MML Investors Services LLC Raises Stock Holdings in General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD)

MML Investors Services LLC boosted its position in General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD) by 0.3% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 62,982 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after acquiring an additional 160 shares during the quarter. MML Investors Services LLC’s holdings in General Dynamics were worth $19,033,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC lifted 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 last quarter. Hara Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of General Dynamics in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. American Capital Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in General Dynamics during the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in General Dynamics during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in General Dynamics by 120.0% in the 2nd quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 110 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the period. 86.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

General Dynamics Trading Down 0.8 %

NYSE:GD opened at $269.63 on Tuesday. General Dynamics Co. has a one year low of $247.36 and a one year high of $316.90. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $294.78 and its 200 day simple moving average is $294.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $74.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.54, a PEG ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 0.80.

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The aerospace company reported $3.35 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.48 by ($0.13). The company had revenue of $11.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11.65 billion. General Dynamics had a return on equity of 16.59% and a net margin of 7.90%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.04 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that General Dynamics Co. will post 13.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

General Dynamics Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 17th will be given a $1.42 dividend. This represents a $5.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.11%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 17th. General Dynamics’s dividend payout ratio is presently 43.26%.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on GD shares. TD Cowen upgraded shares of General Dynamics to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Seaport Res Ptn lowered shares of General Dynamics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, October 11th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of General Dynamics from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on General Dynamics from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price target on General Dynamics from $331.00 to $354.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $323.69.

Insider Activity at General Dynamics

In related news, Director Peter A. Wall sold 1,320 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.05, for a total value of $406,626.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,592 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,106,515.60. This represents a 26.87 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Christopher J. Brady sold 5,540 shares of General Dynamics stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was 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. The trade was a 21.44 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.52% of the stock is currently 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.