Claro Advisors LLC Increases Position in General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD)

Claro Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD) by 2.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,225 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Claro Advisors LLC’s holdings in General Dynamics were worth $1,476,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GD. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of General Dynamics by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 22,423,961 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $4,955,023,000 after purchasing an additional 133,061 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in shares of General Dynamics by 12.0% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 16,360,526 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $3,615,185,000 after buying an additional 1,755,276 shares during the period. Sanders Capital LLC boosted its holdings in General Dynamics by 3.7% during the 4th quarter. Sanders Capital LLC now owns 4,164,857 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,081,488,000 after acquiring an additional 147,800 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in General Dynamics during the 4th quarter worth approximately $728,284,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in General Dynamics by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 2,282,757 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $592,764,000 after purchasing an additional 24,395 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.14% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at General Dynamics

In related news, VP Gregory S. Gallopoulos sold 13,567 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $288.51, for a total transaction of $3,914,215.17. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 103,345 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $29,816,065.95. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other news, Director Leon Rudy F. De sold 2,570 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $288.00, for a total value of $740,160.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 5,518 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,589,184. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Gregory S. Gallopoulos sold 13,567 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $288.51, for a total value of $3,914,215.17. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 103,345 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $29,816,065.95. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 118,486 shares of company stock valued at $34,391,642 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 1.52% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GD has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of General Dynamics from $291.00 to $322.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 4th. Susquehanna boosted their price target on General Dynamics from $301.00 to $333.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on General Dynamics from $253.00 to $284.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded General Dynamics from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the company from $305.00 to $335.00 in a report on Monday, April 29th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of General Dynamics from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $303.24.

General Dynamics Stock Down 0.8 %

NYSE:GD traded down $2.25 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $287.89. 1,430,961 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,058,229. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $294.27 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $278.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $78.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.49, a P/E/G ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.64. General Dynamics Co. has a 1 year low of $211.94 and a 1 year high of $302.75. The company has a current ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41.

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The aerospace company reported $2.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.89 by ($0.01). General Dynamics had a return on equity of 16.48% and a net margin of 7.85%. The company had revenue of $10.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.26 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.64 EPS. General Dynamics’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that General Dynamics Co. will post 14.55 earnings per share for the current year.

General Dynamics Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 5th will be issued a dividend of $1.42 per share. This represents a $5.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.97%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 5th. General Dynamics’s payout ratio is 46.33%.

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.