Morgan Stanley Issues Positive Forecast for General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) Stock Price

Key Points

• Morgan Stanley has raised its price target for General Dynamics from $328.00 to $360.00, indicating a projected upside of 7.3% from the current stock price.
• With recent upgrades, including a "buy" rating from Wall Street Zen and price increases from multiple firms, General Dynamics currently holds a consensus rating of "Hold" with an average price target of $327.44.
• General Dynamics reported quarterly earnings of $3.74 per share, exceeding estimates, with revenue of $13.04 billion, reflecting an 8.9% year-over-year increase.

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD - Get Free Report) had its price objective increased by stock analysts at Morgan Stanley from $328.00 to $360.00 in a research note issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an "equal weight" rating on the aerospace company's stock. Morgan Stanley's target price indicates a potential upside of 7.30% from the stock's current price.

A number of other equities analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of General Dynamics from $290.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 25th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of General Dynamics from $309.00 to $333.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 24th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of General Dynamics from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, October 4th. Wolfe Research upped their price objective on shares of General Dynamics from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, October 9th. Finally, Susquehanna lifted their target price on shares of General Dynamics from $315.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock a "positive" rating in a report on Thursday, July 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, General Dynamics presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $327.44.

General Dynamics Price Performance

Shares of NYSE GD opened at $335.52 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.36 and a quick ratio of 0.83. The business has a 50-day moving average of $325.81 and a 200-day moving average of $297.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $90.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.52, a PEG ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.47. General Dynamics has a fifty-two week low of $239.20 and a fifty-two week high of $347.37.

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 23rd. The aerospace company reported $3.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.47 by $0.27. The firm had revenue of $13.04 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.13 billion. General Dynamics had a return on equity of 17.99% and a net margin of 8.13%.The business's revenue was up 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.26 earnings per share. General Dynamics has set its FY 2025 guidance at 15.050-15.150 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that General Dynamics will post 14.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other General Dynamics news, VP William A. Moss sold 17,700 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $316.40, for a total transaction of $5,600,280.00. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 16,627 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,260,782.80. The trade was a 51.56% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Marguerite Amy Gilliland sold 33,740 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.20, for a total transaction of $10,634,848.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 45,192 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,244,518.40. This represents a 42.75% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 275,020 shares of company stock valued at $86,414,503. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Optas LLC grew its stake in shares of General Dynamics by 152.8% in the 3rd quarter. Optas LLC now owns 2,222 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $758,000 after buying an additional 1,343 shares during the period. Vontobel Holding Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of General Dynamics by 7.8% during the third quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 24,963 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $8,512,000 after acquiring an additional 1,808 shares in the last quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC lifted its holdings in shares of General Dynamics by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 33,790 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $11,514,000 after purchasing an additional 281 shares in the last quarter. Kelly Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in General Dynamics during the 3rd quarter valued at $209,000. Finally, Welch Group LLC raised its holdings in General Dynamics by 16.8% during the third quarter. Welch Group LLC now owns 2,393 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $816,000 after buying an additional 345 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.14% of the company's stock.

About General Dynamics

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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