What does the company do?
General Dynamics Corporation (General Dynamics) offers a portfolio of products and services in business aviation; combat vehicles, weapons systems and munitions; shipbuilding design and construction, and information systems, technologies and services. The Company focuses on delivering products and services to military, federal government, commercial and international customers. General Dynamics operates through four business groups: Aerospace, Combat Systems, Marine Systems, and Information Systems and Technology. On December 19, 2008, the Company acquired AxleTech International, a manufacturer and supplier of axles, suspensions, brakes and aftermarket parts for heavy-payload vehicles for a variety of military and commercial customers. On November 5, 2008, it acquired Jet Aviation of Zurich, Switzerland. On July 22, 2008, it acquired ViPS, Inc. In September 2009, General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems, a business unit of General Dynamics, acquired Axsys Technologies, Inc.
How much does the company sell and earn?
Investors need to know how much stuff or services a company sells, and how much of that total it keeps as income (or profit) to grow its business or return to shareholders. The more of each, the better. In general, look for companies that sell and earn more than peers.
- General Dynamics one-year sales: 31.94 Bil.
Difference from the average for the Aerospace/Defense Products & Services group: 31.71% - General Dynamics one-year income: 2.42 Bil.
Difference from the average for the Aerospace/Defense Products & Services group: 85.31%| Sales & Income (past 12 months) | Company | Industry |
|---|
| Sales | 31.94 Bil | 24.25 Bil | | Income | 2.42 Bil | 1.31 Bil |
How fast is the company growing?
- General Dynamics one-year sales growth: 11.70%.
- General Dynamics one-year income growth: -1.80%.
Difference from the average for the Aerospace/Defense Products & Services group: 7.20 pct. pts.| Sales & Income Growth (past 12 months) | Company | Industry |
|---|
| Sales Growth | 11.70% | -0.80% | | Income Growth | -1.80% | -9.00% |
How profitable is the company?
Investors prefer companies that increase profit margins -- the percentage of sales that they keep -- every year. This is accomplished either by lowering expenses or raising prices. Look for companies that consistently find ways to squeeze more profits out of sales than their peers.
- General Dynamics one-year net profit margin: 7.6%
Difference from the company's 5-year average net profit margin: 0.2 pct. pts.
Difference from the average for the Aerospace/Defense Products & Services group: 1.3 pct. pts.
| Net profit margins (%) |
|---|
| Company | 7.6% | | Company 5-Yr Avg. | 7.4% | | Industry | 6.3% |
How is the company's financial health?
The debt/equity ratio shows how much a firm has borrowed as a percentage of its stock equity. The lower, the better.
- General Dynamics debt/equity ratio: 0.33.
Difference from the average for the Aerospace/Defense Products & Services group: -55.41%.
| | Company | Industry |
|---|
| Debt/equity ratio | 0.33 | 0.74 |
|
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