CW vs GD vs LMT Stock Comparison

Curtiss Wright, General Dynamics and Lockheed Martin Prices as of Oct 26, 2026 Peers: Industry group
CW Curtiss Wright Corp
$476.33 -11.8% 1M -16.6% 1Y
Market cap
$17.63B
P/E
32.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$3.65B
Div. yield
–
Defense Industrials
3 wins
GD General Dynamics Corp
$357.05 +6.1% 1M +1.8% 1Y
Market cap
$95.99B
P/E
21.4x
Revenue (TTM)
$54.86B
Div. yield
–
Defense Industrials
5 wins
LMT Lockheed Martin Corp
$635.32 +22.3% 1M +30.9% 1Y
Market cap
$143.69B
P/E
22.1x
Revenue (TTM)
$79.12B
Div. yield
0.02%
Defense Industrials
3 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

General Dynamics leads on 5 of the 12 questions below (General Dynamics 5, Lockheed Martin 3, Curtiss Wright 3). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionCWGDLMTLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $17.63B $95.99B $143.69B LMT
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 32.6x 21.4x 22.1x GD
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 33.2x 20.3x 21.5x GD
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +10.5% +9.1% +7.9% CW
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 14.8% 8.2% 8.2% CW
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 14.7% 13.6% 26.5% LMT
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 0.6x 0.5x 1.3x GD
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.00% 0.02% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -16.6% +1.8% +30.9% LMT
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +29.7%/yr +11.7%/yr +13.9%/yr CW
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 36.0% 22.3% 30.0% GD
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 68/100 71/100 60/100 GD

Percentile Scorecard

CWGDLMT

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisCWGDLMT
Valuation 52 #49 of 100 85 #16 of 100 68 #33 of 100
Growth 59 #40 of 97 43 #56 of 97 62 #38 of 97
Profitability 95 #6 of 96 78 #22 of 96 90 #11 of 96
Financial Health 66 #36 of 105 62 #41 of 105 41 #62 of 105
Shareholder Returns 67 #22 of 64 86 #10 of 64 40 #39 of 64
Overall 68 71 60
  • CW ranked among 107 companies in Aerospace and Defense
  • GD ranked among 107 companies in Aerospace and Defense
  • LMT ranked among 107 companies in Aerospace and Defense

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodCWGDLMTSPY
1 month -11.8%+6.1%+22.3% -0.8%
3 months -35.9%-8.2%+9.5% +3.5%
6 months -33.6%+14.2%+23.8% +7.0%
Year to date -13.6%+6.1%+31.4% +12.2%
1 year -16.6%+1.8%+30.9% +13.0%
3 years +143.4%+49.9%+43.3% +86.3%
3 years, per year +34.5%+14.4%+12.7% +23.1%
5 years +266.6%+73.5%+92.0% +68.6%
5 years, per year +29.7%+11.7%+13.9% +11.0%
10 years +465.4%+136.2%+154.0% +258.0%
10 years, per year +18.9%+9.0%+9.8% +13.6%

Risk

MeasureCWGDLMTSPY
Volatility, 1Y 36.0%22.3%30.0% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 38.0%20.9%26.5% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.410.33-0.08 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.460.081.03 1.02
Max drawdown, 5Y -41.3%-23.0%-33.2% -25.4%
From 52-week high -39.9%-9.8%-6.1% -1.8%
52-week high $792.61$395.97$676.70 $779.14
52-week low $464.99$312.53$439.19 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleCWGDLMT
P/E now vs peer median 32.5xmedian 26.8x 21.5xmedian 26.8x 22.5xmedian 26.8x
P/S now vs peer median 4.8xmedian 2.9x 1.8xmedian 2.9x 1.9xmedian 2.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 22.4xmedian 15.2x 15.2xmedian 15.2x 14.7xmedian 15.2x
P/FCF now vs peer median 28.1xmedian 25.5x 15.0xmedian 25.5x 17.5xmedian 25.5x
P/B now vs peer median 6.4xmedian 2.5x 3.6xmedian 2.5x 14.6xmedian 2.5x
PEG now vs peer median 1.58median 0.94 2.10median 0.94 64.50median 0.94

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsCWGDLMT
Revenue $3.65B $54.86B $79.12B
Gross profit $1.38B $8.44B $9.28B
Operating income $686.21M $5.66B $9.32B
Net income $541.18M $4.49B $6.51B
Free cash flow $625.29M $6.45B $8.38B
R&D $98.16M – –
EPS (diluted) $14.58 $16.40 $28.13
Cash & equivalents $477.15M $4.33B $5.96B
Total debt $957.39M $7.52B $20.50B
Shares (diluted) 37.12M 273.52M 231.50M
Enterprise value $16.22B $83.10B $127.92B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricCWGDLMT
P/E 32.5x 21.5x 22.5x
P/FCF 28.1x 15.0x 17.5x
P/Operating cash flow 24.4x 12.5x 14.5x
P/S 4.8x 1.8x 1.9x
P/B 6.4x 3.6x 14.6x
P/Tangible book 7.8x 3.8x 17.6x
EV/EBITDA 22.4x 15.2x 14.7x
EV/EBIT 26.3x 17.6x 17.3x
EV/Revenue 4.9x 1.8x 2.0x
EV/FCF 28.9x 15.5x 19.2x
EV/Operating cash flow 25.1x 13.0x 16.0x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 1.58 2.10 64.50

