GD vs MSI vs NOC Stock Comparison

General Dynamics, Motorola Solutions and Northrop Grumman Prices as of Oct 27, 2026 Peers: Industry group
GD General Dynamics Corp
$354.89 +5.4% 1M +0.3% 1Y
Market cap
$96.02B
P/E
21.4x
Revenue (TTM)
$54.86B
Div. yield
1.77%
Defense Industrials
5 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

General Dynamics leads on 5 of the 12 questions below (General Dynamics 5, Motorola Solutions 5, Northrop Grumman 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionGDMSINOCLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $96.02B $80.06B $78.32B GD
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 21.4x 37.6x 17.3x NOC
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 20.2x 26.3x 17.9x NOC
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +9.1% +10.3% +6.5% MSI
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 8.2% 17.4% 10.4% MSI
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 13.6% 20.3% 12.2% MSI
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 0.5x 2.3x 1.7x GD
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 1.77% 1.00% 1.73% GD
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +0.3% +9.0% -7.5% MSI
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +11.9%/yr +14.3%/yr +9.0%/yr MSI
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 22.2% 26.1% 28.7% GD
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 71/100 55/100 58/100 GD

Percentile Scorecard

GDMSINOC

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

AxisGDMSINOC
Valuation 87 #14 of 100 48 #53 of 100 78 #23 of 100
Growth 43 #56 of 97 48 #51 of 97 38 #61 of 97
Profitability 79 #21 of 96 99 #2 of 96 78 #22 of 96
Financial Health 63 #40 of 105 19 #85 of 105 40 #63 of 105
Shareholder Returns 86 #10 of 65 63 #25 of 65 58 #28 of 65
Overall 71 55 58
  • GD ranked among 107 companies in Aerospace and Defense
  • MSI ranked among 107 companies in Aerospace and Defense
  • NOC 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

PeriodGDMSINOCSPY
1 month +5.4%+5.9%+8.0% -0.2%
3 months -9.8%+9.9%+0.4% +3.9%
6 months +13.1%+11.3%-4.6% +8.2%
Year to date +5.4%+26.2%-3.3% +12.9%
1 year +0.3%+9.0%-7.5% +12.3%
3 years +49.0%+77.6%+16.5% +87.4%
3 years, per year +14.2%+21.1%+5.2% +23.3%
5 years +75.2%+95.0%+53.7% +67.9%
5 years, per year +11.9%+14.3%+9.0% +10.9%
10 years +136.4%+558.4%+144.6% +261.1%
10 years, per year +9.0%+20.7%+9.4% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureGDMSINOCSPY
Volatility, 1Y 22.2%26.1%28.7% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 20.9%27.0%28.4% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.330.12-0.01 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.010.34-0.26 0.97
Max drawdown, 5Y -23.0%-27.9%-38.4% -25.4%
From 52-week high -10.4%-1.5%-28.2% -1.2%
52-week high $395.97$491.32$768.02 $779.14
52-week low $312.53$363.83$473.40 $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.

MultipleGDMSINOC
P/E now vs peer median 21.4xmedian 26.5x 37.6xmedian 26.5x 17.3xmedian 26.5x
P/S now vs peer median 1.8xmedian 3.0x 6.5xmedian 3.0x 1.8xmedian 3.0x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 15.1xmedian 14.6x 24.6xmedian 14.6x 14.5xmedian 14.6x
P/FCF now vs peer median 14.9xmedian 26.4x 29.9xmedian 26.4x 20.5xmedian 26.4x
P/B now vs peer median 3.6xmedian 2.5x 29.8xmedian 2.5x 4.2xmedian 2.5x
PEG now vs peer median 2.09median 0.90 2.84median 0.90 17.01median 0.90

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 monthsGDMSINOC
Revenue $54.86B $12.24B $43.59B
Gross profit $8.44B $6.36B $8.73B
Operating income $5.66B $3.05B $4.63B
Net income $4.49B $2.14B $4.52B
Free cash flow $6.45B $2.68B $3.83B
R&D – $1.02B –
EPS (diluted) $16.40 $12.76 $31.74
Cash & equivalents $4.33B $710.00M $3.74B
Total debt $7.52B $9.03B $58.43B
Shares (diluted) 273.52M 167.20M 142.40M
Enterprise value $83.13B $76.42B $65.77B

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
MetricGDMSINOC
P/E 21.4x 37.6x 17.3x
P/FCF 14.9x 29.9x 20.5x
P/Operating cash flow 12.5x 26.9x 14.9x
P/S 1.8x 6.5x 1.8x
P/B 3.6x 29.8x 4.2x
P/Tangible book 3.8x -304.4x 4.2x
EV/EBITDA 15.1x 24.6x 14.5x
EV/EBIT 17.5x 29.0x 19.2x
EV/Revenue 1.8x 7.2x 2.0x
EV/FCF 15.4x 33.0x 23.2x
EV/Operating cash flow 12.9x 29.7x 16.9x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 2.09 2.84 17.01

