General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) Rating Increased to Strong-Buy at StockNews.com

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) was upgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a note issued to investors on Thursday.

GD has been the topic of several other research reports. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on General Dynamics from $325.00 to $320.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Barclays boosted their price objective on General Dynamics from $285.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, April 15th. Susquehanna upped their price target on General Dynamics from $301.00 to $333.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on General Dynamics from $280.00 to $298.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Citigroup upped their price target on General Dynamics from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, General Dynamics currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $285.63.

General Dynamics Price Performance

NYSE:GD opened at $284.41 on Thursday. General Dynamics has a 52 week low of $202.35 and a 52 week high of $296.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The company has a market capitalization of $78.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.20, a P/E/G ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.68. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $280.86 and its two-hundred day moving average is $261.71.

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The aerospace company reported $2.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.89 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $10.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.26 billion. General Dynamics had a net margin of 7.85% and a return on equity of 16.48%. General Dynamics’s quarterly revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.64 EPS. Equities analysts expect that General Dynamics will post 14.56 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at General Dynamics

In related news, CEO Phebe N. Novakovic sold 32,355 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $264.31, for a total value of $8,551,750.05. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 773,977 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $204,569,860.87. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.52% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of General Dynamics

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in GD. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of General Dynamics in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. acquired a new stake in General Dynamics during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in General Dynamics during the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Briaud Financial Planning Inc acquired a new stake in General Dynamics during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Impact Partnership Wealth LLC lifted its position in General Dynamics by 411.5% during the 3rd quarter. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC now owns 133 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares during the period. 86.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.