Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Purchases 8,696 Shares of General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD) by 0.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,542,745 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,696 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP’s holdings in General Dynamics were worth $406,498,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in shares of General Dynamics during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of General Dynamics in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of General Dynamics during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in General Dynamics in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Hoey Investments Inc. acquired a new stake in General Dynamics during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Institutional investors own 86.14% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Baird R W cut General Dynamics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of General Dynamics from $335.00 to $330.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective 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. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of General Dynamics from $261.00 to $236.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, Barclays cut their price target on General Dynamics from $305.00 to $285.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $294.47.

General Dynamics Stock Performance

General Dynamics stock opened at $275.70 on Friday. 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 stock has a market cap of $73.99 billion, a PE ratio of 20.21, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.43. General Dynamics Co. has a 12-month low of $239.20 and a 12-month high of $316.90. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $261.54 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $272.88.

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) last released 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, analysts expect that General Dynamics Co. will post 14.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

General Dynamics Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Friday, April 11th will be given a dividend of $1.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 11th. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.18%. This is a positive change from General Dynamics’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.42. General Dynamics’s payout ratio is currently 43.99%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other General Dynamics news, SVP Marguerite Amy Gilliland sold 27,562 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 45,192 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,297,195.12. This represents a 37.88 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Laura J. Schumacher sold 1,796 shares of General Dynamics stock in a transaction on 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 owns 11,175 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,857,224. This trade represents a 13.85 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.50% 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.