- Fourth-quarter net earnings of $1 billion, diluted EPS of $3.64, on revenue of $11.7 billion
- Highest quarterly EPS and revenue in company history
- $1.2 billion net cash provided by operating activities, or 119% of net earnings
- Ended the quarter with $93.6 billion in backlog
RESTON, Va. – General Dynamics (NYSE: GD) today reported quarterly net earnings of $1 billion, or $3.64 diluted earnings per share (EPS). Revenue of $11.7 billion was up 7.5% over the year-ago quarter.
For the full year, net earnings were $3.3 billion, or $12.02 per diluted share. Full-year revenue was $42.3 billion, a 7.3% increase from 2022.
“We had a solid fourth quarter, capping off a year that saw growth in all four segments and continued strong cash flow,” said Phebe N. Novakovic, chairman and chief executive officer. “Our Aerospace segment in particular saw solid execution and continued demand in the quarter and is well positioned for a surge in deliveries upon FAA certification of the G700.”
Cash
Net cash provided by operating activities in the quarter totaled $1.2 billion, or 119% of net earnings. For the year, net cash provided by operating activities totaled a record-high $4.7 billion, or 142% of net earnings.
During the year, the company reduced debt by $1.2 billion, invested $904 million in capital expenditures, paid $1.4 billion in dividends, and used $434 million to repurchase shares, ending 2023 with $1.9 billion in cash and equivalents on hand.
Backlog
Orders remained strong across the company with a consolidated book-to-bill ratio, defined as orders divided by revenue, of 0.8- to-1 for the quarter and 1.1-to-1 for the year. Backlog of $93.6 billion was the highest year-end backlog in the company’s history. In addition to backlog, estimated potential contract value, representing management’s estimate of additional value in unfunded indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contracts and unexercised options, was $38.3 billion at year end. Total estimated contract value, the sum of all backlog components, was $132 billion at the end of the year.
In the Aerospace segment, orders in the quarter totaled $3.2 billion, growing backlog to $20.5 billion, up 4.8% from the year-ago quarter. Aerospace book-to-bill was 1.2-to-1 for the quarter and the year.
In the three defense segments, significant awards in the quarter included an IDIQ contract with maximum potential value of $2.5 billion from the Indian Health Service to modernize its electronic health record system; an IDIQ contract with maximum potential value of $975 million to provide mission command training and technical support services to the U.S. Army; $395 million, with options having maximum potential value of $840 million, for maintenance and modernization of two U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke-class (DDG-51) guided-missile destroyers; a contract with maximum potential value of $420 million to provide ongoing lead yard services for the Navy’s DDG-51 program; $265 million for various munitions and ordnance; and $245 million, with maximum potential value of $590 million, for several key 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; ship construction and repair; land combat vehicles, weapons systems and munitions; and technology products and services. General Dynamics employs more than 100,000 people worldwide and generated $42.3 billion in revenue in 2023. More information is available at www.gd.com.
WEBCAST INFORMATION: General Dynamics will webcast its fourth-quarter and full-year 2023 financial results conference call today at 9 a.m. EST. The webcast will be a listen-only audio event available at GD.com. An on-demand replay of the webcast will be available by telephone two hours after the end of the call through January 31, 2024, at 1-800-770-2030 (international: +1 647-362-9199), conference ID 4299949. Charts furnished to investors and securities analysts in connection with General Dynamics’ announcement of its financial results are available at GD.com. General Dynamics intends to supplement those charts on its website after its earnings call today to include information about 2024 guidance presented during the call.
This press release contains forward-looking statements (FLS), including statements about the company’s future operational and financial performance, which are based on management’s expectations, estimates, projections and assumptions. Words such as “expects,” “anticipates,” “plans,” “believes,” “forecasts,” “scheduled,” “outlook,” “estimates,” “should” and variations of these words and similar expressions are intended to identify FLS. In making FLS, we rely on assumptions and analyses based on our experience and perception of historical trends; current conditions and expected future developments; and other factors, estimates and judgments we consider reasonable and appropriate based on information available to us at the time. FLS are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. FLS are not guarantees of future performance and involve factors, risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. Actual future results and trends may differ materially from what is forecast in the FLS. All FLS speak only as of the date they were made. We do not undertake any obligation to update or publicly release revisions to FLS to reflect events, circumstances or changes in expectations after the date of this press release. Additional information regarding these factors is contained in the company’s filings with the SEC, and these factors may be revised or supplemented in future SEC filings. In addition, this press release contains some financial measures not prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). While we believe these non-GAAP metrics provide useful information for investors, there are limitations associated with their use, and our calculations of these metrics may not be comparable to similarly titled measures of other companies. Non-GAAP metrics should not be considered in isolation from, or as a substitute for, GAAP measures. Reconciliations to comparable GAAP measures and other information relating to our non-GAAP measures are included in other filings with the SEC, which are available at investorrelations.gd.com.