General Dynamics Corporation (NYSE:GD) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

General Dynamics Corporation (NYSE:GD) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 3,074,688 shares, a growth of 22.7% from the December 15th total of 2,505,676 shares. Approximately 1.2% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 983,495 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.1 days. Based on an average daily volume of 983,495 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.1 days. Approximately 1.2% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

General Dynamics Stock Down 2.3%

Shares of NYSE GD opened at $359.05 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $345.01 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $331.85. General Dynamics has a 12 month low of $239.20 and a 12 month high of $369.70. The company has a current ratio of 1.40, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $96.99 billion, a PE ratio of 23.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.41.

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 24th. The aerospace company reported $3.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.69 by $0.19. General Dynamics had a net margin of 8.18% and a return on equity of 18.27%. The company had revenue of $12.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.49 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.35 earnings per share. General Dynamics’s quarterly revenue was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. General Dynamics has set its FY 2025 guidance at 15.300-15.35 EPS. Equities analysts expect that General Dynamics will post 14.83 earnings per share for the current year.

General Dynamics Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 16th will be paid a $1.50 dividend. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 16th. General Dynamics’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 38.89%.

Insider Buying and Selling at General Dynamics

In related news, VP David Paddock sold 20,360 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $334.92, for a total value of $6,818,971.20. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 36,644 shares in the company, valued at $12,272,808.48. The trade was a 35.72% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On General Dynamics

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GD. Joule Financial LLC grew its position in shares of General Dynamics by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. Joule Financial LLC now owns 705 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $237,000 after buying an additional 29 shares during the period. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in General Dynamics by 1.4% during the third 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 in the last quarter. First Financial Bankshares Inc grew its holdings 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 period. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of General Dynamics by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 978 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $329,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Finally, 1858 Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of 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 during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.14% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently issued reports on GD. Morgan Stanley set a $385.00 price target on General Dynamics in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Wolfe Research raised their target price on shares of General Dynamics from $400.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $398.00 price target on shares of General Dynamics in a report on Monday, January 12th. BNP Paribas Exane raised their price target on shares of General Dynamics from $410.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of General Dynamics in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $366.70.

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.