Vaughan David Investments LLC IL Cuts Stake in General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD)

Vaughan David Investments LLC IL cut its stake in shares of General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD) by 0.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 34,375 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 306 shares during the quarter. Vaughan David Investments LLC IL’s holdings in General Dynamics were worth $9,057,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in GD. Financial Life Planners acquired a new stake in shares of General Dynamics during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Hara Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of General Dynamics during the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of General Dynamics during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of General Dynamics during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Financial Perspectives Inc raised its holdings in General Dynamics by 195.0% in the fourth quarter. Financial Perspectives Inc now owns 118 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 78 shares during the period. 86.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

General Dynamics Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of GD stock opened at $246.24 on Tuesday. General Dynamics Co. has a 12 month low of $239.87 and a 12 month high of $316.90. The firm has a market cap of $66.57 billion, a PE ratio of 18.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.61. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $259.28 and a 200-day moving average of $282.18. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33.

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) last released 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 net margin of 7.93% and a return on equity of 17.10%. On average, equities analysts predict that General Dynamics Co. will post 14.83 EPS for the current year.

General Dynamics declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, December 4th that permits the company to buyback 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the aerospace company to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

General Dynamics Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 17th were issued a dividend of $1.42 per share. This represents a $5.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.31%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 17th. General Dynamics’s payout ratio is presently 41.64%.

Insider Transactions at General Dynamics

In other news, Director Laura J. Schumacher sold 1,796 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the director now owns 11,175 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,857,224. This represents a 13.85 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of General Dynamics from $337.00 to $281.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of General Dynamics from $305.00 to $285.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Baird R W downgraded shares of General Dynamics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on shares of General Dynamics from $303.00 to $295.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on General Dynamics from $290.00 to $280.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $298.59.

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.