Growth

14 metrics
MetricCWGDLMT
Revenue growth (1Y) 10.5% 9.1% 7.9%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 10.3% 10.3% 5.3%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 11.7% 8.9% 55.0%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 11.1% 8.6% 3.0%
Operating income growth (1Y) 17.3% 9.4% 52.8%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 14.6% 10.3% 3.1%
Net income growth (1Y) 19.9% 9.8% 55.1%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 19.1% 10.0% -2.2%
EPS growth (1Y) 22.4% 8.8% 55.9%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 20.6% 10.2% 0.3%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 25.1% – 59.0%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 21.0% 23.0% 10.6%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 24.2% – 82.5%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 19.5% 28.7% 13.0%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricCWGDLMT
Gross margin 37.7% 15.4% 11.7%
EBITDA margin 22.0% 12.0% 13.9%
Operating margin 18.8% 10.3% 11.8%
Pretax margin 18.9% 9.9% 9.7%
Net margin 14.8% 8.2% 8.2%
FCF margin 17.1% 11.8% 10.6%
Operating cash flow margin 19.7% 14.0% 12.8%
Return on equity 20.0% 17.0% 69.2%
Return on assets 10.1% 7.5% 10.3%
Return on invested capital 14.7% 13.6% 26.5%
Return on capital employed 17.3% 13.9% 23.9%
Asset turnover 0.7x 0.9x 1.2x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.3x 1.7x 1.6x
Stock comp / revenue 0.7% 0.4% 0.5%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricCWGDLMT
Debt / assets 17.5% 12.5% 31.8%
Debt / equity 0.3x 0.3x 2.0x
Net debt / EBITDA 0.6x 0.5x 1.3x
Debt / FCF 1.5x 1.2x 2.4x
Liabilities / assets 49.2% 55.4% 84.4%
Equity / assets 50.8% 44.6% 15.6%
Interest coverage 16.2x – 8.6x
Current ratio 1.6x 1.4x 1.3x
Quick ratio 1.4x 2.8x 1.1x
Cash ratio 0.3x 0.2x 0.2x
Altman Z-score 6.37 4.18 3.81

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricCWGDLMT
Dividend yield 0.2% 1.8% 2.2%
Net buyback yield 2.5% 0.4% 0.5%
Shareholder yield 2.7% 2.1% 2.7%
Payout ratio (earnings) – – 49.2%
Payout ratio (FCF) – – 38.3%
Dividend growth (1Y) – – 1.8%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – – 1.6%

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusCWGDLMT
Forward P/E 33.2xFY2026 20.3xFY2026 21.5xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $14.35FY2026 $17.56FY2026 $29.52FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +8.5%FY2026 +13.7%FY2026 +37.4%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +11.6% +8.9% +7.7%
Revenue, next fiscal year $4.03BFY2026 $53.43BFY2026 $85.91BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +15.2%FY2026 +1.7%FY2026 +14.5%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after -3.9% +12.6% +4.1%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersCWGDLMT
Held by institutions 85.6% 86.5% 75.5%
Institutions holding 946 2,217 2,779
Change in shares held, QoQ +2.8% +0.1% +0.4%
Institutions buying 479 1,018 1,336
Institutions selling 313 831 1,026
Buyers to sellers 1.53 1.23 1.30

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

CWGDLMT
CW 1.00 0.36 0.32
GD 0.36 1.00 0.58
LMT 0.32 0.58 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, CW, GD and LMT?

Lockheed Martin (LMT) is the largest by market capitalisation: Curtiss Wright (CW) $17.63B, General Dynamics (GD) $95.99B, Lockheed Martin (LMT) $143.69B.

Which stock is cheaper, CW, GD and LMT?

General Dynamics (GD) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Curtiss Wright (CW) 32.6x, General Dynamics (GD) 21.4x, Lockheed Martin (LMT) 22.1x). On next year's consensus earnings, General Dynamics (GD) is cheapest (Curtiss Wright (CW) 33.2x, General Dynamics (GD) 20.3x, Lockheed Martin (LMT) 21.5x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Curtiss Wright (CW) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Curtiss Wright (CW) +10.5%, General Dynamics (GD) +9.1%, Lockheed Martin (LMT) +7.9%.

Which company is more profitable?

Curtiss Wright (CW) has the highest net margin (Curtiss Wright (CW) 14.8%, General Dynamics (GD) 8.2%, Lockheed Martin (LMT) 8.2%). On return on invested capital, Lockheed Martin (LMT) leads (Curtiss Wright (CW) 14.7%, General Dynamics (GD) 13.6%, Lockheed Martin (LMT) 26.5%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Lockheed Martin (LMT) returned the most: Curtiss Wright (CW) -16.6%, General Dynamics (GD) +1.8%, Lockheed Martin (LMT) +30.9%. Over five years, Curtiss Wright (CW) compounded fastest (Curtiss Wright (CW) +29.7%/yr, General Dynamics (GD) +11.7%/yr, Lockheed Martin (LMT) +13.9%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Curtiss Wright (CW) 0.00%, General Dynamics (GD) 0.00%, Lockheed Martin (LMT) 0.02%. Curtiss Wright (CW) and General Dynamics (GD) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, General Dynamics (GD) has been the steadiest (Curtiss Wright (CW) 36.0%, General Dynamics (GD) 22.3%, Lockheed Martin (LMT) 30.0%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, CW, GD and LMT?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, General Dynamics (GD) leads on 5. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.