Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership Grows Stake in General Dynamics Corporation $GD

Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its holdings in General Dynamics Corporation (NYSE:GD) by 65.7% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 641,889 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after acquiring an additional 254,484 shares during the quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership’s holdings in General Dynamics were worth $220,309,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in General Dynamics by 118.3% during the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,663,847 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $567,372,000 after purchasing an additional 901,679 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its position in General Dynamics by 35.0% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,332,917 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,136,525,000 after purchasing an additional 863,392 shares during the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. lifted its stake in shares of General Dynamics by 831.1% in the 3rd quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 737,259 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $251,405,000 after purchasing an additional 658,081 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in General Dynamics by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 24,767,330 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $8,338,169,000 after acquiring an additional 528,769 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LLC grew its holdings in General Dynamics by 613.0% in the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 613,732 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $206,619,000 after buying an additional 527,651 shares during the last quarter. 86.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GD has been the subject of several research reports. Citigroup reduced their target price on General Dynamics from $380.00 to $364.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on General Dynamics from $410.00 to $435.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Weiss Ratings raised General Dynamics from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Wall Street Zen raised General Dynamics from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, June 13th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on shares of General Dynamics from $327.00 to $313.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $391.15.

General Dynamics News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting General Dynamics this week:

• Positive Sentiment: GD has hit a 52-week high, reflecting strong momentum and investor confidence in the defense contractor’s outlook. General Dynamics Corporation (GD) Hit a 52 Week High, Can the Run Continue?
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts are focusing on GD’s upcoming Q2 results, with attention on a record backlog and improving defense operations, which could support the stock if management delivers strong numbers and positive commentary on submarines and Gulfstream. General Dynamics to Release Q2 Earnings: Here’s What to Expect
• Positive Sentiment: Recent investor sentiment has also been helped by broader strength in defense stocks, with peers posting solid results and raising guidance, which has lifted expectations for GD ahead of its July 29 earnings release. Why General Dynamics (GD) Stock Is Up Today
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street is also watching GD’s Q2 estimates and key operating metrics closely, suggesting the market may be waiting for confirmation that recent strength is sustainable rather than purely speculative. General Dynamics (GD) Q2 Earnings on the Horizon: Analysts’ Insights on Key Performance Measures
• Neutral Sentiment: One article compared GD’s value profile with GE Aerospace, reinforcing that investors still see GD as a large-cap defense name with valuation appeal, but not necessarily a fresh catalyst by itself. GD vs. GE: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?

General Dynamics Stock Performance

NYSE:GD opened at $386.51 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $104.52 billion, a PE ratio of 24.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a current ratio of 1.38. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $356.19 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $351.77. General Dynamics Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $306.03 and a fifty-two week high of $388.12.

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The aerospace company reported $4.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.67 by $0.43. General Dynamics had a return on equity of 17.41% and a net margin of 8.07%.The firm had revenue of $13.48 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.70 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.66 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that General Dynamics Corporation will post 16.66 earnings per share for the current year.

General Dynamics Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 7th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 2nd will be given a $1.59 dividend. This represents a $6.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 2nd. General Dynamics’s dividend payout ratio is presently 40.03%.

Insider Transactions at General Dynamics

In related news, EVP Mark Lagrand Burns sold 36,480 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $345.29, for a total transaction of $12,596,179.20. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 38,975 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,457,677.75. This represents a 48.35% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Mark Malcolm sold 5,480 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $365.00, for a total transaction of $2,000,200.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 10,643 shares in the company, valued at $3,884,695. This trade represents a 33.99% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 78,190 shares of company stock worth $27,041,022 over the last three months. 1.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About General Dynamics

General Dynamics is a major American aerospace and defense contractor that designs, manufactures and supports a broad range of products and services for government and commercial customers worldwide. Headquartered in the United States (Reston, Virginia), the company supplies platforms and systems used by armed forces, civil authorities and private operators across multiple domains including air, land, sea and cyber.

Its principal activities span several operating businesses: a business aviation unit that develops and supports Gulfstream business jets; land systems that produce armored combat vehicles and related logistics and sustainment services; marine systems that design and construct submarines and surface ships for navies; and mission systems and information technology operations that provide command-and-control, communications, cybersecurity and systems-integration services.