Zacks Research Has Positive Forecast for GD Q1 Earnings

General Dynamics Co. (NYSE:GD) – Equities researchers at Zacks Research increased their Q1 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of General Dynamics in a note issued to investors on Monday, January 13th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now forecasts that the aerospace company will post earnings of $4.12 per share for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $4.11. The consensus estimate for General Dynamics’ current full-year earnings is $13.81 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for General Dynamics’ Q2 2026 earnings at $2.87 EPS and Q3 2026 earnings at $4.86 EPS.

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The aerospace company reported $3.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.48 by ($0.13). General Dynamics had a return on equity of 16.59% and a net margin of 7.90%. The business had revenue of $11.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11.65 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.04 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis.

Several other analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Vertical Research cut General Dynamics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $352.00 to $290.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Susquehanna reduced their price target on General Dynamics from $330.00 to $315.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on General Dynamics from $295.00 to $279.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their target price on shares of General Dynamics from $303.00 to $295.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut shares of General Dynamics from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $330.00 to $290.00 in a report on Thursday, December 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $304.53.

General Dynamics Price Performance

General Dynamics stock opened at $268.97 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. General Dynamics has a 52-week low of $247.36 and a 52-week high of $316.90. The firm has a market cap of $73.96 billion, a PE ratio of 20.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.61. The company’s 50 day moving average is $274.45 and its two-hundred day moving average is $288.45.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in shares of General Dynamics by 0.8% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 14,205,330 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $4,292,851,000 after buying an additional 109,618 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in General Dynamics by 9.4% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 10,945,110 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $3,307,612,000 after acquiring an additional 943,247 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its stake in shares of General Dynamics by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 7,829,662 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $2,366,124,000 after purchasing an additional 189,904 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of General Dynamics by 13.0% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,557,404 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,674,998,000 after purchasing an additional 638,342 shares during the period. Finally, FMR LLC lifted its holdings in shares of General Dynamics by 0.5% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 4,940,537 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,493,030,000 after purchasing an additional 24,464 shares during the period. 86.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at General Dynamics

In related news, VP Christopher J. Brady sold 5,540 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.91, for a total value of $1,556,241.40. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 20,296 shares in the company, valued at $5,701,349.36. This represents a 21.44 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

General Dynamics Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 17th will be issued a $1.42 dividend. This represents a $5.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.11%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 17th. General Dynamics’s payout ratio is currently 43.26%.

General Dynamics declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, December 4th that permits the company to repurchase 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the aerospace company to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

About General Dynamics

General Dynamics Corporation operates as an aerospace and defense company worldwide. It operates through four segments: Aerospace, Marine Systems, Combat Systems, and Technologies. The Aerospace segment produces and sells business jets; and offers aircraft maintenance and repair, management, aircraft-on-ground support and completion, charter, staffing, and fixed-base operator services.