General Dynamics is a defense contractor with leading market positions in business aviation and aircraft services, land and amphibious combat systems, mission-critical information systems and technologies, and shipbuilding and marine systems. Headquartered in Reston, VA, the company has about 100,000 employees. Its shares are a component of the S&P 500.

Another week and another (fourth-consecutive) set of positive insider-sentiment data from Vickers Stock Research. Let's jump right in, looking at exchange data. Vickers' NYSE One-Week Sell/Buy Ratio is currently 1.44 on a scale where any result below 2.00 is bullish. This ratio has been bullish for four weeks in a row. The ongoing strength in the one-week data has now also pushed Vickers' longer-term (eight-week) sentiment reading into bullish territory. Indeed, the NYSE Eight-Week Sell/Buy Ratio is now bullish at 1.83. Turning to the Nasdaq, the One-Week Sell/Buy Ratio is essentially flat with last week at 2.67, which is just into the neutral zone (which runs from 2.00 to 6.00). Still, the short-term Nasdaq reading has been generally improving for multiple weeks and has led the Nasdaq Eight-Week Sell/Buy Ratio (currently 2.98) on a trend of improvement that is now 10 weeks in duration. Putting this all together, Vickers Total (all exchanges) One-Week Sell/Buy Ratio is now 2.05 (oh-so-close to bullish) and the Total Eight-Week Sell/Buy Ratio is now 2.34 (neutral but having improved for 10 consecutive weeks). When this run of bullish data began back on April 7, the S&P 500 was at 5062. On Friday, it closed at 5686, almost 12% higher. On a sector basis, insider buying narrowly exceeded selling in Consumer Discretionary last week, with shares valued at $6.44 million bought versus $6.42 million sold. Buying also outpaced selling in Energy -- although volume was light, with less than $1 million shares bought during the period. Selling was the greatest in the Financial sector over the last week, with shares valued at $73 million sold versus less than $4 million bought. Selling was also notable in Healthcare, Industrials, Real Estate, and Information Technology. This week, analysts at Vickers highlighted insider transactions of interest at Molina Healthcare Inc. (NYSE: MOH) and BlackRock Inc. (NYSE: BLK).

At the start of the year, Argus Research identified 10 Investment Themes for 2025. A lot has changed since January 1, with the Trump administration rolling out its trade and cost-cutting agenda. Our themes transcend policies and reflect broad economic and global trends. This week, we take a deep dive into Argus 2025 Theme 8, Aerospace and Defense. Years of under-investment in commercial aircraft and military equipment, coupled with a resurgence in airline travel and recent geopolitical tensions, bodes well for the aerospace and defense industry. On the defense side, we expect solid U.S. government military spending over the next few years as our country looks to counter recent technical advances in the arsenals of adversaries. No doubt, the U.S. budget will also replenish equipment sold to other countries as well. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the proposed 2025 defense budget is $850 billion. International orders will increase the amount spent globally on defense as Donald Trump has pushed foreign allies to fulfil their share of defense spending. These international orders generally come with higher margins for U.S. defense companies, giving them a boost in profitability. On the commercial aircraft side, the recovering global airline industry should help to boost commercial aerospace demand. The global passenger projection for 2024 was about 9.5 billion, or 104% of the 2019 level, representing 10% growth from 2023. We expect this number to continue accelerating in 2025 as lower interest rates put more money in the pockets of consumers and the Trump administration enacts policies to lower the price of petroleum products, including aviation fuel. We look for increased investment in new aircraft as aerospace companies modernize their fleets amid cuts in all but the most-crucial expenditures since the COVID-19 pandemic. Maintenance, repair, and overhaul services (MRO) also should provide tailwinds for companies in the industry, given the recovery in airline flight hours. Record backlogs in aerospace and defense, coupled with the resolution of the machinist strike at Boeing last fall, should also help to drive sales. This week, our list looks at companies in the Aerospace and Defense industry that should benefit from the above trends. All of the below stocks currently are on the Argus BUY list.

General Dynamics is a defense contractor and business jet manufacturer. The firm’s segments are aerospace, marine, combat systems, and technologies. General Dynamics' aerospace segment manufactures Gulfstream business jets and operates a global aircraft servicing operation. Combat systems produces land-based combat vehicles such as the M1 Abrams tank and Stryker armored personnel carrier, as well as munitions. The marine segment builds and services nuclear-powered submarines, destroyers, and other ships. The technologies segment contains two main units: an IT business that primarily serves the government market and a mission systems business that focuses on products that provide command, control, computing, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities to the military.