The Goldman Sachs Group Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) Stock

Key Points

• The Goldman Sachs Group has increased its price target for General Dynamics from $280 to $293, maintaining a "sell" rating which suggests a potential downside of 12.02% from the stock's previous close.
• Wolfe Research upgraded General Dynamics to "outperform" with a new price target of $360, while multiple other analysts have issued varying ratings and targets, leading to an average rating of "Hold" with a consensus price target of $324.11.
• General Dynamics reported earnings of $3.74 per share, surpassing estimates, with a revenue of $13.04 billion, reflecting an 8.9% year-over-year increase.

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD - Get Free Report) had its price objective upped by equities research analysts at The Goldman Sachs Group from $280.00 to $293.00 in a report issued on Friday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage currently has a "sell" rating on the aerospace company's stock. The Goldman Sachs Group's price objective indicates a potential downside of 12.02% from the company's previous close.

GD has been the subject of several other reports. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of General Dynamics from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $360.00 price objective for the company in a report on Thursday, July 24th. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of General Dynamics from $283.00 to $350.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, July 24th. Susquehanna boosted their price objective on General Dynamics from $315.00 to $365.00 and gave the company a "positive" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 24th. UBS Group lifted their target price on General Dynamics from $309.00 to $333.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, July 24th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein set a $314.00 price objective on General Dynamics and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Monday, July 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, General Dynamics has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $324.11.

General Dynamics Stock Down 2.8%

Shares of NYSE:GD opened at $333.03 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $324.93 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $296.94. 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 company has a market capitalization of $89.58 billion, a PE ratio of 22.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 0.47. General Dynamics has a 1 year low of $239.20 and a 1 year high of $347.37.

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 23rd. The aerospace company reported $3.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.47 by $0.27. The firm had revenue of $13.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.26 earnings per share. General Dynamics has set its FY 2025 guidance at 15.050-15.150 EPS. Analysts forecast that General Dynamics will post 14.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other General Dynamics news, Director Mark Malcolm sold 3,220 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $329.45, for a total transaction of $1,060,829.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 10,186 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,355,777.70. This trade represents a 24.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Marguerite Amy Gilliland sold 33,740 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 45,192 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,244,518.40. This trade represents a 42.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 275,020 shares of company stock worth $86,414,503. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of General Dynamics

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in GD. Louisbourg Investments Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of General Dynamics during the third quarter worth about $27,000. Inlight Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of General Dynamics in the first quarter worth approximately $26,000. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in General Dynamics in the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Quarry LP increased its position in General Dynamics by 783.3% during the first quarter. Quarry LP now owns 106 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC raised its stake in General Dynamics by 80.3% during the second quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 110 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the period. 86.14% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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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