General Dynamics (NYSE: GD) today reported quarterly net earnings of $1 billion, or $3.49 per diluted share, on $10.5 billion in revenue. For the full year, net earnings were $3.2 billion, or $11.00 per diluted share, on revenue of $37.9 billion.
On a sequential basis, both net earnings and earnings per share (EPS) were up 20% from the previous quarter. Operating margin was 12.3% in the quarter, up 90 basis points sequentially and up 20 basis points from the year-ago quarter. Backlog grew 9.8% in the quarter to a record-high $89.5 billion.
"Our continued focus on operating performance and on protecting the health and safety of our employees contributed to strong sequential improvements in earnings, margin and cash flow," said Phebe N. Novakovic, chairman and chief executive officer. "Our defense segments continued to capture significant awards, leading to a record-high backlog, while our aerospace segment not only remained very profitable, but actually improved its margins throughout the year, even as the broader business aviation industry contracted severely due to the pandemic."
MarginCompany-wide operating margin was 12.3%, up 90 basis points from the prior quarter. Aerospace margin was 16.5%, up 220 basis points from the prior quarter.
CashNet cash provided by operating activities in the quarter totaled $2.6 billion, or 256% of net earnings. For the year, net cash provided by operating activities totaled $3.9 billion, or 122% of net earnings. Free cash flow from operations, defined as net cash provided by operating activities less capital expenditures, was $2.2 billion for the quarter, a 221% conversion of net earnings, and $2.9 billion for the year, a 91% conversion of net earnings. During the quarter, the company reduced its net debt by $1.7 billion, invested $345 million in capital expenditures, paid $315 million in dividends, and repurchased $100.7 million in shares at an average price of $143.80, ending 2020 with $2.8 billion in cash and equivalents on hand.
BacklogOrders remained strong across the company with a consolidated book-to-bill of 1.8-to-1 for the quarter and 1.1-to-1 for the year. In addition to backlog of $89.5 billion, management's estimate of additional value in unfunded indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contracts and unexercised options was $45.2 billion at year-end. Total estimated contract value, representing the sum of all backlog components was $134.7 billion, up 6.7% for the year.
Significant awards in the fourth quarter included a $9.5 billion option exercise from the U.S. Navy for construction and test of the first two Columbia-class submarines; $4.4 billion maximum potential value contract from the U.S. Department of Defense to provide cloud solutions for Office 365 deployment and migration; a $3.3 billion maximum potential value contract from the U.S. State Department to provide business process support services; a $695 million contract from the U.S. Army to provide information technology and professional services; $620 million for several key contracts for classified customers; a $405 million initial task order on a $4.3 billion maximum potential value contract to upgrade Abrams tanks for the Army; a $230 million initial task order on an Army contract with a maximum potential contract value of $1.2 billion to produce Stryker Initial Maneuver Short-Range Air Defense (IM-SHORAD) vehicles; $375 million from the Navy to provide lead yard services for the Virginia-class submarine program; and $265 million from the Navy for maintenance and repair services for three ship classes.
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 $37.9 billion in revenue in 2020. More information is available at www.gd.com.