Growth

14 metrics
MetricGDMSINOC
Revenue growth (1Y) 9.1% 10.3% 6.5%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 10.3% 8.2% 4.1%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 8.9% 11.7% 9.8%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 8.6% 11.3% 3.4%
Operating income growth (1Y) 9.4% 8.9% 6.8%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 10.3% 15.4% 6.4%
Net income growth (1Y) 9.8% 0.8% 12.5%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 10.0% 12.0% -1.1%
EPS growth (1Y) 8.8% 1.8% 13.3%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 10.2% 13.2% 1.0%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) – 13.9% 53.2%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 23.0% 19.4% 12.5%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) – 12.3% 108.8%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 28.7% 21.4% 22.3%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricGDMSINOC
Gross margin 15.4% 52.0% 20.0%
EBITDA margin 12.0% 29.4% 14.1%
Operating margin 10.3% 24.9% 10.6%
Pretax margin 9.9% 22.6% 12.0%
Net margin 8.2% 17.4% 10.4%
FCF margin 11.8% 21.9% 8.8%
Operating cash flow margin 14.0% 24.3% 12.1%
Return on equity 17.0% 81.5% 24.7%
Return on assets 7.5% 11.2% 8.8%
Return on invested capital 13.6% 20.3% 12.2%
Return on capital employed 13.9% 22.4% 12.2%
Asset turnover 0.9x 0.6x 0.8x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.7x 1.4x 1.2x
Stock comp / revenue 0.4% 2.9% 0.3%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricGDMSINOC
Debt / assets 12.5% 46.9% 27.5%
Debt / equity 0.3x 3.4x 0.8x
Net debt / EBITDA 0.5x 2.3x 1.7x
Debt / FCF 1.2x 3.4x 3.8x
Liabilities / assets 55.4% 86.0% 64.4%
Equity / assets 44.6% 14.0% 35.6%
Interest coverage – 6.9x 7.1x
Current ratio 1.4x 1.1x 1.2x
Quick ratio 2.8x 0.8x 1.0x
Cash ratio 0.2x 0.1x 0.3x
Altman Z-score 4.17 4.29 3.08

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricGDMSINOC
Dividend yield 1.8% 1.0% 1.7%
Net buyback yield 0.4% 1.3% 0.7%
Shareholder yield 2.1% 2.3% 2.4%
Payout ratio (earnings) – 35.8% 30.2%
Payout ratio (FCF) – 28.6% 35.6%
Dividend growth (1Y) – 10.7% 8.0%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – 11.0% 7.4%

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.

ConsensusGDMSINOC
Forward P/E 20.2xFY2026 26.3xFY2026 17.9xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $17.56FY2026 $18.41FY2026 $30.81FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +13.7%FY2026 +19.7%FY2026 +17.0%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +8.9% +10.4% +3.7%
Revenue, next fiscal year $53.43BFY2026 $12.12BFY2026 $42.95BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +1.7%FY2026 +3.8%FY2026 +2.4%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +12.6% +8.2% +3.7%
GD estimates →MSI estimates →NOC estimates →

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersGDMSINOC
Held by institutions 86.5% 88.3% 83.4%
Institutions holding 2,218 1,466 1,809
Change in shares held, QoQ +0.1% +3.4% +0.3%
Institutions buying 1,018 639 840
Institutions selling 832 596 639
Buyers to sellers 1.22 1.07 1.31
GD holders →MSI holders →NOC holders →

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.

GDMSINOC
GD 1.00 0.22 0.62
MSI 0.22 1.00 0.23
NOC 0.62 0.23 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry
GD · Defense
+LMTLockheed Martin +LHXL3Harris Technologies +ESLTElbit Systems +TDYTeledyne Technologies +CWCurtiss Wright +LDOSLeidos Holdings +CACICaci International +HIIHuntington Ingalls Industries
Plot all 204 Defense stocks →

Related Comparisons

GD vs LMTLockheed Martin GD vs LHXL3Harris Technologies GD vs ESLTElbit Systems GD vs TDYTeledyne Technologies

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, GD, MSI and NOC?

General Dynamics (GD) is the largest by market capitalisation: General Dynamics (GD) $96.02B, Motorola Solutions (MSI) $80.06B, Northrop Grumman (NOC) $78.32B.

Which stock is cheaper, GD, MSI and NOC?

Northrop Grumman (NOC) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (General Dynamics (GD) 21.4x, Motorola Solutions (MSI) 37.6x, Northrop Grumman (NOC) 17.3x). On next year's consensus earnings, Northrop Grumman (NOC) is cheapest (General Dynamics (GD) 20.2x, Motorola Solutions (MSI) 26.3x, Northrop Grumman (NOC) 17.9x). 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%, Motorola Solutions (MSI) +10.3%, Northrop Grumman (NOC) +6.5%.

Which company is more profitable?

Motorola Solutions (MSI) has the highest net margin (General Dynamics (GD) 8.2%, Motorola Solutions (MSI) 17.4%, Northrop Grumman (NOC) 10.4%). On return on invested capital, Motorola Solutions (MSI) leads (General Dynamics (GD) 13.6%, Motorola Solutions (MSI) 20.3%, Northrop Grumman (NOC) 12.2%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Motorola Solutions (MSI) returned the most: General Dynamics (GD) +0.3%, Motorola Solutions (MSI) +9.0%, Northrop Grumman (NOC) -7.5%. Over five years, Motorola Solutions (MSI) compounded fastest (General Dynamics (GD) +11.9%/yr, Motorola Solutions (MSI) +14.3%/yr, Northrop Grumman (NOC) +9.0%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

General Dynamics (GD) has the highest dividend yield: General Dynamics (GD) 1.77%, Motorola Solutions (MSI) 1.00%, Northrop Grumman (NOC) 1.73%.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, General Dynamics (GD) has been the steadiest (General Dynamics (GD) 22.2%, Motorola Solutions (MSI) 26.1%, Northrop Grumman (NOC) 28.7%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

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

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.