General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) Sets New 52-Week High – Here’s What Happened

General Dynamics Corporation (NYSE:GD) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $387.32 and last traded at $386.8720, with a volume of 115553 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $373.16.

More General Dynamics News

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?

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of General Dynamics from $385.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. DA Davidson dropped their target price on General Dynamics from $384.00 to $375.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on General Dynamics in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $400.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $385.00 price target on shares of General Dynamics in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price objective on General Dynamics from $380.00 to $364.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $391.15.

General Dynamics Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $104.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.32, a price-to-earnings-growth 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’s fifty day simple moving average is $356.19 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $351.77.

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The aerospace company reported $4.10 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.67 by $0.43. The company 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 company’s revenue was up 10.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.66 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that General Dynamics Corporation will post 16.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

General Dynamics Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity at General Dynamics

In other General Dynamics news, Director Mark Malcolm sold 5,480 shares of the 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 transaction, the director owned 10,643 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,884,695. This trade represents a 33.99% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Mark Lagrand Burns sold 36,480 shares of General Dynamics stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $345.29, for a total value of $12,596,179.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 38,975 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,457,677.75. The trade was a 48.35% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 78,190 shares of company stock worth $27,041,022 in the last 90 days. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On General Dynamics

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of General Dynamics by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 24,767,330 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $8,338,169,000 after purchasing an additional 528,769 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in shares of General Dynamics by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 11,323,170 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $3,812,058,000 after buying an additional 294,456 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of General Dynamics by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,065,462 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $2,039,742,000 after buying an additional 195,604 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in shares of General Dynamics by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 5,307,389 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,786,786,000 after buying an additional 114,647 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in General Dynamics by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,443,453 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,159,273,000 after acquiring an additional 110,536 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.14% of the company’s stock.

General Dynamics Company Profile

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.