Gerber Kawasaki Wealth & Investment Management Boosts Stake in General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD)

Gerber Kawasaki Wealth & Investment Management boosted its holdings in shares of General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD - Free Report) by 112.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,351 shares of the aerospace company's stock after acquiring an additional 2,303 shares during the quarter. Gerber Kawasaki Wealth & Investment Management's holdings in General Dynamics were worth $1,147,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Empowered Funds LLC raised its position in General Dynamics by 15.3% in the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 9,689 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $2,553,000 after purchasing an additional 1,283 shares during the period. Kentucky Trust Co acquired a new position in General Dynamics during the 4th quarter worth about $607,000. Hickory Point Bank & Trust purchased a new position in General Dynamics during the 4th quarter valued at about $692,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its position in General Dynamics by 69.1% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 261,992 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $69,032,000 after acquiring an additional 107,095 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Atlas Legacy Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in General Dynamics during the fourth quarter worth about $550,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.14% of the company's stock.

General Dynamics Price Performance

General Dynamics stock traded up $2.40 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $273.91. The stock had a trading volume of 951,970 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,361,130. General Dynamics Co. has a 1-year low of $239.20 and a 1-year high of $316.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 1.37 and a quick ratio of 0.82. The stock's fifty day moving average is $266.38 and its two-hundred day moving average is $271.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $73.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.06, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.43.

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

General Dynamics Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 11th will be given a $1.50 dividend. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.19%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 11th. This is a positive change from General Dynamics's previous quarterly dividend of $1.42. General Dynamics's payout ratio is currently 41.61%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently issued reports on GD. TD Securities lifted their target price on General Dynamics from $275.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of General Dynamics from $268.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price target on shares of General Dynamics from $303.00 to $295.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of General Dynamics from $305.00 to $300.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on General Dynamics from $307.00 to $284.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, General Dynamics currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $292.88.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Marguerite Amy Gilliland sold 27,562 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 1.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.