General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD) is Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates Inc.’s 10th Largest Position

Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates Inc. reduced its stake in General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD) by 20.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 8,331 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 2,090 shares during the quarter. General Dynamics makes up 2.1% of Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th largest holding. Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates Inc.’s holdings in General Dynamics were worth $2,163,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of General Dynamics during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Briaud Financial Planning Inc purchased a new stake in shares of General Dynamics during the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of General Dynamics during the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of General Dynamics during the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, Friedenthal Financial purchased a new stake in shares of General Dynamics during the 4th quarter valued at $45,000. 86.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

General Dynamics Price Performance

Shares of GD traded up $0.83 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $287.36. 1,134,813 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,118,058. The stock has a market cap of $78.84 billion, a PE ratio of 23.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a current ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $282.18 and its 200-day simple moving average is $263.05. General Dynamics Co. has a 12 month low of $202.35 and a 12 month high of $296.50.

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The aerospace company reported $2.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.89 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $10.73 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.26 billion. General Dynamics had a net margin of 7.85% and a return on equity of 16.48%. The business’s revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.64 EPS. Equities analysts expect that General Dynamics Co. will post 14.55 EPS for the current year.

General Dynamics Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 10th. Investors of record on Friday, April 12th will be issued a dividend of $1.42 per share. This represents a $5.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.98%. This is a boost from General Dynamics’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.32. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 11th. General Dynamics’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.33%.

Insider Activity at General Dynamics

In related news, CEO Phebe N. Novakovic sold 49,850 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.50, for a total transaction of $14,182,325.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 768,977 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $218,773,956.50. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other General Dynamics news, CEO Phebe N. Novakovic sold 49,850 shares of General Dynamics stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.50, for a total value of $14,182,325.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 768,977 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $218,773,956.50. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Gregory S. Gallopoulos sold 13,567 shares of General Dynamics stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $288.51, for a total value of $3,914,215.17. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 103,345 shares in the company, valued at $29,816,065.95. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.52% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on General Dynamics from $280.00 to $298.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 25th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on General Dynamics from $286.00 to $296.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, January 29th. StockNews.com raised General Dynamics from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Barclays lifted their price objective on General Dynamics from $285.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, April 15th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on General Dynamics from $325.00 to $320.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $297.06.

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.