Wall Street Zen Upgrades General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) to Buy

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) was upgraded by Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a note issued to investors on Saturday.

Several other equities analysts also recently commented on GD. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded shares of General Dynamics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $387.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $385.00 price objective on shares of General Dynamics in a research note on Thursday. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of General Dynamics from $389.00 to $380.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. Bank of America reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $400.00 price objective on shares of General Dynamics in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of General Dynamics from $385.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, General Dynamics currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $387.70.

General Dynamics Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:GD opened at $345.49 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $93.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.74, a PEG ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 1.38 and a quick ratio of 0.90. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $345.59 and a 200 day simple moving average of $346.34. General Dynamics has a one year low of $266.98 and a one year high of $369.70.

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The aerospace company reported $4.10 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.67 by $0.43. The business had revenue of $13.48 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.70 billion. General Dynamics had a net margin of 8.07% and a return on equity of 17.41%. The firm’s revenue was up 10.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.66 EPS. Research analysts predict that General Dynamics will post 16.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at General Dynamics

In other General Dynamics news, EVP Mark Lagrand Burns sold 10,153 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $354.95, for a total value of $3,603,807.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 38,975 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,834,176.25. This represents a 20.67% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Phebe N. Novakovic sold 32,918 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $354.09, for a total transaction of $11,655,934.62. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 766,457 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $271,394,759.13. This trade represents a 4.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 51,260 shares of company stock valued at $18,133,971. Insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On General Dynamics

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Persium Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of General Dynamics by 3.7% during the first quarter. Persium Advisors LLC now owns 2,354 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $808,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the period. Global Assets Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of General Dynamics during the first quarter worth $220,000. Diversify Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of General Dynamics by 12.5% during the first quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 11,833 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $4,008,000 after buying an additional 1,317 shares during the period. Valmark Advisers Inc. increased its position in shares of General Dynamics by 0.5% during the first quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 7,010 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $2,406,000 after buying an additional 32 shares during the period. Finally, Pittenger & Anderson Inc. increased its position in shares of General Dynamics by 3.9% during the first quarter. Pittenger & Anderson Inc. now owns 3,494 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,199,000 after buying an additional 130 shares during the period. 86.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting General Dynamics

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat and guidance raise: GD reported EPS $4.10 vs. $3.67 est., revenue ~$13.5B vs. $12.7B est., bookings ~$26.6B and backlog ~ $131B; management raised FY26 EPS guidance to $16.45–$16.55 — the core catalyst lifting the stock. Why General Dynamics (GD) Is Up 5.6% After Raising 2026 EPS Guidance On Marine Strength
• Positive Sentiment: High‑profile price target upgrades: Morgan Stanley raised its target to $435 (overweight) and JPMorgan lifted its target to $400 (overweight), signaling dealer confidence in GD’s Marine and Aerospace momentum. Morgan Stanley raises price target on General Dynamics to $435
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts mixed but generally positive: RBC reaffirmed a sector‑perform view with a $385 target, keeping some moderation in expectations despite the beat. RBC reaffirms sector perform on GD
• Neutral Sentiment: Defense demand backdrop: industry writes point to stronger defense spending and large backlogs (e.g., Northrop Grumman’s backlog), and reports that U.S. bases in the Middle East may need rebuilding — supportive for long‑term revenue but increases near‑term volatility. Northrop Grumman Gains From Strong Backlog and Rising Defense Demand
• Negative Sentiment: Some broker trims: BNP Paribas Exane cut its target to $390 (still outperform) and DA Davidson trimmed its target to $375 — these reductions add near‑term pressure and show differing views on sustainable upside. BNP Paribas adjusts price target on General Dynamics to $390 from $430 DA Davidson trims price target on General Dynamics to $375

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.