• Net earnings of $834 million and diluted EPS of $2.90, up 33% sequentially
• Operating margin up 240 basis points over second quarter
• Cash from operating activities 134% of net earnings

RESTON, Va. – General Dynamics (NYSE: GD) today reported third-quarter 2020 net earnings of $834 million on revenue of $9.4 billion. Diluted earnings per share (EPS) were $2.90. Revenue was up 1.8% over the previous quarter, while net earnings and diluted EPS grew 33%.

“As we manage through this challenging time, we remain focused on the basics of operating performance, especially cash conversion and the early and aggressive management of costs, as evidenced this quarter by our strong operating margin and return on sales,” said Phebe N. Novakovic, chairman and chief executive officer. “Moreover, we continue to reduce debt and invest in the company for future growth.”

Margin

Company-wide operating margin for the quarter was 11.5%, a 240 basis-point increase from the previous quarter, with a notable increase of 620 basis points in the Aerospace segment’s margin. Return on sales was 8.8%, a 210 basis-point increase over the previous quarter.

Cash

Net cash provided by operating activities in the quarter totaled $1.1 billion, or 134% of net earnings. Free cash flow from operations, defined as net cash provided by operating activities less capital expenditures, was $903 million, a 108% conversion of net earnings.

Capital Deployment

In the third quarter, the company reduced its net debt by $388 million to $11.9 billion, a decrease of 3.2% from the previous quarter. Capital expenditures were $216 million, or 2.3% of revenue.

Backlog

General Dynamics’ total backlog at the end of third-quarter 2020 was $81.5 billion, up 21% from the year-ago quarter. Estimated potential contract value, representing management’s estimate of value in unfunded indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contracts and unexercised options, was $50.4 billion. Total estimated contract value, the sum of all backlog components, was $131.9 billion at the end of the quarter.

Significant awards in the quarter included $870 million to deliver 8x8 combat vehicles and provide maintenance and life cycle support to the Spanish Ministry of Defense; a contract with a maximum potential value of $760 million from the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) for enterprise information technology and cybersecurity services and solutions; a contract with a maximum potential value of $365 million to provide command, control and communications capabilities for the DoD; an IDIQ contract with a maximum potential value of $250 million from the U.S. Army to produce Small Multipurpose Equipment Transport (SMET) vehicles; $240 million from the U.S. Navy for ship maintenance and repair services; a contract with a maximum potential value of $240 million from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for cloud services and software tools; $155 million from the Navy for Advanced Nuclear Plant Studies (ANPS) in support of various submarine programs; $145 million for several key Information Technology contracts to provide intelligence services to classified customers; and $140 million for several key Mission Systems contracts for classified customers.

About General Dynamics

Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, General Dynamics is a global aerospace and defense company that offers a broad portfolio of products and services in business aviation; combat vehicles, weapons systems and munitions; IT services; C4ISR solutions; and shipbuilding and ship repair. General Dynamics employs approximately 100,000 people worldwide and generated $39.4 billion in revenue in 2019. More information is available at www.gd.com.

Certain statements made in this press release, including any statements as to future results of operations and financial projections, may constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. Forward-looking statements are based on management’s expectations, estimates, projections and assumptions. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual future results and trends may differ materially from what is forecast in forward-looking statements due to a variety of factors. Additional information regarding these factors is contained in the company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, without limitation, its Annual Report on Form 10-K, its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and its Current Reports on Form 8-K. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they were made. The company does not undertake any obligation to update or publicly release any revisions to forward-looking statements to reflect events, circumstances or changes in expectations after the date of this press release.

WEBCAST INFORMATION: General Dynamics will webcast its third-quarter 2020 financial results conference call at 9 a.m. EDT on Wednesday, October 28, 2020. The webcast will be a listen-only audio event available at www.gd.com. An on-demand replay of the webcast will be available one hour after the end of the call and end on November 4, 2020. To hear a recording of the conference call by telephone, please call 1-877-344-7529 (international: 1-412-317-0088) passcode 10148284. Charts furnished to investors and securities analysts in connection with General Dynamics’ announcement of its financial results are available at www.gd.com.