XML Financial LLC Reduces Stock Position in General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD)

XML Financial LLC decreased its position in General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD) by 9.7% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 7,455 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 797 shares during the quarter. XML Financial LLC’s holdings in General Dynamics were worth $1,964,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in General Dynamics by 241.7% in the third quarter. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 82 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the period. Hara Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of General Dynamics in the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of General Dynamics in the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in General Dynamics during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC bought a new stake in General Dynamics during the third quarter worth about $34,000. 86.14% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of General Dynamics from $354.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Vertical Research cut General Dynamics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $352.00 to $290.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Baird R W downgraded shares of General Dynamics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered shares of General Dynamics from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $283.00 to $245.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “hold” rating and set a $300.00 price target (down previously from $345.00) on shares of General Dynamics in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $304.88.

General Dynamics Price Performance

NYSE GD opened at $271.30 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $271.92 and a 200-day moving average price of $288.09. General Dynamics Co. has a 52 week low of $247.88 and a 52 week high of $316.90. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $74.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.66, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.61.

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The aerospace company reported $3.35 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.48 by ($0.13). The business had revenue of $11.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11.65 billion. General Dynamics had a net margin of 7.90% and a return on equity of 16.59%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.04 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that General Dynamics Co. will post 13.73 earnings per share for the current year.

General Dynamics Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Investors of record on Friday, January 17th will be issued a $1.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 17th. This represents a $5.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.09%. General Dynamics’s dividend payout ratio is currently 43.26%.

General Dynamics declared that its board has authorized a share 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 buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity at General Dynamics

In related news, VP Christopher J. Brady sold 5,540 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.91, for a total value of $1,556,241.40. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 20,296 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,701,349.36. This represents a 21.44 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 1.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.