General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) Sets New 52-Week High on Analyst Upgrade

General Dynamics Corporation (NYSE:GD)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday after BNP Paribas Exane raised their price target on the stock from $410.00 to $420.00. BNP Paribas Exane currently has an outperform rating on the stock. General Dynamics traded as high as $367.66 and last traded at $367.5250, with a volume of 547275 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $366.00.

Other analysts have also issued reports about the company. Robert W. Baird set a $390.00 target price on General Dynamics in a report on Monday, October 27th. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of General Dynamics from $370.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 28th. Argus raised their target price on shares of General Dynamics from $345.00 to $380.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 19th. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded shares of General Dynamics from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, September 29th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price target on shares of General Dynamics from $381.00 to $388.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $366.70.

Insider Buying and Selling at General Dynamics

In other General Dynamics news, VP David Paddock sold 20,360 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $334.92, for a total transaction of $6,818,971.20. Following the sale, the vice president owned 36,644 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,272,808.48. The trade was a 35.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting General Dynamics

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

• Positive Sentiment: Won a large U.S. Navy contract (~$988M) to modernize C5ISR networks across ships, aircraft and shore sites — a direct revenue and backlog booster for GD’s mission-systems and IT services businesses, and likely to support near‑term government revenue visibility. General Dynamics Secures a $988M Deal to Modernize C5ISR Networks
• Positive Sentiment: Wolfe Research raised its price target to $415 and kept an outperform rating — signals increased sell‑side conviction and introduces upside vs. current levels, which can attract buyers. Wolfe Research adjusts General Dynamics price target to $415
• Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen lifted its price target to $390 and maintained a buy rating — another analyst upgrade that narrows downside and supports consensus estimates. TD Cowen adjusts price target on General Dynamics to $390
• Positive Sentiment: Unusual options activity: buyers accumulated ~163,813 call contracts (huge spike vs. average), indicating speculative/hedged bullish positioning that can amplify upside if momentum continues. (No direct article link provided.)
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro/sector commentary: an interview highlighting financials and defense as strong sectors may support investor interest in defense names broadly but is not TD‑specific. Financials and defense stocks have done very well, says Evans May Wealth’s Elizabeth Evans
• Neutral Sentiment: Peer news — L3Harris received a large Pentagon investment that’s driving its stock higher; strong flows into competitors can be a one‑off sector tailwind but also means competition for investor capital. L3Harris Blasts Off With a $1 Billion Pentagon Payload (GD)

Hedge Funds Weigh In On General Dynamics

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Dunhill Financial LLC raised its holdings in General Dynamics by 620.0% in the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 72 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp bought a new position in shares of General Dynamics during the third quarter valued at $25,000. Dagco Inc. acquired a new position in shares of General Dynamics during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of General Dynamics in the third quarter worth $26,000. Finally, Burkett Financial Services LLC grew its stake in shares of General Dynamics by 650.0% in the third 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 last quarter. 86.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

General Dynamics Stock Down 0.4%

The firm has a market capitalization of $99.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.80, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.41. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $344.52 and a two-hundred day moving average of $330.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 1.40 and a quick ratio of 0.87.

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

General Dynamics Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 6th. Investors of record on Friday, January 16th will be given a $1.50 dividend. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 16th. General Dynamics’s dividend payout ratio is presently 38.89%.

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.