GD vs LMT vs CW Stock Comparison

General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin and Curtiss Wright Prices as of Oct 29, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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GD General Dynamics Corp
$371.29 +11.7% 1M +8.1% 1Y
Market cap
$101.12B
P/E
22.5x
Revenue (TTM)
$54.86B
Div. yield
–
Defense Industrials
5 wins
LMT Lockheed Martin Corp
$643.60 +25.7% 1M +32.6% 1Y
Market cap
$147.07B
P/E
22.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$79.12B
Div. yield
0.02%
Defense Industrials
3 wins
CW Curtiss Wright Corp
$497.14 -6.9% 1M -17.4% 1Y
Market cap
$17.52B
P/E
32.4x
Revenue (TTM)
$3.65B
Div. yield
–
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.

QuestionGDLMTCWLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $101.12B $147.07B $17.52B LMT
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 22.5x 22.6x 32.4x GD
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 21.1x 21.8x 34.6x GD
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +9.1% +7.9% +10.5% CW
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 8.2% 8.2% 14.8% CW
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 13.6% 26.5% 14.7% LMT
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 0.5x 1.3x 0.6x GD
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.02% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +8.1% +32.6% -17.4% LMT
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +12.9%/yr +14.1%/yr +31.3%/yr CW
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 22.6% 30.1% 36.0% GD
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 69/100 61/100 67/100 GD

Percentile Scorecard

GDLMTCW

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

AxisGDLMTCW
Valuation 82 #19 of 100 70 #31 of 100 51 #50 of 100
Growth 42 #56 of 96 60 #39 of 96 59 #40 of 96
Profitability 77 #23 of 95 89 #11 of 95 94 #7 of 95
Financial Health 61 #42 of 105 39 #65 of 105 65 #37 of 105
Shareholder Returns 86 #10 of 65 47 #35 of 65 69 #21 of 65
Overall 69 61 67
  • GD ranked among 107 companies in Aerospace and Defense
  • LMT ranked among 107 companies in Aerospace and Defense
  • CW 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

PeriodGDLMTCWSPY
1 month +11.7%+25.7%-6.9% +0.7%
3 months -2.9%+12.1%-30.6% +3.7%
6 months +7.8%+24.3%-31.0% +7.1%
Year to date +10.3%+33.1%-9.8% +12.8%
1 year +8.1%+32.6%-17.4% +11.9%
3 years +55.4%+44.4%+153.4% +85.2%
3 years, per year +15.8%+13.0%+36.4% +22.8%
5 years +83.1%+93.7%+289.4% +67.6%
5 years, per year +12.9%+14.1%+31.3% +10.9%
10 years +145.1%+159.5%+455.6% +262.0%
10 years, per year +9.4%+10.0%+18.7% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureGDLMTCWSPY
Volatility, 1Y 22.6%30.1%36.0% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 20.7%26.7%38.0% 12.6%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.32-0.091.39 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.361.08-0.48 0.94
Max drawdown, 5Y -23.0%-33.2%-41.3% -25.4%
From 52-week high -6.2%-4.9%-37.3% -1.2%
52-week high $395.97$676.70$792.61 $779.14
52-week low $312.53$439.19$464.99 $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.

MultipleGDLMTCW
P/E now vs peer median 22.4xmedian 26.9x 22.8xmedian 26.9x 33.9xmedian 26.9x
P/S now vs peer median 1.8xmedian 3.0x 1.9xmedian 3.0x 5.0xmedian 3.0x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 15.8xmedian 15.0x 14.8xmedian 15.0x 23.4xmedian 15.0x
P/FCF now vs peer median 15.6xmedian 27.2x 17.7xmedian 27.2x 29.4xmedian 27.2x
P/B now vs peer median 3.7xmedian 2.5x 14.8xmedian 2.5x 6.6xmedian 2.5x
PEG now vs peer median 2.18median 0.93 65.34median 0.93 1.65median 0.93

