General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Wells Fargo & Company Analyst Says

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) had its price target raised by research analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $244.00 to $261.00 in a report released on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “equal weight” rating on the aerospace company’s stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s price target would indicate a potential downside of 3.98% from the company’s previous close.

Several other research firms have also issued reports on GD. Vertical Research lowered General Dynamics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $352.00 to $290.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on General Dynamics from $245.00 to $241.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Wolfe Research lowered General Dynamics from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Susquehanna decreased their target price on General Dynamics from $315.00 to $300.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their target price on General Dynamics from $303.00 to $295.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, General Dynamics presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $297.71.

General Dynamics Price Performance

Shares of GD stock opened at $271.82 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $257.80 and a 200 day moving average price of $279.88. 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 $73.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.93, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.59. General Dynamics has a 12 month low of $239.87 and a 12 month high of $316.90.

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The aerospace company reported $4.15 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%. Research analysts expect that General Dynamics will post 14.83 EPS for the current year.

General Dynamics declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase 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 often a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Transactions at General Dynamics

In other news, Director Laura J. Schumacher sold 1,796 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the director now 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 filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On General Dynamics

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Copia Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of General Dynamics in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in General Dynamics during the 4th quarter valued at $78,000. Copley Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in General Dynamics by 10,664.7% during the 4th quarter. Copley Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,830 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $482,000 after purchasing an additional 1,813 shares during the last quarter. Cim LLC lifted its holdings in General Dynamics by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Cim LLC now owns 6,952 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,832,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BridgePort Financial Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in General Dynamics during the 4th quarter valued at $206,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.14% of the company’s stock.

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.