RFG Advisory LLC Reduces Holdings in General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD)

RFG Advisory LLC trimmed its position in shares of General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD) by 6.2% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 10,247 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 676 shares during the period. RFG Advisory LLC’s holdings in General Dynamics were worth $2,700,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in General Dynamics by 241.7% in the 3rd quarter. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 82 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Hara Capital LLC purchased a new stake in General Dynamics in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of General Dynamics in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of General Dynamics in the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new position in shares of General Dynamics in the 3rd quarter valued at $34,000. 86.14% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently commented on GD shares. Wolfe Research lowered General Dynamics from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on General Dynamics from $295.00 to $279.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Citigroup upped their price target on General Dynamics from $354.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Barclays decreased their price target on General Dynamics from $330.00 to $305.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered General Dynamics from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $283.00 to $245.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $304.88.

General Dynamics Price Performance

Shares of NYSE GD opened at $266.22 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $269.70 and its two-hundred day moving average is $287.74. 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 Co. has a 1-year low of $257.26 and a 1-year high of $316.90. The company has a market cap of $73.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.61.

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The aerospace company reported $3.35 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.48 by ($0.13). General Dynamics had a net margin of 7.90% and a return on equity of 16.59%. The business had revenue of $11.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11.65 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.04 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that General Dynamics Co. will post 13.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

General Dynamics Announces Dividend

The firm 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. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 17th. This represents a $5.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.13%. General Dynamics’s payout ratio is currently 43.26%.

General Dynamics declared that its board has initiated a share repurchase program 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 programs are often a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Christopher J. Brady sold 5,540 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $5,701,349.36. This trade represents a 21.44 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 1.52% of the stock is currently 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.