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 monthsGDLMTCW
Revenue $54.86B $79.12B $3.65B
Gross profit $8.44B $9.28B $1.38B
Operating income $5.66B $9.32B $686.21M
Net income $4.49B $6.51B $541.18M
Free cash flow $6.45B $8.38B $625.29M
R&D – – $98.16M
EPS (diluted) $16.40 $28.13 $14.58
Cash & equivalents $4.33B $5.96B $477.15M
Total debt $7.52B $20.50B $957.39M
Shares (diluted) 273.52M 231.50M 37.12M
Enterprise value $88.23B $131.31B $16.11B

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
MetricGDLMTCW
P/E 22.4x 22.8x 33.9x
P/FCF 15.6x 17.7x 29.4x
P/Operating cash flow 13.0x 14.7x 25.5x
P/S 1.8x 1.9x 5.0x
P/B 3.7x 14.8x 6.6x
P/Tangible book 3.9x 17.9x 8.1x
EV/EBITDA 15.8x 14.8x 23.4x
EV/EBIT 18.3x 17.5x 27.5x
EV/Revenue 1.9x 2.1x 5.2x
EV/FCF 16.1x 19.5x 30.1x
EV/Operating cash flow 13.5x 16.1x 26.1x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 2.18 65.34 1.65

Growth

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

Profitability

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

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricGDLMTCW
Debt / assets 12.5% 31.8% 17.5%
Debt / equity 0.3x 2.0x 0.3x
Net debt / EBITDA 0.5x 1.3x 0.6x
Debt / FCF 1.2x 2.4x 1.5x
Liabilities / assets 55.4% 84.4% 49.2%
Equity / assets 44.6% 15.6% 50.8%
Interest coverage – 8.6x 16.2x
Current ratio 1.4x 1.3x 1.6x
Quick ratio 2.8x 1.1x 1.4x
Cash ratio 0.2x 0.2x 0.3x
Altman Z-score 4.25 3.83 6.54

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricGDLMTCW
Dividend yield 1.7% 2.1% 0.2%
Net buyback yield 0.4% 0.5% 2.4%
Shareholder yield 2.0% 2.6% 2.6%
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.

ConsensusGDLMTCW
Forward P/E 21.1xFY2026 21.8xFY2026 34.6xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $17.56FY2026 $29.52FY2026 $14.35FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +13.7%FY2026 +37.4%FY2026 +8.5%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +8.9% +7.7% +11.6%
Revenue, next fiscal year $53.43BFY2026 $85.91BFY2026 $4.03BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +1.7%FY2026 +14.5%FY2026 +15.2%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +12.6% +4.1% -3.9%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersGDLMTCW
Held by institutions 86.6% 75.5% 85.6%
Institutions holding 2,220 2,782 947
Change in shares held, QoQ +0.1% +0.4% +2.8%
Institutions buying 1,020 1,337 480
Institutions selling 832 1,028 313
Buyers to sellers 1.23 1.30 1.53

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.

GDLMTCW
GD 1.00 0.58 0.38
LMT 0.58 1.00 0.33
CW 0.38 0.33 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, GD, LMT and CW?

Lockheed Martin (LMT) is the largest by market capitalisation: General Dynamics (GD) $101.12B, Lockheed Martin (LMT) $147.07B, Curtiss Wright (CW) $17.52B.

Which stock is cheaper, GD, LMT and CW?

General Dynamics (GD) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (General Dynamics (GD) 22.5x, Lockheed Martin (LMT) 22.6x, Curtiss Wright (CW) 32.4x). On next year's consensus earnings, General Dynamics (GD) is cheapest (General Dynamics (GD) 21.1x, Lockheed Martin (LMT) 21.8x, Curtiss Wright (CW) 34.6x). 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: General Dynamics (GD) +9.1%, Lockheed Martin (LMT) +7.9%, Curtiss Wright (CW) +10.5%.

Which company is more profitable?

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

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Lockheed Martin (LMT) returned the most: General Dynamics (GD) +8.1%, Lockheed Martin (LMT) +32.6%, Curtiss Wright (CW) -17.4%. Over five years, Curtiss Wright (CW) compounded fastest (General Dynamics (GD) +12.9%/yr, Lockheed Martin (LMT) +14.1%/yr, Curtiss Wright (CW) +31.3%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

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

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, General Dynamics (GD) has been the steadiest (General Dynamics (GD) 22.6%, Lockheed Martin (LMT) 30.1%, Curtiss Wright (CW) 36.0%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

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

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.