General Dynamics Corporation (NYSE:GD) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of General Dynamics Corporation (NYSE:GD) have been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-eight analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $358.50.

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded General Dynamics from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, October 4th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of General Dynamics in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Argus upped their price target on shares of General Dynamics from $345.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 19th. Robert W. Baird set a $390.00 price target on shares of General Dynamics in a research note on Monday, October 27th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of General Dynamics from $380.00 to $385.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, December 19th.

General Dynamics Stock Performance

General Dynamics stock opened at $353.49 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 1.40 and a quick ratio of 0.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $95.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 0.41. General Dynamics has a 1-year low of $239.20 and a 1-year high of $367.65. The company’s 50-day moving average is $342.31 and its 200 day moving average is $328.33.

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) last announced its earnings results on Friday, October 24th. The aerospace company reported $3.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.69 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $12.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.49 billion. General Dynamics had a return on equity of 18.27% and a net margin of 8.18%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.35 earnings per share. General Dynamics has set its FY 2025 guidance at 15.300-15.35 EPS. Research analysts forecast that General Dynamics will post 14.83 EPS for the current year.

General Dynamics Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 16th will be paid a dividend of $1.50 per share. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 16th. General Dynamics’s payout ratio is currently 38.89%.

General Dynamics News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks highlights General Dynamics’ strong history of earnings surprises and says GD has the setup to beat consensus again, supporting upside to near‑term price and sentiment. Why General Dynamics (GD) Could Beat Earnings Estimates Again
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research has nudged up multiple near‑term and FY EPS estimates for GD (Q1/Q2/Q3 and FY revisions), which reduces downside risk from analyst expectations and can support multiple expansion if results track the upgrades.
• Positive Sentiment: Sector momentum from proposed large increases in U.S. military spending is lifting defense names, benefiting GD as a diversified prime contractor and supplier to the Pentagon. Aerospace, defense stocks surge after Trump’s proposed $1.5 trillion military spending budget — but are investors too optimistic?
• Positive Sentiment: GDIT (a General Dynamics business) won a ~$131M USAF task order for network upgrades — a concrete backlog win that supports revenue visibility in the services/IT segment. GDIT wins $131m task order for USAF network upgrades
• Neutral Sentiment: Outlets and analysts continue to profile GD as a dividend stock and large, diversified defense/corporate-jet manufacturer — a reminder of the company’s income profile and defensive characteristics for long-term investors. Dividend Stock Analysis – General Dynamics
• Negative Sentiment: Political risk: President Trump signed an order to block dividends and buybacks for defense firms until production improves, and his public comments earlier this week triggered volatility across the sector — a direct policy risk to GD’s capital-return profile. Trump signs order to block defense companies from buying back stock until arms production improves
• Negative Sentiment: Ongoing headlines and videos show the sector remains sensitive to political rhetoric (calls to cap buybacks/dividends and limit executive pay), which could cap valuation multiples even if revenue and earnings trends remain strong. Trump Takes on Buybacks, Dividends and Executive Pay at U.S. Defense Contractors

Insider Transactions at General Dynamics

In related news, VP David Paddock sold 20,360 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $334.92, for a total value of $6,818,971.20. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 36,644 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,272,808.48. This represents a 35.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On General Dynamics

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Dunhill Financial LLC lifted its stake in General Dynamics by 620.0% in the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 72 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares during the period. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp purchased a new position in General Dynamics during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Dagco Inc. bought a new stake in shares of General Dynamics in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of General Dynamics in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Finally, Burkett Financial Services LLC lifted its position in shares of General Dynamics by 650.0% in the 3rd quarter. Burkett Financial Services LLC now owns 75 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the period. Institutional investors 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.