Czech National Bank Purchases 2,300 Shares of General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD)

Czech National Bank boosted its position in General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD) by 4.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 58,282 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after buying an additional 2,300 shares during the period. Czech National Bank’s holdings in General Dynamics were worth $15,887,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Capital & Planning LLC increased its holdings in General Dynamics by 9.8% during the 4th quarter. Capital & Planning LLC now owns 1,538 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $405,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in General Dynamics by 16.9% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 2,885 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $760,000 after purchasing an additional 417 shares in the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased its holdings in General Dynamics by 17.0% during the 4th quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 776 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $204,000 after purchasing an additional 113 shares in the last quarter. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new stake in General Dynamics during the 4th quarter worth approximately $42,000. Finally, Heck Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in General Dynamics during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. 86.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

General Dynamics Price Performance

General Dynamics stock opened at $278.33 on Monday. General Dynamics Co. has a one year low of $239.20 and a one year high of $316.90. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $272.24 and a 200-day moving average price of $266.79. 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 $74.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.41, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.49.

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The aerospace company reported $3.66 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.43 by $0.23. General Dynamics had a return on equity of 17.10% and a net margin of 7.93%. The firm had revenue of $12.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.92 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.88 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that General Dynamics Co. will post 14.83 EPS for the current year.

General Dynamics Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 11th were issued a $1.50 dividend. This is a positive change from General Dynamics’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.42. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.16%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, April 11th. General Dynamics’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.61%.

Insider Transactions at General Dynamics

In other news, SVP Marguerite Amy Gilliland sold 27,562 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $272.11, for a total value of $7,499,895.82. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 45,192 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,297,195.12. This trade represents a 37.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GD has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Barclays decreased their price objective on General Dynamics from $305.00 to $285.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on General Dynamics from $305.00 to $300.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on General Dynamics from $261.00 to $236.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. TD Securities boosted their target price on General Dynamics from $275.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of General Dynamics in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have issued a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $293.00.

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.