United Capital Management of KS Inc. Acquires 573 Shares of General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD)

United Capital Management of KS Inc. boosted its holdings in General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD) by 2.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 20,026 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after acquiring an additional 573 shares during the quarter. United Capital Management of KS Inc.’s holdings in General Dynamics were worth $5,277,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Greatmark Investment Partners Inc. lifted its position in shares of General Dynamics by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. Greatmark Investment Partners Inc. now owns 22,832 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $6,016,000 after buying an additional 1,063 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC lifted its position in shares of General Dynamics by 9.4% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC now owns 1,252 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $330,000 after buying an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. First National Trust Co lifted its position in shares of General Dynamics by 140.6% during the 4th quarter. First National Trust Co now owns 22,235 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $5,859,000 after buying an additional 12,994 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Shields Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of General Dynamics by 30.5% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Shields Capital Management LLC now owns 1,305 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $344,000 after buying an additional 305 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Renasant Bank lifted its position in shares of General Dynamics by 46.8% during the 4th quarter. Renasant Bank now owns 3,258 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $858,000 after buying an additional 1,038 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.14% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other General Dynamics news, Director Laura J. Schumacher sold 1,796 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.68, for a total value of $459,201.28. Following the transaction, the director now owns 11,175 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,857,224. The trade was a 13.85 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Marguerite Amy Gilliland sold 27,562 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $272.11, for a total transaction of $7,499,895.82. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 45,192 shares in the company, valued at $12,297,195.12. The trade was a 37.88 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.52% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

General Dynamics Stock Performance

NYSE GD opened at $262.19 on Friday. General Dynamics Co. has a 52-week low of $239.87 and a 52-week high of $316.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 1.37. The company has a market capitalization of $70.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.22, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a fifty day moving average of $257.89 and a 200-day moving average of $278.98.

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

General Dynamics declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, December 4th that authorizes the company to buyback 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the aerospace company to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

General Dynamics Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 11th will be issued a dividend of $1.50 per share. This is an increase 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 2.29%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 11th. General Dynamics’s payout ratio is currently 43.99%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. BTIG Research lowered shares of General Dynamics from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Robert W. Baird restated a “neutral” rating and set a $283.00 price target (down previously from $345.00) on shares of General Dynamics in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Vertical Research lowered shares of General Dynamics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $352.00 to $290.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of General Dynamics from $244.00 to $261.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of General Dynamics from $337.00 to $281.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, General Dynamics currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $297.71.

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.