GD vs LDOS vs MSI Stock Comparison

General Dynamics, Leidos Holdings and Motorola Solutions Prices as of Oct 23, 2026 Peers: Industry group
GD General Dynamics Corp
$349.38 +1.8% 1M +2.3% 1Y
Market cap
$96.32B
P/E
21.5x
Revenue (TTM)
$54.86B
Div. yield
–
Defense Industrials
4 wins
LDOS Leidos Holdings, Inc.
$136.05 +9.1% 1M -28.9% 1Y
Market cap
$17.60B
P/E
12.8x
Revenue (TTM)
$17.63B
Div. yield
0.01%
Defense Industrials
3 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Motorola Solutions leads on 5 of the 12 questions below (Motorola Solutions 5, General Dynamics 4, Leidos Holdings 3). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionGDLDOSMSILeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $96.32B $17.60B $80.49B GD
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 21.5x 12.8x 37.7x LDOS
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 19.9x 10.7x 26.2x LDOS
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +9.1% +3.4% +10.3% MSI
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 8.2% 7.8% 17.4% MSI
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 13.6% 13.9% 20.3% MSI
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 0.5x 2.3x 2.3x GD
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.01% 0.01% LDOS
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +2.3% -28.9% +8.4% MSI
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +10.8%/yr +5.9%/yr +14.1%/yr MSI
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 22.3% 35.5% 26.2% GD
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 73/100 71/100 55/100 GD

Percentile Scorecard

GDLDOSMSI

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

AxisGDLDOSMSI
Valuation 86 #15 of 100 98 #3 of 100 48 #53 of 100
Growth 54 #45 of 97 58 #41 of 97 45 #54 of 97
Profitability 77 #23 of 96 84 #16 of 96 99 #2 of 96
Financial Health 62 #41 of 106 36 #68 of 106 21 #84 of 106
Shareholder Returns 88 #9 of 65 77 #16 of 65 63 #25 of 65
Overall 73 71 55
  • GD ranked among 107 companies in Aerospace and Defense
  • LDOS ranked among 107 companies in Aerospace and Defense
  • MSI 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

PeriodGDLDOSMSISPY
1 month +1.8%+9.1%+4.6% -1.0%
3 months -9.6%+21.3%+15.4% +2.9%
6 months +11.5%-6.9%+10.0% +6.4%
Year to date +3.8%-24.6%+25.7% +11.4%
1 year +2.3%-28.9%+8.4% +13.1%
3 years +49.9%+49.5%+71.3% +79.4%
3 years, per year +14.5%+14.4%+19.7% +21.5%
5 years +66.8%+33.3%+93.2% +67.7%
5 years, per year +10.8%+5.9%+14.1% +10.9%
10 years +132.6%+224.5%+554.7% +255.2%
10 years, per year +8.8%+12.5%+20.7% +13.5%

Risk

MeasureGDLDOSMSISPY
Volatility, 1Y 22.3%35.5%26.2% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 20.9%37.0%27.0% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.340.240.12 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.10-0.820.32 1.03
Max drawdown, 5Y -23.0%-50.3%-27.9% -25.4%
From 52-week high -11.8%-31.8%-1.9% -2.5%
52-week high $395.97$199.55$491.32 $779.14
52-week low $312.53$100.00$363.83 $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.

MultipleGDLDOSMSI
P/E now vs peer median 21.0xmedian 26.2x 12.5xmedian 26.2x 37.4xmedian 26.2x
P/S now vs peer median 1.7xmedian 2.9x 1.0xmedian 2.9x 6.5xmedian 2.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 14.9xmedian 14.7x 9.6xmedian 14.7x 24.5xmedian 14.7x
P/FCF now vs peer median 14.7xmedian 24.9x 7.9xmedian 24.9x 29.8xmedian 24.9x
P/B now vs peer median 3.5xmedian 2.4x 3.2xmedian 2.4x 29.7xmedian 2.4x
PEG now vs peer median 2.05median 0.92 0.44median 0.92 2.83median 0.92

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 monthsGDLDOSMSI
Revenue $54.86B $17.63B $12.24B
Gross profit $8.44B $3.14B $6.36B
Operating income $5.66B $2.03B $3.05B
Net income $4.49B $1.40B $2.14B
Free cash flow $6.45B $2.16B $2.68B
R&D – – $1.02B
EPS (diluted) $16.40 $10.92 $12.76
Cash & equivalents $4.33B $748.00M $710.00M
Total debt $32.26B $21.66B $36.50B
Shares (diluted) 273.52M 126.00M 167.20M
Enterprise value $83.43B $14.32B $76.84B

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
MetricGDLDOSMSI
P/E 21.0x 12.5x 37.4x
P/FCF 14.7x 7.9x 29.8x
P/Operating cash flow 12.3x 7.4x 26.8x
P/S 1.7x 1.0x 6.5x
P/B 3.5x 3.2x 29.7x
P/Tangible book 3.7x 3.9x -303.3x
EV/EBITDA 14.9x 9.6x 24.5x
EV/EBIT 17.3x 11.0x 28.9x
EV/Revenue 1.8x 1.3x 7.2x
EV/FCF 15.2x 10.3x 32.9x
EV/Operating cash flow 12.7x 9.7x 29.6x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 2.05 0.44 2.83

