General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) Stock Gets Price Target Increase from Morgan Stanley

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) had its price objective raised by equities researchers at Morgan Stanley from $465.00 to $480.00 in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “overweight” rating on the aerospace company’s stock. Morgan Stanley‘s target price suggests a potential upside of 27.94% from the company’s current price.

Several other research analysts also recently commented on the company. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $455.00 target price on shares of General Dynamics in a report on Monday. BNP Paribas Exane raised their price target on General Dynamics from $390.00 to $430.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $384.00 price objective on shares of General Dynamics in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on General Dynamics from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Susquehanna raised their target price on General Dynamics from $420.00 to $455.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $408.94.

General Dynamics Price Performance

Shares of General Dynamics stock traded up $1.71 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $375.17. 443,522 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,293,375. The company has a market cap of $101.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.33. The company has a current ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $351.22 and a 200 day simple moving average of $355.11. General Dynamics has a fifty-two week low of $306.77 and a fifty-two week high of $400.00.

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 30th. The aerospace company reported $4.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.12 by $0.37. The firm had revenue of $14.57 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.72 billion. General Dynamics had a net margin of 8.18% and a return on equity of 17.43%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 12.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.88 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that General Dynamics will post 16.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Robert K. Steel sold 7,440 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $346.05, for a total value of $2,574,612.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 3,096 shares in the company, valued at $1,071,370.80. This trade represents a 70.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 1.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GD. Whipplewood Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in General Dynamics by 1,725.0% in the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 73 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 69 shares during the period. Wellington Altus USA Inc. lifted its stake in shares of General Dynamics by 77.8% in the 2nd quarter. Wellington Altus USA Inc. now owns 80 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the period. Downshift Financial LLC boosted its position in shares of General Dynamics by 134.3% in the 3rd quarter. Downshift Financial LLC now owns 82 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of General Dynamics by 182.8% in the 3rd quarter. Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC now owns 82 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Finally, John Boyer Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of General Dynamics during the third quarter worth $28,000. 86.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

General Dynamics News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Raised 2026 guidance: General Dynamics now expects fiscal 2026 earnings per share of $17.20–$17.30, above the $17.00 consensus, and revenue of $56.5–$56.8 billion versus expectations of $55.9 billion. General Dynamics updated fiscal 2026 guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Record backlog supports long-term growth: Backlog reached approximately $220.3 billion—nearly double prior levels—helped by nuclear-submarine awards and strong defense demand. The backlog provides substantial future revenue visibility across Marine Systems, Aerospace, Combat Systems and Technologies. General Dynamics nuclear submarine awards drive backlog
• Positive Sentiment: Strong quarterly performance: Third-quarter revenue rose 12.9% year over year to $14.57 billion, while EPS of $4.49 exceeded the $4.12 consensus. Broad-based growth, productivity improvements and robust orders reinforced the company’s growth outlook. General Dynamics Q3 backlog and segment growth
• Positive Sentiment: Additional defense contract: General Dynamics Mission Systems received a contract modification to advance the MEDUSA program, adding to evidence of continued government demand. MEDUSA contract modification
• Neutral Sentiment: Higher analyst targets, but no bullish rating shift: Citigroup and RBC raised their price targets to $400, while retaining neutral or sector-perform ratings.
• Negative Sentiment: Execution and valuation risks remain: Analysts highlighted the challenge of converting the huge backlog into profitable deliveries, particularly in shipbuilding. BTIG maintained a Hold rating, while commentary also flagged the stock’s valuation and potential execution risk as a “catch.” General Dynamics execution risks

General Dynamics Company Profile

General Dynamics Corporation (NYSE: GD) is a global aerospace and defense company that develops, manufactures and supports products and services for government and commercial customers. Its operations serve the U.S. government, allied nations and other customers worldwide, with a significant focus on national security, military modernization and mission support.

The company operates through four primary business areas. Aerospace provides Gulfstream business jets and related aircraft services through Gulfstream Aerospace, as well as aircraft management, charter, maintenance and completions services through Jet Aviation.