Werlinich Asset Management LLC Buys 210 Shares of General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD)

Werlinich Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD) by 3.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,580 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after buying an additional 210 shares during the quarter. Werlinich Asset Management LLC’s holdings in General Dynamics were worth $1,470,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in General Dynamics by 241.7% during the third quarter. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 82 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 58 shares during the period. Hara Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of General Dynamics during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of General Dynamics during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new position in General Dynamics in the third quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Coston McIsaac & Partners increased its position in General Dynamics by 22.8% in the third quarter. Coston McIsaac & Partners now owns 178 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $53,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. 86.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at General Dynamics

In other General Dynamics news, VP Christopher J. Brady sold 5,540 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.91, for a total transaction of $1,556,241.40. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 20,296 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,701,349.36. The trade was a 21.44 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

General Dynamics Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of GD stock opened at $268.97 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The business has a 50-day moving average of $274.45 and a 200 day moving average of $288.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $73.96 billion, a PE ratio of 20.49, a P/E/G ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.61. General Dynamics Co. has a 1-year low of $247.36 and a 1-year high of $316.90.

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) last issued its 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). The firm had revenue of $11.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11.65 billion. General Dynamics had a return on equity of 16.59% and a net margin of 7.90%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.04 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that General Dynamics Co. will post 13.81 earnings per share for the current year.

General Dynamics announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, December 4th that permits the company to buyback 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the aerospace company to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

General Dynamics Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 17th will be issued a dividend of $1.42 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 17th. This represents a $5.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.11%. General Dynamics’s dividend payout ratio is currently 43.26%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GD has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $300.00 price target (down previously from $345.00) on shares of General Dynamics in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Susquehanna cut their price objective on shares of General Dynamics from $330.00 to $315.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Wolfe Research cut shares of General Dynamics from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Royal Bank of Canada downgraded General Dynamics from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $330.00 to $290.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, Robert W. Baird reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $283.00 price objective (down previously from $345.00) on shares of General Dynamics in a research note on Tuesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $304.53.

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.