Growth

14 metrics
MetricGDLDOSMSI
Revenue growth (1Y) 9.1% 3.4% 10.3%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 10.3% 5.9% 8.2%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 8.9% 4.8% 11.7%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 8.6% 14.4% 11.3%
Operating income growth (1Y) 9.4% -0.4% 8.9%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 10.3% 21.1% 15.4%
Net income growth (1Y) 9.8% -0.8% 0.8%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 10.0% 24.8% 12.0%
EPS growth (1Y) 8.8% 1.3% 1.8%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 10.2% 28.6% 13.2%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 53.3% 54.9% 13.9%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 23.0% 35.7% 19.4%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 56.1% 63.2% 12.3%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 28.7% 41.7% 21.4%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricGDLDOSMSI
Gross margin 15.4% 17.8% 52.0%
EBITDA margin 12.0% 13.2% 29.4%
Operating margin 10.3% 11.5% 24.9%
Pretax margin 9.9% 10.2% 22.6%
Net margin 8.2% 7.8% 17.4%
FCF margin 11.8% 12.3% 21.9%
Operating cash flow margin 14.0% 13.0% 24.3%
Return on equity 17.0% 26.8% 81.5%
Return on assets 7.5% 9.0% 11.2%
Return on invested capital 13.6% 13.9% 20.3%
Return on capital employed 13.9% 16.5% 22.4%
Asset turnover 0.9x 1.1x 0.6x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.7x 1.6x 1.4x
Stock comp / revenue 0.4% 0.6% 2.9%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricGDLDOSMSI
Debt / assets 12.5% 38.6% 46.9%
Debt / equity 0.3x 1.1x 3.4x
Net debt / EBITDA 0.5x 2.3x 2.3x
Debt / FCF 1.2x 2.8x 3.4x
Liabilities / assets 55.4% 65.9% 86.0%
Equity / assets 44.6% 34.1% 14.0%
Interest coverage – – 6.9x
Current ratio 1.4x 1.6x 1.1x
Quick ratio 2.8x 1.4x 0.8x
Cash ratio 0.2x 0.2x 0.1x
Altman Z-score 4.15 3.17 4.28

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricGDLDOSMSI
Dividend yield 1.8% 1.3% 1.0%
Net buyback yield 0.4% 3.9% 1.3%
Shareholder yield 2.2% 5.1% 2.3%
Payout ratio (earnings) – 15.5% 35.8%
Payout ratio (FCF) – 10.0% 28.6%
Dividend growth (1Y) – 3.3% 10.7%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – 2.8% 11.0%

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.

ConsensusGDLDOSMSI
Forward P/E 19.9xFY2026 10.7xFY2026 26.2xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $17.55FY2026 $12.75FY2026 $18.41FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +13.6%FY2026 +6.3%FY2026 +19.7%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +9.0% -9.0% +10.4%
Revenue, next fiscal year $53.42BFY2026 $17.52BFY2026 $12.12BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +1.7%FY2026 +2.0%FY2026 +3.8%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +12.7% +14.9% +8.2%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersGDLDOSMSI
Held by institutions 86.5% 79.3% 88.3%
Institutions holding 2,217 773 1,466
Change in shares held, QoQ +0.1% +4.1% +3.4%
Institutions buying 1,018 380 639
Institutions selling 831 294 596
Buyers to sellers 1.23 1.29 1.07

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.

GDLDOSMSI
GD 1.00 0.50 0.22
LDOS 0.50 1.00 0.24
MSI 0.22 0.24 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, GD, LDOS and MSI?

General Dynamics (GD) is the largest by market capitalisation: General Dynamics (GD) $96.32B, Leidos Holdings (LDOS) $17.60B, Motorola Solutions (MSI) $80.49B.

Which stock is cheaper, GD, LDOS and MSI?

Leidos Holdings (LDOS) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (General Dynamics (GD) 21.5x, Leidos Holdings (LDOS) 12.8x, Motorola Solutions (MSI) 37.7x). On next year's consensus earnings, Leidos Holdings (LDOS) is cheapest (General Dynamics (GD) 19.9x, Leidos Holdings (LDOS) 10.7x, Motorola Solutions (MSI) 26.2x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Motorola Solutions (MSI) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: General Dynamics (GD) +9.1%, Leidos Holdings (LDOS) +3.4%, Motorola Solutions (MSI) +10.3%.

Which company is more profitable?

Motorola Solutions (MSI) has the highest net margin (General Dynamics (GD) 8.2%, Leidos Holdings (LDOS) 7.8%, Motorola Solutions (MSI) 17.4%). On return on invested capital, Motorola Solutions (MSI) leads (General Dynamics (GD) 13.6%, Leidos Holdings (LDOS) 13.9%, Motorola Solutions (MSI) 20.3%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Motorola Solutions (MSI) returned the most: General Dynamics (GD) +2.3%, Leidos Holdings (LDOS) -28.9%, Motorola Solutions (MSI) +8.4%. Over five years, Motorola Solutions (MSI) compounded fastest (General Dynamics (GD) +10.8%/yr, Leidos Holdings (LDOS) +5.9%/yr, Motorola Solutions (MSI) +14.1%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Leidos Holdings (LDOS) has the highest dividend yield: General Dynamics (GD) 0.00%, Leidos Holdings (LDOS) 0.01%, Motorola Solutions (MSI) 0.01%. General Dynamics (GD) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, General Dynamics (GD) has been the steadiest (General Dynamics (GD) 22.3%, Leidos Holdings (LDOS) 35.5%, Motorola Solutions (MSI) 26.2%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, GD, LDOS and MSI?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Motorola Solutions (MSI) 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.