Symphony Financial Ltd. Co. Purchases 70 Shares of General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD)

Symphony Financial Ltd. Co. raised its holdings in shares of General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD) by 1.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,976 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the quarter. Symphony Financial Ltd. Co.’s holdings in General Dynamics were worth $1,623,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of General Dynamics by 241.7% in the 3rd quarter. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 82 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Hara Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of General Dynamics in the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of General Dynamics in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of General Dynamics during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC bought a new stake in General Dynamics during the third quarter worth $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.14% of the company’s stock.

General Dynamics Trading Up 0.1 %

General Dynamics stock opened at $257.17 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 1.32. General Dynamics Co. has a fifty-two week low of $247.01 and a fifty-two week high of $316.90. The stock has a market cap of $70.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.85, a PEG ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 0.61. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $267.05 and its 200-day moving average price is $286.83.

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The aerospace company reported $4.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.29 by ($0.14). General Dynamics had a net margin of 7.93% and a return on equity of 17.08%. Equities research analysts forecast that General Dynamics Co. will post 15.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

General Dynamics Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 17th will be issued a $1.42 dividend. This represents a $5.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.21%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 17th. General Dynamics’s payout ratio is currently 41.64%.

General Dynamics declared that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, December 4th that authorizes the company to buyback 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the aerospace company to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

GD has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Susquehanna reduced their target price on shares of General Dynamics from $315.00 to $300.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of General Dynamics from $354.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on General Dynamics from $307.00 to $284.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $300.00 price target (down from $345.00) on shares of General Dynamics in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on General Dynamics from $290.00 to $280.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $301.24.

Insider Activity at General Dynamics

In related news, VP Christopher J. Brady sold 5,540 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.91, for a total transaction of $1,556,241.40. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 20,296 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,701,349.36. This trade represents a 21.44 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 1.52% of the stock is currently owned by 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.