Wall Street Zen Upgrades General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) to Buy

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded General Dynamics to a "Buy", joining multiple brokers that have raised price targets and leaving the stock with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target near $387.70.
• Q1 beat and guidance raise: General Dynamics reported EPS $4.10 vs. $3.67 est. and revenue $13.48B vs. $12.7B est., and management raised FY26 EPS guidance to $16.45–$16.55, driven by strong bookings and backlog.
• Insider selling vs. institutional ownership: insiders sold about $18.1M of stock in the last 90 days (insiders own 1.40%), while hedge funds and institutions hold roughly 86.14% of the shares.

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD - Get Free Report) was upgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday.

Several other equities analysts also recently issued reports on GD. TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of General Dynamics from $370.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Susquehanna reaffirmed a "positive" rating and set a $420.00 price objective on shares of General Dynamics in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on shares of General Dynamics in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. They set an "overweight" rating and a $400.00 price objective on the stock. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of General Dynamics from $389.00 to $380.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of General Dynamics from $385.00 to $371.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $387.70.

General Dynamics Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE GD opened at $345.49 on Friday. The company's fifty day moving average price is $345.59 and its 200 day moving average price is $346.18. General Dynamics has a 1 year low of $266.98 and a 1 year high of $369.70. The company has a market capitalization of $93.43 billion, a PE ratio of 21.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 1.38.

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The aerospace company reported $4.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.67 by $0.43. The firm had revenue of $13.48 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.70 billion. General Dynamics had a net margin of 8.07% and a return on equity of 17.41%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 10.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.66 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that General Dynamics will post 16.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at General Dynamics

In related news, EVP Marguerite Amy Gilliland sold 3,819 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $353.50, for a total value of $1,350,016.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 44,767 shares in the company, valued at $15,825,134.50. This represents a 7.86% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Mark Rayha sold 4,370 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $348.79, for a total transaction of $1,524,212.30. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 7,936 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,767,997.44. This trade represents a 35.51% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 51,260 shares of company stock worth $18,133,971 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On General Dynamics

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of GD. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in General Dynamics by 16.9% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 2,885 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $760,000 after buying an additional 417 shares during the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of General Dynamics by 140.2% in the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 3,445 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $938,000 after purchasing an additional 2,011 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of General Dynamics in the 2nd quarter valued at about $240,000. Flow Traders U.S. LLC purchased a new position in shares of General Dynamics in the 2nd quarter valued at about $352,000. Finally, Jump Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of General Dynamics in the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,284,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.14% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting General Dynamics

Here are the key news stories impacting General Dynamics this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat and guidance raise: GD reported EPS $4.10 vs. $3.67 est., revenue ~$13.5B vs. $12.7B est., bookings ~$26.6B and backlog ~ $131B; management raised FY26 EPS guidance to $16.45–$16.55 — the core catalyst lifting the stock. Why General Dynamics (GD) Is Up 5.6% After Raising 2026 EPS Guidance On Marine Strength
• Positive Sentiment: High‑profile price target upgrades: Morgan Stanley raised its target to $435 (overweight) and JPMorgan lifted its target to $400 (overweight), signaling dealer confidence in GD’s Marine and Aerospace momentum. Morgan Stanley raises price target on General Dynamics to $435
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts mixed but generally positive: RBC reaffirmed a sector‑perform view with a $385 target, keeping some moderation in expectations despite the beat. RBC reaffirms sector perform on GD
• Neutral Sentiment: Defense demand backdrop: industry writes point to stronger defense spending and large backlogs (e.g., Northrop Grumman’s backlog), and reports that U.S. bases in the Middle East may need rebuilding — supportive for long‑term revenue but increases near‑term volatility. Northrop Grumman Gains From Strong Backlog and Rising Defense Demand
• Negative Sentiment: Some broker trims: BNP Paribas Exane cut its target to $390 (still outperform) and DA Davidson trimmed its target to $375 — these reductions add near‑term pressure and show differing views on sustainable upside. BNP Paribas adjusts price target on General Dynamics to $390 from $430 DA Davidson trims price target on General Dynamics to $375

General Dynamics Company Profile

General Dynamics is a major American aerospace and defense contractor that designs, manufactures and supports a broad range of products and services for government and commercial customers worldwide. Headquartered in the United States (Reston, Virginia), the company supplies platforms and systems used by armed forces, civil authorities and private operators across multiple domains including air, land, sea and cyber.

Its principal activities span several operating businesses: a business aviation unit that develops and supports Gulfstream business jets; land systems that produce armored combat vehicles and related logistics and sustainment services; marine systems that design and construct submarines and surface ships for navies; and mission systems and information technology operations that provide command-and-control, communications, cybersecurity and systems-integration services.

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