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How to buy General Dynamics Corporation shares
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General Dynamics Corporation (GD) is a leading aerospace & defense business based in the US. General Dynamics Corporation is listed on the NYSE and employs 100,000 staff. All prices are listed in US Dollars.
How to buy shares in General Dynamics Corporation
- Choose a platform. If you're a beginner, our share-dealing table below can help you choose.
- Open your account. You'll need your ID, bank details and national insurance number.
- Confirm your payment details. You'll need to fund your account with a bank transfer, debit card or credit card.
- Search the platform for stock code: GD in this case.
- Research General Dynamics Corporation shares. The platform should provide the latest information available.
- Buy your General Dynamics Corporation shares. It's that simple.
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What's in this guide?
- Can I buy shares in General Dynamics Corporation?
- Has coronavirus impacted General Dynamics Corporation shares?
- General Dynamics Corporation shares summary
- Compare share dealing platforms
- Is General Dynamics Corporation stock a buy or sell?
- Can I short General Dynamics Corporation shares?
- Is General Dynamics Corporation suitable for ethical investing?
- Are General Dynamics Corporation shares over-valued?
- General Dynamics Corporation's financials
- How volatile are General Dynamics Corporation shares?
- Does General Dynamics Corporation pay a dividend?
- Have General Dynamics Corporation shares ever split?
- Other common questions
How has Coronavirus impacted General Dynamics Corporation's share price?
Since the stock market crash in March caused by coronavirus, General Dynamics Corporation's share price has had significant negative movement.
Its last market close was $138.33, which is 26.26% down on its pre-crash value of $187.6 and 37.57% up on the lowest point reached during the March crash when the shares fell as low as $100.55.
If you had bought $1,000 worth of General Dynamics Corporation shares at the start of February 2020, those shares would have been worth $603.36 at the bottom of the March crash, and if you held on to them, then as of the last market close they'd be worth $782.95.
General Dynamics Corporation share price
Use our graph to track the performance of GD stocks over time.General Dynamics Corporation shares at a glance
Information last updated 2020-09-21.
| 52-week range | $100.55 - $190.08 |
|---|---|
| 50-day moving average | $150.4285 |
| 200-day moving average | $143.2977 |
| Wall St. target price | $168.74 |
| PE ratio | 12.841 |
| Dividend yield | $4.4 (2.81%) |
| Earnings per share (TTM) | $11.268 |
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All investing should be regarded as longer term. The value of your investments can go up and down, and you may get back less than you invest. Capital is at risk.
Is it a good time to buy General Dynamics Corporation stock?
All investing should be regarded as longer term. The value of your investments can go up and down, and you may get back less than you invest. Capital is at risk.
The technical analysis gauge below displays real-time ratings for the timeframes you select. This is not a recommendation, however. It represents a technical analysis based on the most popular technical indicators: Moving Averages, Oscillators and Pivots. Finder might not concur and takes no responsibility.
Is General Dynamics Corporation under- or over-valued?
Valuing General Dynamics Corporation stock is incredibly difficult, and any metric has to be viewed as part of a bigger picture of General Dynamics Corporation's overall performance. However, analysts commonly use some key metrics to help gauge the value of a stock.
General Dynamics Corporation's P/E ratio
General Dynamics Corporation's current share price divided by its per-share earnings (EPS) over a 12-month period gives a "trailing price/earnings ratio" of roughly 13x. In other words, General Dynamics Corporation shares trade at around 13x recent earnings.
That's relatively low compared to, say, the trailing 12-month P/E ratio for the NASDAQ 100 at the end of 2019 (27.29). The low P/E ratio could mean that investors are pessimistic about the outlook for the shares or simply that they're under-valued.
General Dynamics Corporation's PEG ratio
General Dynamics Corporation's "price/earnings-to-growth ratio" can be calculated by dividing its P/E ratio by its growth – to give 2.5574. A low ratio can be interpreted as meaning the shares offer better value, while a higher ratio can be interpreted as meaning the shares offer worse value.
The PEG ratio provides a broader view than just the P/E ratio, as it gives more insight into General Dynamics Corporation's future profitability. By accounting for growth, it could also help you if you're comparing the share prices of multiple high-growth companies.
