Duncan Williams Asset Management LLC Grows Position in General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD)

Duncan Williams Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD) by 100.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,600 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 800 shares during the period. Duncan Williams Asset Management LLC’s holdings in General Dynamics were worth $422,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in General Dynamics by 241.7% during the 3rd quarter. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 82 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Hara Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of General Dynamics during the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of General Dynamics during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of General Dynamics in the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new position in shares of General Dynamics in the third quarter worth about $34,000. 86.14% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

General Dynamics Stock Down 0.9 %

General Dynamics stock opened at $266.22 on Friday. General Dynamics Co. has a twelve month low of $257.26 and a twelve month high of $316.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $73.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.28, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $269.27 and its 200-day simple moving average is $287.64.

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The aerospace company reported $3.35 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.48 by ($0.13). General Dynamics had a return on equity of 16.59% and a net margin of 7.90%. The firm had revenue of $11.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.65 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.04 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that General Dynamics Co. will post 13.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

General Dynamics announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, December 4th that allows the company to buyback 10,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization allows the aerospace company to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

General Dynamics Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 17th will be issued a $1.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 17th. This represents a $5.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.13%. General Dynamics’s payout ratio is currently 43.26%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Christopher J. Brady sold 5,540 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $280.91, for a total transaction of $1,556,241.40. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 20,296 shares in the company, valued at $5,701,349.36. This trade represents a 21.44 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 1.52% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on GD shares. Vertical Research lowered shares of 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 note on Monday, January 6th. Seaport Res Ptn cut General Dynamics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, October 11th. Robert W. Baird reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $283.00 price target (down previously from $345.00) on shares of General Dynamics in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their price objective on shares of General Dynamics from $343.00 to $331.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on shares of General Dynamics from $330.00 to $305.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $304.88.

General Dynamics Company Profile

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.