Sachetta LLC Lowers Stake in General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD)

Sachetta LLC cut its stake in shares of General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD) by 7.7% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 1,241 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 103 shares during the period. Sachetta LLC’s holdings in General Dynamics were worth $327,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in General Dynamics by 241.7% during the third quarter. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 82 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Hara Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of General Dynamics during the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of General Dynamics in the third quarter valued at $30,000. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of General Dynamics during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new position in shares of General Dynamics in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $34,000. 86.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

General Dynamics Trading Down 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE:GD opened at $266.22 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $73.20 billion, a PE ratio of 20.28, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.61. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $269.70 and a 200 day moving average price of $287.74. General Dynamics Co. has a 1 year low of $257.26 and a 1 year high of $316.90.

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

General Dynamics announced 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 repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

General Dynamics Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 17th will be paid a dividend of $1.42 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 17th. This represents a $5.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.13%. General Dynamics’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 43.26%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

GD has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $300.00 target price (down previously from $345.00) on shares of General Dynamics in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Robert W. Baird reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $283.00 price target (down from $345.00) on shares of General Dynamics in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. TD Cowen upgraded shares of General Dynamics to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on General Dynamics from $295.00 to $279.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Wolfe Research lowered shares of General Dynamics from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. 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 given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $304.88.

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.