Vest Financial LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD)

Vest Financial LLC grew its position in General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD) by 5.4% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 149,874 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,663 shares during the quarter. Vest Financial LLC owned about 0.05% of General Dynamics worth $43,484,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in General Dynamics during the 1st quarter worth $25,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in General Dynamics during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. American Capital Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in General Dynamics during the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. Financial Synergies Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in General Dynamics in the 1st quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, New Covenant Trust Company N.A. purchased a new position in General Dynamics in the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. 86.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

General Dynamics Trading Down 1.0 %

GD opened at $299.47 on Thursday. General Dynamics Co. has a 52 week low of $214.53 and a 52 week high of $306.51. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $291.70 and a 200-day simple moving average of $289.57. The firm has a market cap of $82.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.43, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.61.

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The aerospace company reported $3.26 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.30 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $11.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11.46 billion. General Dynamics had a net margin of 7.89% and a return on equity of 16.74%. The business’s revenue was up 18.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.70 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that General Dynamics Co. will post 14.52 earnings per share for the current year.

General Dynamics Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors of record on Friday, October 11th will be issued a $1.42 dividend. This represents a $5.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.90%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 11th. General Dynamics’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.33%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on GD. Barclays upped their price target on General Dynamics from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their target price on General Dynamics from $290.00 to $302.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, May 23rd. BTIG Research started coverage on General Dynamics in a research note on Wednesday, June 26th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $345.00 target price for the company. Robert W. Baird reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $345.00 price objective on shares of General Dynamics in a report on Tuesday, July 2nd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “hold” rating on shares of General Dynamics in a research report on Monday, July 29th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $315.06.

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.