Soltis Investment Advisors LLC Buys 10,236 Shares of General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD)

Soltis Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD - Free Report) by 42.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 34,380 shares of the aerospace company's stock after acquiring an additional 10,236 shares during the quarter. General Dynamics accounts for about 1.0% of Soltis Investment Advisors LLC's holdings, making the stock its 17th biggest holding. Soltis Investment Advisors LLC's holdings in General Dynamics were worth $8,928,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Harbour Trust & Investment Management Co bought a new stake in shares of General Dynamics in the 4th quarter worth approximately $398,000. Toth Financial Advisory Corp lifted its holdings in shares of General Dynamics by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. Toth Financial Advisory Corp now owns 21,619 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $5,614,000 after acquiring an additional 1,029 shares during the last quarter. Moody Aldrich Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of General Dynamics in the 4th quarter worth approximately $211,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of General Dynamics by 29.8% in the fourth quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 29,216 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $7,586,000 after buying an additional 6,715 shares during the period. Finally, Schwartz Investment Counsel Inc. purchased a new position in shares of General Dynamics in the fourth quarter worth $207,000. 86.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

General Dynamics Stock Down 1.5 %

Shares of NYSE:GD traded down $4.31 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $288.82. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,008,084 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,081,182. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $275.56 and a 200-day moving average of $255.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $79.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.39, a PEG ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. General Dynamics Co. has a 12-month low of $202.35 and a 12-month high of $296.50.

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 24th. The aerospace company reported $3.64 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $3.68 by ($0.04). The business had revenue of $11.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $11.39 billion. General Dynamics had a return on equity of 16.61% and a net margin of 7.84%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.58 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that General Dynamics Co. will post 14.57 earnings per share for the current year.

General Dynamics Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 10th. Investors of record on Friday, April 12th will be paid a $1.42 dividend. This is a boost from General Dynamics's previous quarterly dividend of $1.32. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 11th. This represents a $5.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.97%. General Dynamics's payout ratio is presently 43.93%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of General Dynamics from $291.00 to $322.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 4th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of General Dynamics from $300.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of General Dynamics from $286.00 to $296.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, January 29th. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of General Dynamics from $283.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 25th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of General Dynamics from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, February 3rd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $278.08.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Mark C. Roualet sold 73,330 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $264.75, for a total value of $19,414,117.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 149,205 shares in the company, valued at approximately $39,502,023.75. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other General Dynamics news, CEO Phebe N. Novakovic sold 32,355 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $264.31, for a total transaction of $8,551,750.05. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 773,977 shares in the company, valued at approximately $204,569,860.87. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Mark C. Roualet sold 73,330 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $264.75, for a total transaction of $19,414,117.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 149,205 shares in the company, valued at approximately $39,502,023.75. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.60% of the stock is currently 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.

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