General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the eighteen research firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $323.69.

GD has been the subject of several research reports. Susquehanna increased their price target on shares of General Dynamics from $333.00 to $352.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of General Dynamics from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $293.00 to $345.00 in a report on Friday, August 9th. Sanford C. Bernstein cut their price target on General Dynamics from $343.00 to $331.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on General Dynamics from $317.00 to $322.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, TD Cowen upgraded General Dynamics to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th.

General Dynamics Stock Performance

Shares of GD opened at $312.12 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $301.91 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $295.91. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $85.82 billion, a PE ratio of 23.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.61. General Dynamics has a one year low of $243.52 and a one year high of $315.93.

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The aerospace company reported $3.35 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 net margin of 7.90% and a return on equity of 16.59%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.04 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that General Dynamics will post 13.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other General Dynamics news, Director Peter A. Wall sold 1,320 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.05, for a total value of $406,626.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,592 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,106,515.60. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.52% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GD. Olstein Capital Management L.P. lifted its position in General Dynamics by 36.4% during the third quarter. Olstein Capital Management L.P. now owns 15,000 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $4,533,000 after purchasing an additional 4,000 shares in the last quarter. CWC Advisors LLC. purchased a new position in shares of General Dynamics during the 3rd quarter valued at about $771,000. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in General Dynamics by 87.6% in the 1st quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 14,690 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $4,150,000 after acquiring an additional 6,858 shares in the last quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC bought a new stake in General Dynamics during the 1st quarter worth approximately $493,000. Finally, Peak Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in General Dynamics during the third quarter valued at approximately $3,022,000. 86.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.