General Dynamics (GD) Beats Stock Market Upswing: What Investors Need to Know

General Dynamics (GD) closed at $284.01 in the latest trading session, marking a +0.6% move from the prior day. The stock outpaced the S&P 500's daily gain of 0.56%. Meanwhile, the Dow gained 0.42%, and the Nasdaq, a tech-heavy index, added 0.83%.Shares of the defense contractor have depreciated by 3.19% over the course of the past month, underperforming the Aerospace sector's gain of 0.36% and the S&P 500's gain of 3.11%.Analysts and investors alike will be keeping a close eye on the performance of General Dynamics in its upcoming earnings disclosure. On that day, General Dynamics is projected to report earnings of $4.50 per share, which would represent year-over-year growth of 23.63%. Our most recent consensus estimate is calling for quarterly revenue of $13.57 billion, up 16.28% from the year-ago period.In terms of the entire fiscal year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates predict earnings of $13.98 per share and a revenue of $48.02 billion, indicating changes of +16.31% and +13.59%, respectively, from the former year.Furthermore, it would be beneficial for investors to monitor any recent shifts in analyst projections for General Dynamics. Recent revisions tend to reflect the latest near-term business trends. Hence, positive alterations in estimates signify analyst optimism regarding the company's business and profitability.Our research reveals that these estimate alterations are directly linked with the stock price performance in the near future. To exploit this, we've formed the Zacks Rank, a quantitative model that includes these estimate changes and presents a viable rating system.The Zacks Rank system, ranging from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), possesses a remarkable history of outdoing, externally audited, with #1 stocks returning an average annual gain of +25% since 1988. Over the last 30 days, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has witnessed a 0.02% increase. Right now, General Dynamics possesses a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).In the context of valuation, General Dynamics is at present trading with a Forward P/E ratio of 20.19. For comparison, its industry has an average Forward P/E of 20.64, which means General Dynamics is trading at a discount to the group.We can additionally observe that GD currently boasts a PEG ratio of 1.71. The PEG ratio is similar to the widely-used P/E ratio, but this metric also takes the company's expected earnings growth rate into account. Aerospace - Defense stocks are, on average, holding a PEG ratio of 1.71 based on yesterday's closing prices.The Aerospace - Defense industry is part of the Aerospace sector. This group has a Zacks Industry Rank of 167, putting it in the bottom 34% of all 250+ industries.The Zacks Industry Rank evaluates the power of our distinct industry groups by determining the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks forming the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.Don't forget to use Zacks.com to keep track of all these stock-moving metrics, and others, in the upcoming trading sessions.Free Today: Profiting from The Future’s Brightest Energy SourceThe demand for electricity is growing exponentially. At the same time, we’re working to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels like oil and natural gas. Nuclear energy is an ideal replacement.Leaders from the US and 21 other countries recently committed to TRIPLING the world’s nuclear energy capacities. This aggressive transition could mean tremendous profits for nuclear-related stocks – and investors who get in on the action early enough.Our urgent report, Atomic Opportunity: Nuclear Energy's Comeback, explores the key players and technologies driving this opportunity, including 3 standout stocks poised to benefit the most.Download Atomic Opportunity: Nuclear Energy's Comeback free today.Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report General Dynamics Corporation (GD): Free Stock Analysis ReportTo read this article on Zacks.com click here.Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks