Zacks Research Has Positive Forecast for GD Q1 Earnings

Key Points

• Zacks Research has raised its Q1 2026 earnings estimate for General Dynamics to $3.76 per share, reflecting a slight increase from the previous estimate of $3.74.
• General Dynamics reported Q2 earnings of $3.74 EPS, exceeding the consensus estimate by $0.27, with quarterly revenue rising to $13.04 billion.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.50 per share, scheduled for payment on November 14th, representing an annualized yield of 1.9%.

General Dynamics Corporation (NYSE:GD - Free Report) - Equities researchers at Zacks Research upped their Q1 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of General Dynamics in a report issued on Wednesday, August 13th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the aerospace company will post earnings of $3.76 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $3.74. The consensus estimate for General Dynamics' current full-year earnings is $14.83 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for General Dynamics' Q3 2026 earnings at $4.49 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $16.83 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $4.00 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $3.38 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $18.20 EPS.

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD - Get Free Report) last announced 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. General Dynamics had a net margin of 8.13% and a return on equity of 17.99%. The firm had revenue of $13.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.13 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.26 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 8.9% on a year-over-year basis. General Dynamics has set its FY 2025 guidance at 15.050-15.150 EPS.

Several other brokerages have also recently issued reports on GD. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised General Dynamics from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their target price for the company from $298.00 to $342.00 in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of General Dynamics from $305.00 to $300.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Barclays boosted their price objective on General Dynamics from $285.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 29th. Cowen reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of General Dynamics in a report on Wednesday, June 25th. Finally, TD Cowen upped their target price on General Dynamics from $290.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 25th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $315.78.

General Dynamics Trading Up 0.9%

Shares of GD traded up $2.7570 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $316.3370. 748,421 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,175,743. The stock has a market capitalization of $85.09 billion, a PE ratio of 21.23, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.48. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $300.26 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $278.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 1.36. General Dynamics has a 52 week low of $239.20 and a 52 week high of $322.50.

General Dynamics Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 10th will be paid a $1.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 10th. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. General Dynamics's dividend payout ratio is 40.27%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Mark Lagrand Burns sold 43,860 shares of General Dynamics stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $312.28, for a total value of $13,696,600.80. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 39,875 shares in the company, valued at $12,452,165. This trade represents a 52.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 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 value 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 $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 319,810 shares of company stock valued at $94,643,139. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of GD. Rialto Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of General Dynamics by 213.8% during the 1st quarter. Rialto Wealth Management LLC now owns 91 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Inlight Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in General Dynamics in the first quarter valued at about $26,000. Copia Wealth Management acquired a new position in General Dynamics in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in General Dynamics in the first quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in General Dynamics in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. 86.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.