Mediolanum International Funds Ltd Has $5.13 Million Position in General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD)

Mediolanum International Funds Ltd lessened its holdings in shares of General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD) by 15.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 19,542 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 3,591 shares during the period. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd’s holdings in General Dynamics were worth $5,134,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of General Dynamics by 241.7% during the third quarter. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 82 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Hara Capital LLC bought a new position in General Dynamics during the third quarter worth $26,000. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in General Dynamics during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. True Wealth Design LLC bought a new stake in General Dynamics in the 3rd quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in General Dynamics in the 4th quarter worth $42,000. Institutional investors own 86.14% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other General Dynamics news, VP Christopher J. Brady sold 5,540 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $280.91, for a total transaction of $1,556,241.40. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 20,296 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,701,349.36. The trade was a 21.44 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.52% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Robert W. Baird reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $283.00 target price (down previously from $345.00) on shares of General Dynamics in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Seaport Res Ptn downgraded General Dynamics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, October 11th. Wolfe Research cut General Dynamics from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on General Dynamics from $290.00 to $280.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of General Dynamics from $337.00 to $281.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, General Dynamics presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $301.24.

General Dynamics Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of GD opened at $257.17 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 1.32. The company has a market cap of $70.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.85, a PEG ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 0.61. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $267.05 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $286.83. General Dynamics Co. has a 52-week low of $247.01 and a 52-week high of $316.90.

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The aerospace company reported $4.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.29 by ($0.14). General Dynamics had a return on equity of 17.08% and a net margin of 7.93%. Analysts predict that General Dynamics Co. will post 15.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

General Dynamics announced that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Wednesday, December 4th that allows the company to buyback 10,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization allows the aerospace company to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

General Dynamics Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Investors of record on Friday, January 17th will be issued a $1.42 dividend. This represents a $5.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.21%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 17th. General Dynamics’s dividend payout ratio is currently 41.64%.

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.