General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD) Shares Purchased by Howard Capital Management Inc.

Howard Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD) by 5.2% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 1,444 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in General Dynamics were worth $380,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of GD. Financial Life Planners purchased a new stake in shares of General Dynamics in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Hara Capital LLC acquired a new stake in General Dynamics in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in General Dynamics in the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in General Dynamics during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Financial Perspectives Inc lifted its holdings in General Dynamics by 195.0% during the fourth quarter. Financial Perspectives Inc now owns 118 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.14% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Laura J. Schumacher sold 1,796 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.68, for a total transaction of $459,201.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 11,175 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,857,224. This trade represents a 13.85 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

General Dynamics Stock Performance

NYSE:GD opened at $246.24 on Tuesday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $259.28 and its two-hundred day moving average is $282.18. General Dynamics Co. has a 1-year low of $239.87 and a 1-year high of $316.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 1.37 and a quick ratio of 0.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $66.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.05, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.61.

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The aerospace company reported $4.15 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.29 by ($0.14). General Dynamics had a net margin of 7.93% and a return on equity of 17.10%. Analysts forecast that General Dynamics Co. will post 14.83 EPS for the current year.

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

General Dynamics Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 7th. Investors of record on Friday, January 17th were given a dividend of $1.42 per share. This represents a $5.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.31%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 17th. General Dynamics’s payout ratio is 41.64%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on GD shares. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “hold” rating and set a $300.00 target price (down previously from $345.00) on shares of General Dynamics in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on General Dynamics from $279.00 to $276.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Susquehanna decreased their target price on General Dynamics from $315.00 to $300.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Wolfe Research cut General Dynamics from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on General Dynamics from $307.00 to $284.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $298.59.

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.