General Dynamics Corporation's EBITDA
General Dynamics Corporation's EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation) is a whopping $5.2 billion (£4.1 billion).
The EBITDA is a measure of a General Dynamics Corporation's overall financial performance and is widely used to measure a its profitability.
General Dynamics Corporation financials
| Revenue TTM | $38.5 billion |
|---|---|
| Operating margin TTM | 11.39% |
| Gross profit TTM | $7.1 billion |
| Return on assets TTM | 5.58% |
| Return on equity TTM | 24.39% |
| Profit margin | 8.47% |
| Book value | $48.52 |
| Market capitalisation | $40.2 billion |
TTM: trailing 12 months
How to short and sell General Dynamics Corporation shares
- Create a CFD or spread betting account.
- Search for the stock code. E.g. "GD.US"
- Choose your position size.
- Select "sell" rather than "buy".
- Confirm your position and keep tabs on it. You may wish to set limits on your position.
There are currently 2.8 million General Dynamics Corporation shares held short by investors – that's known as General Dynamics Corporation's "short interest". This figure is 8.8% down from 3.1 million last month.
There are a few different ways that this level of interest in shorting General Dynamics Corporation shares can be evaluated.
General Dynamics Corporation's "short interest ratio" (SIR)
General Dynamics Corporation's "short interest ratio" (SIR) is the quantity of General Dynamics Corporation shares currently shorted divided by the average quantity of General Dynamics Corporation shares traded daily (recently around 1.4 million). General Dynamics Corporation's SIR currently stands at 1.97. In other words for every 100,000 General Dynamics Corporation shares traded daily on the market, roughly 1970 shares are currently held short.
To gain some more context, you can compare General Dynamics Corporation's short interest ratio against those of similar companies.
However General Dynamics Corporation's short interest can also be evaluated against the total number of General Dynamics Corporation shares, or, against the total number of tradable General Dynamics Corporation shares (the shares that aren't held by "insiders" or major long-term shareholders – also known as the "float"). In this case General Dynamics Corporation's short interest could be expressed as 0.01% of the outstanding shares (for every 100,000 General Dynamics Corporation shares in existence, roughly 10 shares are currently held short) or 0.0121% of the tradable shares (for every 100,000 tradable General Dynamics Corporation shares, roughly 12 shares are currently held short).
Such a low SIR usually points to an optimistic outlook for the share price, with fewer people currently willing to bet against General Dynamics Corporation.
Find out more about how you can short General Dynamics Corporation stock.
General Dynamics Corporation's environmental, social and governance track record
Environmental, social and governance (known as ESG) criteria are a set of three factors used to measure the sustainability and social impact of companies like General Dynamics Corporation.
When it comes to ESG scores, lower is better, and lower scores are generally associated with lower risk for would-be investors.
General Dynamics Corporation's total ESG risk score
Total ESG risk: 36.87
Socially conscious investors use ESG scores to screen how an investment aligns with their worldview, and General Dynamics Corporation's overall score of 36.87 (as at 08/01/2020) is pretty weak – landing it in it in the 81st percentile of companies rated in the same sector.
ESG scores are increasingly used to estimate the level of risk a company like General Dynamics Corporation is exposed to within the areas of "environmental" (carbon footprint, resource use etc.), "social" (health and safety, human rights etc.), and "governance" (anti-corruption, tax transparency etc.).
General Dynamics Corporation's environmental score
Environmental score: 9.86/100
General Dynamics Corporation's environmental score of 9.86 puts it squarely in the 3rd percentile of companies rated in the same sector. This could suggest that General Dynamics Corporation is a leader in its sector terms of its environmental impact, and exposed to a lower level of risk.
General Dynamics Corporation's social score
Social score: 18.69/100
General Dynamics Corporation's social score of 18.69 puts it squarely in the 3rd percentile of companies rated in the same sector. This could suggest that General Dynamics Corporation is a leader in its sector when it comes to taking good care of its workforce and the communities it impacts.
