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General Dynamics (GD) Gains But Lags Market: What You Should Know

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General Dynamics (GD - Free Report) closed at $236.81 in the latest trading session, marking a +0.64% move from the prior day. This change lagged the S&P 500's 2.57% gain on the day. Meanwhile, the Dow gained 2%, and the Nasdaq, a tech-heavy index, added 0.3%.

Heading into today, shares of the defense contractor had gained 9.72% over the past month, outpacing the Aerospace sector's gain of 2.53% and the S&P 500's loss of 7.68% in that time.

Investors will be hoping for strength from General Dynamics as it approaches its next earnings release. The company is expected to report EPS of $2.48, unchanged from the prior-year quarter. Our most recent consensus estimate is calling for quarterly revenue of $8.98 billion, down 4.39% from the year-ago period.

GD's full-year Zacks Consensus Estimates are calling for earnings of $12.12 per share and revenue of $39.39 billion. These results would represent year-over-year changes of +4.94% and +2.4%, respectively.

Investors might also notice recent changes to analyst estimates for General Dynamics. These revisions help to show the ever-changing nature of near-term business trends. With this in mind, we can consider positive estimate revisions a sign of optimism about the company's business outlook.

Research indicates that these estimate revisions are directly correlated with near-term share price momentum. We developed the Zacks Rank to capitalize on this phenomenon. Our system takes these estimate changes into account and delivers a clear, actionable rating model.

The Zacks Rank system, which ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), has an impressive outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks generating an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Within the past 30 days, our consensus EPS projection has moved 0.01% lower. General Dynamics is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).

In terms of valuation, General Dynamics is currently trading at a Forward P/E ratio of 19.42. For comparison, its industry has an average Forward P/E of 18.1, which means General Dynamics is trading at a premium to the group.

Also, we should mention that GD has a PEG ratio of 2.02. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. The Aerospace - Defense industry currently had an average PEG ratio of 2.72 as of yesterday's close.

The Aerospace - Defense industry is part of the Aerospace sector. This group has a Zacks Industry Rank of 110, putting it in the top 44% of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank includes is listed in order from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

To follow GD in the coming trading sessions, be sure to utilize Zacks.com.


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