General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume

General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD - Get Free Report) saw unusually-high trading volume on Wednesday . Approximately 644,526 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 39% from the previous session's volume of 1,060,100 shares.The stock last traded at $278.38 and had previously closed at $292.72.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GD has been the subject of several analyst reports. Susquehanna upped their price target on shares of General Dynamics from $301.00 to $333.00 and gave the company a "positive" rating in a research report on Friday, April 12th. Alembic Global Advisors lowered shares of General Dynamics from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $296.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Monday, January 29th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of General Dynamics from $286.00 to $296.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, January 29th. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of General Dynamics from $283.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of General Dynamics from $291.00 to $322.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 4th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, General Dynamics currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $283.80.

General Dynamics Trading Down 4.0 %

The company has a market capitalization of $77.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.39, a P/E/G ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 0.68. The stock's 50 day moving average is $280.26 and its 200-day moving average is $261.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 1.44 and a quick ratio of 0.92.

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 24th. The aerospace company reported $3.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $3.68 by ($0.04). General Dynamics had a return on equity of 16.61% and a net margin of 7.84%. The company had revenue of $11.67 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.39 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.58 earnings per share. General Dynamics's quarterly revenue was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that General Dynamics Co. will post 14.56 earnings per share for the current year.

General Dynamics Increases Dividend

The business 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 an increase from General Dynamics's previous quarterly dividend of $1.32. This represents a $5.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.02%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 11th. General Dynamics's dividend payout ratio is presently 47.25%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other General Dynamics news, CEO Phebe N. Novakovic sold 32,355 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 773,977 shares of the company's stock, valued at $204,569,860.87. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other General Dynamics news, EVP Mark C. Roualet sold 73,330 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 149,205 shares of the company's stock, valued at $39,502,023.75. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Phebe N. Novakovic sold 32,355 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 773,977 shares in the company, valued at approximately $204,569,860.87. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On General Dynamics

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in GD. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of General Dynamics by 411.5% during the third quarter. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC now owns 133 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in General Dynamics by 6.0% in the third quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 19,668 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $4,780,000 after purchasing an additional 1,112 shares during the last quarter. Royal Fund Management LLC boosted its holdings in General Dynamics by 3.7% in the third quarter. Royal Fund Management LLC now owns 5,960 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $1,317,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in General Dynamics by 84.6% in the third quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,854 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $1,956,000 after purchasing an additional 4,058 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Riverview Trust Co purchased a new stake in General Dynamics in the third quarter worth approximately $48,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.