Leelyn Smith LLC Has $4.28 Million Holdings in General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD)

Leelyn Smith LLC increased its position in General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD) by 0.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 16,227 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the period. Leelyn Smith LLC’s holdings in General Dynamics were worth $4,276,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Edgemoor Investment Advisors Inc. grew its stake in General Dynamics by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Edgemoor Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 56,964 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $15,009,000 after acquiring an additional 424 shares in the last quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC grew its position in General Dynamics by 6.3% during the fourth quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 9,518 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $2,508,000 after purchasing an additional 561 shares in the last quarter. Cibc World Markets Corp grew its position in General Dynamics by 18.0% during the fourth quarter. Cibc World Markets Corp now owns 39,624 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $10,441,000 after purchasing an additional 6,058 shares in the last quarter. SlateStone Wealth LLC increased its stake in General Dynamics by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. SlateStone Wealth LLC now owns 4,272 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,126,000 after buying an additional 125 shares during the period. Finally, Glenview Trust co lifted its position in General Dynamics by 9.7% in the 4th quarter. Glenview Trust co now owns 11,228 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $2,958,000 after buying an additional 993 shares in the last quarter. 86.14% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

General Dynamics Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of GD stock opened at $265.33 on Tuesday. 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 cap of $71.73 billion, a PE ratio of 19.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.59. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $258.04 and a 200-day moving average of $278.54.

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The aerospace company reported $4.15 EPS 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%. On average, equities analysts predict that General Dynamics Co. will post 14.83 EPS for the current year.

General Dynamics Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Friday, April 11th will be paid a dividend of $1.50 per share. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.26%. This is a positive change from General Dynamics’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.42. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 11th. General Dynamics’s payout ratio is currently 43.99%.

General Dynamics declared that its board has approved a stock buyback program on Wednesday, December 4th that authorizes the company to buyback 10,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the aerospace company to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on GD shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price target on shares of General Dynamics from $303.00 to $295.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $300.00 price target (down from $345.00) on shares of General Dynamics in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on General Dynamics from $245.00 to $241.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of General Dynamics from $337.00 to $281.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Susquehanna decreased their target price on shares of General Dynamics from $315.00 to $300.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, General Dynamics presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $297.71.

Insider Buying and Selling at General Dynamics

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