General Dynamics Corporation's governance score
Governance score: 9.32/100
General Dynamics Corporation's governance score puts it squarely in the 3rd percentile of companies rated in the same sector. That could suggest that General Dynamics Corporation is a leader in its sector when it comes to responsible management and strategy, and exposed to a lower level of risk.
General Dynamics Corporation's controversy score
Controversy score: 3/5
ESG scores also evaluate any incidences of controversy that a company has been involved in. A high-profile company, General Dynamics Corporation scored a 3 out of 5 for controversy – a middle-of-the-table result reflecting that General Dynamics Corporation hasn't always managed to keep its nose clean.
Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) summary
General Dynamics Corporation was last rated for ESG on: 2020-08-01.
| Total ESG score | 36.87 |
|---|---|
| Total ESG percentile | 81.04 |
| Environmental score | 9.86 |
| Environmental score percentile | 3 |
| Social score | 18.69 |
| Social score percentile | 3 |
| Governance score | 9.32 |
| Governance score percentile | 3 |
| Level of controversy | 3 |
General Dynamics Corporation share dividends
Dividend payout ratio: 37.66% of net profits
Recently General Dynamics Corporation has paid out, on average, around 37.66% of net profits as dividends. That has enabled analysts to estimate a "forward annual dividend yield" of 2.81% of the current stock value. This means that over a year, based on recent payouts (which are sadly no guarantee of future payouts), General Dynamics Corporation shareholders could enjoy a 2.81% return on their shares, in the form of dividend payments. In General Dynamics Corporation's case, that would currently equate to about $4.4 per share.
While General Dynamics Corporation's payout ratio might seem fairly standard, it's worth remembering that General Dynamics Corporation may be investing much of the rest of its net profits in future growth.
General Dynamics Corporation's most recent dividend payout was on 13 November 2020. The latest dividend was paid out to all shareholders who bought their shares by 8 October 2020 (the "ex-dividend date").
Have General Dynamics Corporation's shares ever split?
General Dynamics Corporation's shares were split on a 2:1 basis on 27 March 2006. So if you had owned 1 share the day before before the split, the next day you'd have owned 2 shares. This wouldn't directly have changed the overall worth of your General Dynamics Corporation shares – just the quantity. However, indirectly, the new 50% lower share price could have impacted the market appetite for General Dynamics Corporation shares which in turn could have impacted General Dynamics Corporation's share price.
General Dynamics Corporation share price volatility
Over the last 12 months, General Dynamics Corporation's shares have ranged in value from as little as $100.55 up to $190.08. A popular way to gauge a stock's volatility is its "beta".
Beta is a measure of a share's volatility in relation to the market. The market (NYSE average) beta is 1, while General Dynamics Corporation's is 0.9978. This would suggest that General Dynamics Corporation's shares are less volatile than average (for this exchange).
General Dynamics Corporation overview
General Dynamics Corporation operates as an aerospace and defense company worldwide. It operates through five segments: Aerospace, Combat Systems, Information Technology, Mission Systems, and Marine Systems. The Aerospace segment designs, manufactures, and supports business-jet aircraft; and offers business-aviation services, including maintenance, fixed-base operation, government fleet, aircraft management, charter, and staffing services. The Combat Systems segment engages in the design, development, production, modernization, and sustainment of combat vehicles, weapons systems, and munitions. This segment offers wheeled combat and tactical vehicles; main battle tanks and tracked combat vehicles; weapons systems, armaments, and munitions; and maintenance, logistics support, and sustainment services. The Information Technology segment provides information technology (IT), IT infrastructure modernization, and professional services, as well as cloud, cyber, software development, systems engineering, and data analytics services and solutions. The Mission Systems segment offers mission-critical C4ISR products and systems, such as space, intelligence, and cyber systems; ground systems and products; and naval, air, and electronic systems. The Marine Systems segment designs and builds nuclear-powered submarines, surface combatants, and auxiliary and combat-logistics ships for the United States Navy and Jones Act ships for commercial customers. This segment provides nuclear-powered submarines; surface combatants; auxiliary and combat-logistics ships; commercial product carriers and containerships; design and engineering support services; and maintenance, modernization, and lifecycle support services, as well as repair services for navy ships. The company was founded in 1899 and is headquartered in Reston, Virginia.
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