Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators Buys 115 Shares of General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD)

Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators lifted its stake in General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD) by 14.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 891 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the period. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators’ holdings in General Dynamics were worth $235,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

General Dynamics Stock Down 1.3 %

GD stock opened at $243.02 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $65.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.61. General Dynamics Co. has a 12 month low of $239.87 and a 12 month high of $316.90. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $259.68 and its 200-day simple moving average is $282.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 1.37 and a quick ratio of 0.82.

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The aerospace company reported $4.15 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.29 by ($0.14). General Dynamics had a net margin of 7.93% and a return on equity of 17.10%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that General Dynamics Co. will post 14.83 earnings per share for the current year.

General Dynamics Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 7th. Investors of record on Friday, January 17th were paid a $1.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 17th. This represents a $5.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.34%. General Dynamics’s dividend payout ratio is currently 41.64%.

General Dynamics announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback plan on Wednesday, December 4th that allows the company to repurchase 10,000,000 shares. This repurchase authorization allows the aerospace company to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on GD. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “hold” rating and set a $300.00 price target (down from $345.00) on shares of General Dynamics in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on shares of General Dynamics from $290.00 to $280.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 30th. William Blair downgraded General Dynamics from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday. Susquehanna lowered their price objective on General Dynamics from $315.00 to $300.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Baird R W cut General Dynamics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $298.59.

Insider Transactions at General Dynamics

In related news, Director Laura J. Schumacher sold 1,796 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.68, for a total value of $459,201.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 11,175 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,857,224. This represents a 13.85 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.52% of the company’s stock.

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.