Smartleaf Asset Management LLC Purchases 655 Shares of General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD)

Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD) by 52.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,899 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 655 shares during the quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC’s holdings in General Dynamics were worth $500,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in General Dynamics during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Hara Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of General Dynamics during the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of General Dynamics during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of General Dynamics during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of General Dynamics during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. 86.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at General Dynamics

In other news, Director Laura J. Schumacher sold 1,796 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.68, for a total transaction of $459,201.28. Following the sale, the director now owns 11,175 shares in the company, valued at $2,857,224. This represents a 13.85 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 1.52% of the company’s stock.

General Dynamics Trading Up 0.6 %

NYSE:GD opened at $254.07 on Tuesday. General Dynamics Co. has a twelve month low of $239.87 and a twelve month high of $316.90. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $258.09 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $280.71. The company has a market cap of $68.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.61.

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The aerospace company reported $4.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.29 by ($0.14). General Dynamics had a return on equity of 17.10% and a net margin of 7.93%. As a group, analysts expect that General Dynamics Co. will post 14.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

General Dynamics announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase program on Wednesday, December 4th that authorizes the company to buyback 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the aerospace company to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

General Dynamics Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 17th were paid a dividend of $1.42 per share. This represents a $5.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.24%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 17th. General Dynamics’s dividend payout ratio is currently 41.64%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Vertical Research lowered General Dynamics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $352.00 to $290.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on General Dynamics from $245.00 to $241.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Barclays decreased their target price on General Dynamics from $305.00 to $285.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “hold” rating and set a $300.00 target price (down from $345.00) on shares of General Dynamics in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Baird R W lowered General Dynamics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $296.71.

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.