Financial & Tax Architects LLC Sells 17,820 Shares of General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD)

Financial & Tax Architects LLC trimmed its holdings in General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD) by 92.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,518 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 17,820 shares during the quarter. Financial & Tax Architects LLC’s holdings in General Dynamics were worth $400,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of GD. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in General Dynamics by 241.7% in the 3rd quarter. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 82 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Hara Capital LLC bought a new stake in General Dynamics in the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in General Dynamics in the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. True Wealth Design LLC bought a new stake in General Dynamics in the 3rd quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Coston McIsaac & Partners grew its stake in shares of General Dynamics by 22.8% during the 3rd quarter. Coston McIsaac & Partners now owns 178 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the period. 86.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at General Dynamics

In related news, VP Christopher J. Brady sold 5,540 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $280.91, for a total transaction of $1,556,241.40. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 20,296 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,701,349.36. This represents a 21.44 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on GD shares. Seaport Res Ptn downgraded General Dynamics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, October 11th. TD Cowen upgraded General Dynamics to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on General Dynamics from $295.00 to $279.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Robert W. Baird restated a “neutral” rating and set a $283.00 price target (down from $345.00) on shares of General Dynamics in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their price objective on General Dynamics from $343.00 to $331.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, General Dynamics currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $304.53.

General Dynamics Price Performance

Shares of NYSE GD traded down $1.97 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $266.86. 1,543,957 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,419,689. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $73.38 billion, a PE ratio of 20.32, a P/E/G ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.61. General Dynamics Co. has a one year low of $247.36 and a one year high of $316.90. The company’s 50 day moving average is $273.71 and its 200 day moving average is $288.32.

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The aerospace company reported $3.35 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.48 by ($0.13). The firm had revenue of $11.67 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.65 billion. General Dynamics had a net margin of 7.90% and a return on equity of 16.59%. The firm’s revenue was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.04 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that General Dynamics Co. will post 13.81 earnings per share for the current year.

General Dynamics announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, December 4th that authorizes the company to buyback 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the aerospace company to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

General Dynamics Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 17th will be given a dividend of $1.42 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 17th. This represents a $5.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.13%. General Dynamics’s dividend payout ratio is currently 43.26%.

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.