General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD) Shares Bought by Daiwa Securities Group Inc.

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its holdings in General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD) by 7.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 20,731 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after buying an additional 1,392 shares during the quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in General Dynamics were worth $5,383,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of General Dynamics during the 4th quarter worth about $607,393,000. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in General Dynamics by 12.0% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 16,360,526 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $3,615,185,000 after purchasing an additional 1,755,276 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its position in General Dynamics by 484.2% in the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,749,729 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $399,306,000 after purchasing an additional 1,450,213 shares during the period. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in General Dynamics by 91,832.2% during the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,386,337 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $343,964,000 after purchasing an additional 1,384,829 shares in the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of General Dynamics by 10,763.2% during the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 923,593 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $239,829,000 after purchasing an additional 915,091 shares during the period. 86.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

General Dynamics Stock Performance

Shares of GD stock opened at $288.74 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $279.07 and its 200-day simple moving average is $259.49. The company has a market capitalization of $79.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.02, a P/E/G ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a current ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. General Dynamics Co. has a 1-year low of $202.35 and a 1-year high of $296.50.

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 24th. The aerospace company reported $3.64 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.68 by ($0.04). The business had revenue of $11.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.39 billion. General Dynamics had a net margin of 7.84% and a return on equity of 16.61%. General Dynamics’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.58 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that General Dynamics Co. will post 14.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

General Dynamics Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 12th will be paid a dividend of $1.42 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 11th. This represents a $5.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.97%. This is a positive change from General Dynamics’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.32. General Dynamics’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 47.25%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GD has been the subject of several research reports. Citigroup raised their target price on General Dynamics from $283.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 25th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of General Dynamics from $300.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. StockNews.com lowered shares of General Dynamics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of General Dynamics from $291.00 to $322.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 4th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on General Dynamics from $253.00 to $284.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, General Dynamics has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $283.80.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Phebe N. Novakovic sold 32,355 shares of General Dynamics stock in a transaction on Monday, January 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $264.31, for a total transaction of $8,551,750.05. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 773,977 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $204,569,860.87. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, CEO Phebe N. Novakovic sold 32,355 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $264.31, for a total transaction of $8,551,750.05. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 773,977 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $204,569,860.87. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Mark C. Roualet sold 73,330 shares of General Dynamics stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $264.75, for a total transaction of $19,414,117.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 149,205 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $39,502,023.75. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.52% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.