David Paddock Sells 20,360 Shares of General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) Stock

General Dynamics Corporation (NYSE:GD) VP David Paddock sold 20,360 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $334.92, for a total transaction of $6,818,971.20. Following the sale, the vice president owned 36,644 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,272,808.48. This trade represents a 35.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

General Dynamics Stock Up 0.7%

GD opened at $339.59 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $340.69 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $320.67. The company has a market capitalization of $91.73 billion, a PE ratio of 22.01, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.40. General Dynamics Corporation has a 1-year low of $239.20 and a 1-year high of $360.50. The company has a current ratio of 1.40, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 24th. The aerospace company reported $3.88 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.69 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $12.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.49 billion. General Dynamics had a return on equity of 18.27% and a net margin of 8.18%.General Dynamics’s revenue was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.35 EPS. General Dynamics has set its FY 2025 guidance at 15.300-15.35 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that General Dynamics Corporation will post 14.83 EPS for the current year.

General Dynamics Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 6th. Investors of record on Friday, January 16th will be paid a dividend of $1.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 16th. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. General Dynamics’s payout ratio is 38.89%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On General Dynamics

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in General Dynamics by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,249 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $767,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. First Financial Bankshares Inc increased its position in General Dynamics by 2.6% in the third quarter. First Financial Bankshares Inc now owns 1,196 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $408,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. 1858 Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in General Dynamics by 1.0% during the second quarter. 1858 Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,256 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $950,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Nicholson Wealth Management Group LLC lifted its position in General Dynamics by 0.5% during the second quarter. Nicholson Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 6,582 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,920,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Gilbert & Cook Inc. grew its stake in shares of General Dynamics by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. now owns 2,389 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $697,000 after buying an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. 86.14% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GD has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Wolfe Research upped their price target on shares of General Dynamics from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. Susquehanna upped their target price on shares of General Dynamics from $365.00 to $406.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a report on Monday, October 27th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of General Dynamics in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Robert W. Baird set a $390.00 price objective on General Dynamics in a research note on Monday, October 27th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $385.00 target price on General Dynamics in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $358.50.

About General Dynamics

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.