Moment Partners LLC Invests $557,000 in General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD)

Moment Partners LLC purchased a new stake in General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 2,114 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $557,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in shares of General Dynamics during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new position in General Dynamics during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new position in General Dynamics during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in General Dynamics in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of General Dynamics during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. 86.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GD has been the subject of several recent research reports. Barclays cut their price target on General Dynamics from $305.00 to $285.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Vertical Research lowered General Dynamics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $352.00 to $290.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. BTIG Research downgraded General Dynamics from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Susquehanna decreased their target price on shares of General Dynamics from $315.00 to $300.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of General Dynamics from $244.00 to $261.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $297.71.

General Dynamics Stock Up 0.8 %

NYSE:GD opened at $269.60 on Thursday. General Dynamics Co. has a one year low of $239.87 and a one year high of $316.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 1.37 and a quick ratio of 0.82. The company has a market cap of $72.89 billion, a PE ratio of 19.77, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.59. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $258.67 and its 200 day simple moving average is $277.22.

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The aerospace company reported $4.15 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.29 by ($0.14). General Dynamics had a return on equity of 17.10% and a net margin of 7.93%. On average, research analysts anticipate that General Dynamics Co. will post 14.83 earnings per share for the current year.

General Dynamics Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 11th will be given a dividend of $1.50 per share. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.23%. This is an increase from General Dynamics’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.42. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 11th. General Dynamics’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 43.99%.

General Dynamics announced that its board has approved 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 reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other General Dynamics news, SVP Marguerite Amy Gilliland sold 27,562 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $272.11, for a total transaction of $7,499,895.82. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 45,192 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,297,195.12. This trade represents a 37.88 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Laura J. Schumacher sold 1,796 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.68, for a total transaction of $459,201.28. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 11,175 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,857,224. This represents a 13.85 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.52% of the stock is owned by insiders.

General Dynamics 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.