BNP Paribas Exane Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) Stock

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) had its price target raised by equities researchers at BNP Paribas Exane from $390.00 to $430.00 in a report released on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “outperform” rating on the aerospace company’s stock. BNP Paribas Exane’s target price points to a potential upside of 12.66% from the stock’s current price.

Several other research analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $384.00 price target on shares of General Dynamics in a research report on Thursday. Wall Street Zen upgraded General Dynamics from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, June 13th. Susquehanna increased their target price on General Dynamics from $420.00 to $455.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a report on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on General Dynamics from $327.00 to $313.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $404.00 price target (up from $364.00) on shares of General Dynamics in a research report on Thursday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $406.32.

General Dynamics Stock Performance

General Dynamics stock traded up $0.73 on Thursday, hitting $381.69. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 649,873 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,356,981. General Dynamics has a one year low of $306.03 and a one year high of $400.00. The firm has a market cap of $103.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a quick ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $359.03 and a 200-day moving average price of $352.49.

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The aerospace company reported $4.24 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.96 by $0.28. General Dynamics had a net margin of 8.07% and a return on equity of 17.41%. The company had revenue of $14.09 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.52 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.74 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. General Dynamics has set its FY 2026 guidance at 16.800-16.900 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that General Dynamics will post 16.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at General Dynamics

In related news, Director Mark Malcolm sold 5,480 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $365.00, for a total transaction of $2,000,200.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 10,643 shares in the company, valued at $3,884,695. This represents a 33.99% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Mark Lagrand Burns sold 36,480 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $345.29, for a total transaction of $12,596,179.20. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 38,975 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,457,677.75. This represents a 48.35% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 78,190 shares of company stock valued at $27,041,022 over the last ninety days. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of General Dynamics

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Whipplewood Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in General Dynamics by 1,725.0% during the 1st quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 73 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Steph & Co. increased its stake in shares of General Dynamics by 65.2% in the 4th quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 76 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 30 shares during the period. Scarborough Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of General Dynamics during the first quarter worth $29,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of General Dynamics by 79.6% during the first quarter. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC now owns 88 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the period. Finally, Motiv8 Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of General Dynamics during the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.14% of the company’s stock.

General Dynamics News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Strong Q2 earnings and guidance: General Dynamics reported second-quarter revenue of $14.1 billion, up 8.1% year over year, and diluted EPS of $4.24, exceeding consensus estimates near $3.96. All four business segments grew, while operating margin expanded to 10.4%. The company raised or reaffirmed above-consensus 2026 guidance of $16.80-$16.90 EPS and approximately $55.7 billion in revenue. General Dynamics Reports Second-Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Record submarine contract boosts visibility: General Dynamics Electric Boat received a $76.6 billion U.S. Navy award covering five Columbia-class and nine Virginia-class submarines, plus shipyard infrastructure support. The multidecade program materially strengthens backlog and provides long-term revenue and cash-flow visibility. General Dynamics Electric Boat awarded construction contracts for 14 submarines
• Positive Sentiment: Demand and cash generation remain healthy: Quarterly orders reached $20 billion, producing a 1.4-to-1 book-to-bill ratio and a record $136.5 billion backlog. Operating cash flow was $1.9 billion, supporting dividends and investment. General Dynamics Q2 revenue rises 8.1%
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation is still debated: A discounted-cash-flow analysis cited in recent coverage suggests GD may remain below estimated intrinsic value, but the stock’s roughly 116% five-year return and trading near its annual high raise the possibility that much of the positive news is already reflected in the shares. Is General Dynamics Reasonable After Its $76.6B Submarine Win?
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain cautious about execution: Supply-chain constraints, margin pressure, and limited visibility into future U.S. defense spending temper the bullish earnings and backlog story. William Blair maintained a Hold rating, which may encourage profit-taking after the recent rally. Balanced View on General Dynamics

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.