Whipplewood Advisors LLC Takes $26,000 Position in General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD)

Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 98 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,000.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of GD. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in shares of General Dynamics during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Hara Capital LLC bought a new position in General Dynamics during the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in General Dynamics in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Heck Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of General Dynamics in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Financial Perspectives Inc grew its holdings in shares of General Dynamics by 195.0% during the 4th quarter. Financial Perspectives Inc now owns 118 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. 86.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

General Dynamics Trading Up 0.5 %

GD opened at $252.87 on Friday. General Dynamics Co. has a 1-year low of $239.87 and a 1-year high of $316.90. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $258.31 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $281.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $68.36 billion, a PE ratio of 18.54, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a current ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33.

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The aerospace company reported $4.15 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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, equities analysts anticipate that General Dynamics Co. will post 14.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

General Dynamics declared that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Wednesday, December 4th that authorizes the company to repurchase 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the aerospace company to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

General Dynamics Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 7th. Investors of record on Friday, January 17th were given a $1.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 17th. This represents a $5.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.25%. General Dynamics’s payout ratio is 41.64%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other General Dynamics news, Director Laura J. Schumacher sold 1,796 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.68, for a total value of $459,201.28. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 11,175 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,857,224. This trade represents a 13.85 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.52% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently commented on GD. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on General Dynamics from $290.00 to $280.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Robert W. Baird reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $283.00 price objective (down from $345.00) on shares of General Dynamics in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of General Dynamics from $307.00 to $284.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “hold” rating and set a $300.00 price target (down previously from $345.00) on shares of General Dynamics in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, TD Cowen lowered their price objective on General Dynamics from $315.00 to $295.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, General Dynamics currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $296.71.

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.