FUKOKU MUTUAL LIFE INSURANCE Co Has $232,000 Position in General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD)

FUKOKU MUTUAL LIFE INSURANCE Co reduced its stake in shares of General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD) by 25.1% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 881 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 296 shares during the period. FUKOKU MUTUAL LIFE INSURANCE Co’s holdings in General Dynamics were worth $232,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Jeppson Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of General Dynamics by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. Jeppson Wealth Management LLC now owns 955 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $289,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Community Bank N.A. boosted its holdings in General Dynamics by 0.6% in the third quarter. Community Bank N.A. now owns 5,461 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,650,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. United Asset Strategies Inc. boosted its holdings in General Dynamics by 1.2% in the third quarter. United Asset Strategies Inc. now owns 3,013 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $911,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Forum Financial Management LP boosted its holdings in General Dynamics by 1.8% in the third quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 2,042 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $617,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Freedom Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in General Dynamics by 0.9% in the third quarter. Freedom Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,344 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,313,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. 86.14% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Laura J. Schumacher sold 1,796 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.68, for a total transaction of $459,201.28. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 11,175 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,857,224. This trade represents a 13.85 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

General Dynamics Stock Performance

NYSE:GD opened at $248.92 on Thursday. General Dynamics Co. has a 12-month low of $239.87 and a 12-month high of $316.90. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The firm has a market capitalization of $67.30 billion, a PE ratio of 18.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.61. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $258.71 and a 200 day moving average price of $281.65.

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) last posted 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 17.10% and a net margin of 7.93%. Research analysts anticipate that General Dynamics Co. will post 14.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

General Dynamics Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 7th. Investors of record on Friday, January 17th were given a $1.42 dividend. This represents a $5.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.28%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 17th. General Dynamics’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.64%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on GD shares. Baird R W cut shares of General Dynamics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of General Dynamics from $360.00 to $335.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 10th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of General Dynamics from $307.00 to $284.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, William Blair cut shares of General Dynamics from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, General Dynamics presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $296.71.

General Dynamics Company 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.