Versor Investments LP Grows Holdings in General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD)

Versor Investments LP boosted its holdings in shares of General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD) by 50.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,798 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after acquiring an additional 600 shares during the period. Versor Investments LP’s holdings in General Dynamics were worth $474,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Financial Life Planners purchased a new position in shares of General Dynamics during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Hara Capital LLC bought a new position in General Dynamics during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new position in General Dynamics during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in General Dynamics in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of General Dynamics in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Institutional investors own 86.14% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at General Dynamics

In related news, 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 transaction, the director now 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.52% of the company’s stock.

General Dynamics Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of GD stock opened at $252.87 on Friday. 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 Co. has a 12 month low of $239.87 and a 12 month high of $316.90. The stock has a market cap of $68.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.54, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $258.31 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $281.09.

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) last announced its 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 expect that General Dynamics Co. will post 14.83 earnings per share for the current year.

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

General Dynamics Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 7th. Stockholders 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.25%. General Dynamics’s payout ratio is 41.64%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently commented on GD shares. BTIG Research downgraded shares of General Dynamics from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of General Dynamics from $276.00 to $244.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Vertical Research lowered shares of General Dynamics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $352.00 to $290.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their target price on General Dynamics from $303.00 to $295.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on General Dynamics from $307.00 to $284.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, General Dynamics currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $296.71.

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.