36 annualized, ~1.9% yield), even as insiders sold roughly 51,260 shares in the past three months.

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD - Get Free Report) updated its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Thursday. The company provided EPS guidance of 16.450-16.550 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 16.300. The company issued revenue guidance of -.

Analyst Ratings Changes

GD has been the topic of several recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on shares of General Dynamics in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. They set an "overweight" rating and a $400.00 target price on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a "market perform" rating and set a $398.00 target price on shares of General Dynamics in a research report on Monday, January 12th. BNP Paribas Exane lifted their target price on shares of General Dynamics from $410.00 to $430.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on shares of General Dynamics from $385.00 to $380.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of General Dynamics in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $389.78.

General Dynamics Price Performance

NYSE:GD opened at $338.09 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $91.57 billion, a PE ratio of 21.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.38. General Dynamics has a 12 month low of $266.98 and a 12 month high of $369.70. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The company's 50-day moving average price is $345.77 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $346.19.

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The aerospace company reported $4.10 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.67 by $0.43. General Dynamics had a return on equity of 17.57% and a net margin of 8.01%.The company had revenue of $13.48 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.64 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $3.66 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 10.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that General Dynamics will post 16.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

General Dynamics Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be given a dividend of $1.59 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 10th. This is a positive change from General Dynamics's previous quarterly dividend of $1.50. This represents a $6.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. General Dynamics's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.17%.

Insider Buying and Selling at General Dynamics

In related news, VP Mark Rayha sold 4,370 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $348.79, for a total transaction of $1,524,212.30. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 7,936 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,767,997.44. The trade was a 35.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Phebe N. Novakovic sold 32,918 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $354.09, for a total transaction of $11,655,934.62. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 766,457 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $271,394,759.13. This trade represents a 4.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders sold 51,260 shares of company stock valued at $18,133,971. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

More General Dynamics News

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

• Positive Sentiment: First-quarter beat — Q1 revenue of about $13.5B (+10.3% YoY) and EPS of ~$4.10 topped consensus, driven by Marine Systems and Aerospace strength; margin and cash-flow metrics were solid, supporting the rally. PR Newswire Q1 Release
• Positive Sentiment: Raised FY‑2026 EPS outlook — GD updated guidance to $16.450–$16.550 (above the prior consensus ~$16.30), signaling management confidence in revenue, margins and contract execution for the year. MSN: Shares Surge After Raising Guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Order momentum and cash flow — Company reported a 2:1 book-to-bill and strong operating cash flow (~$2.2B in Q1), improving backlog visibility and supporting multiple-year program execution. Analysts flagged orders as a key driver of the upside. Zacks: Orders and Cash Flow
• Positive Sentiment: Program execution update — The Columbia‑class submarine schedule is tracking toward a 2028 delivery, reducing program timing risk and supporting Marine Systems revenue visibility. USNI: Columbia‑class Tracking to 2028
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation/technical context — Analysts and commentary note the stock has rallied after the beat-and-raise; some see the move as a recovery of sentiment rather than a permanent re-rating, so upside may depend on continued order flow and execution. Yahoo Finance: Valuation Check
• Negative Sentiment: Operational/legal uncertainty remains in pockets — Earlier reporting noted a stop-work order on a Texas artillery shell plant (Army/contract issue); while not the primary driver today, unresolved program-level disputes could pose localized execution or cash timing risk. TheStreet: War Department Stop‑Work Item

Institutional Investors Weigh In On General Dynamics

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of GD. Ankerstar Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of General Dynamics during the fourth quarter worth approximately $37,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in General Dynamics in the third quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Chapman Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in General Dynamics in the second quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Advocate Investing Services LLC bought a new stake in General Dynamics in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its stake in General Dynamics by 53.1% in the second quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 173 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. 86.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.

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.