LDOS vs GD vs MSI Stock Comparison

Leidos Holdings, General Dynamics and Motorola Solutions Prices as of Nov 4, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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LDOS Leidos Holdings, Inc.
$135.72 +13.6% 1M -32.0% 1Y
Market cap
$16.56B
P/E
11.9x
Revenue (TTM)
$17.80B
Div. yield
1.27%
Defense Industrials
2 wins
GD General Dynamics Corp
$364.99 +10.0% 1M +6.3% 1Y
Market cap
$98.63B
P/E
21.2x
Revenue (TTM)
$56.52B
Div. yield
1.72%
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, Leidos Holdings 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionLDOSGDMSILeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $16.56B $98.63B $82.27B GD
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 11.9x 21.2x 39.5x LDOS
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 10.6x 20.8x 27.0x LDOS
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +2.7% +9.7% +11.4% MSI
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 8.0% 8.2% 16.5% MSI
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 14.5% 14.0% 18.8% MSI
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 2.3x 0.4x 2.6x GD
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 1.27% 1.72% 0.97% GD
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -32.0% +6.3% +26.1% MSI
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +7.5%/yr +12.7%/yr +15.0%/yr MSI
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 36.0% 22.7% 25.1% GD
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 73/100 73/100 52/100 GD

Percentile Scorecard

LDOSGDMSI

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

AxisLDOSGDMSI
Valuation 99 #2 of 101 84 #17 of 101 46 #55 of 101
Growth 72 #28 of 98 54 #46 of 98 37 #62 of 98
Profitability 84 #16 of 97 78 #22 of 97 98 #3 of 97
Financial Health 31 #74 of 107 62 #41 of 107 20 #86 of 107
Shareholder Returns 80 #14 of 66 89 #8 of 66 62 #26 of 66
Overall 73 73 52
  • LDOS ranked among 108 companies in Aerospace and Defense
  • GD ranked among 108 companies in Aerospace and Defense
  • MSI ranked among 108 companies in Aerospace and Defense

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodLDOSGDMSISPY
1 month +13.6%+10.0%+9.1% -1.0%
3 months +6.9%-5.0%+13.5% -0.4%
6 months +0.6%+5.1%+14.6% +4.5%
Year to date -24.8%+8.4%+29.7% +12.4%
1 year -32.0%+6.3%+26.1% +13.6%
3 years +30.6%+50.1%+66.0% +76.4%
3 years, per year +9.3%+14.5%+18.4% +20.8%
5 years +43.3%+81.6%+100.9% +63.7%
5 years, per year +7.5%+12.7%+15.0% +10.4%
10 years +210.1%+143.6%+554.9% +267.7%
10 years, per year +12.0%+9.3%+20.7% +13.9%

Risk

MeasureLDOSGDMSISPY
Volatility, 1Y 36.0%22.7%25.1% 12.8%
Downside volatility, 1Y 38.3%21.0%25.1% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.270.290.15 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.890.281.04 1.06
Max drawdown, 5Y -50.3%-23.0%-27.9% -25.4%
From 52-week high -32.0%-7.8%0.0% -1.6%
52-week high $199.55$395.97$497.09 $779.14
52-week low $100.00$312.53$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.

MultipleLDOSGDMSI
P/E now vs peer median 11.9xmedian 25.9x 21.2xmedian 25.9x 39.5xmedian 25.9x
P/S now vs peer median 0.9xmedian 2.8x 1.7xmedian 2.8x 6.5xmedian 2.8x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 9.3xmedian 14.7x 14.9xmedian 14.7x 25.2xmedian 14.7x
P/FCF now vs peer median 8.5xmedian 26.9x 17.1xmedian 26.9x 32.5xmedian 26.9x
P/B now vs peer median 3.2xmedian 2.5x 3.6xmedian 2.5x 26.7xmedian 2.5x
PEG now vs peer median 0.10median 0.94 1.73median 0.94 5.00median 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 monthsLDOSGDMSI
Revenue $17.80B $56.52B $12.60B
Gross profit $3.14B $8.72B $6.58B
Operating income $2.05B $5.86B $3.06B
Net income $1.44B $4.66B $2.09B
Free cash flow $1.96B $5.78B $2.53B
R&D – – $1.06B
EPS (diluted) $11.35 $17.01 $12.45
Cash & equivalents $630.00M $4.40B $774.00M
Total debt $6.03B $7.02B $10.11B
Shares (diluted) 125.00M 273.78M 167.40M
Enterprise value $13.67B $83.86B $78.75B

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
MetricLDOSGDMSI
P/E 11.9x 21.2x 39.5x
P/FCF 8.5x 17.1x 32.5x
P/Operating cash flow 7.8x 13.5x 29.0x
P/S 0.9x 1.7x 6.5x
P/B 3.2x 3.6x 26.7x
P/Tangible book 3.8x 3.8x -197.8x
EV/EBITDA 9.3x 14.9x 25.2x
EV/EBIT 10.7x 17.3x 30.0x
EV/Revenue 1.2x 1.8x 7.3x
EV/FCF 11.2x 17.5x 36.2x
EV/Operating cash flow 10.4x 13.9x 32.3x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.10 1.73 5.00

Growth

14 metrics
MetricLDOSGDMSI
Revenue growth (1Y) 2.7% 9.7% 11.4%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 5.5% 10.9% 8.6%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 2.8% 10.4% 13.1%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 13.1% 9.8% 10.6%
Operating income growth (1Y) -0.4% 10.0% 6.9%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 57.4% 11.9% 10.8%
Net income growth (1Y) 2.0% 10.5% -1.6%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 110.2% 12.1% 7.0%
EPS growth (1Y) 5.0% 10.0% -0.6%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 119.5% 12.3% 7.9%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 36.3% 27.7% 7.1%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 28.9% 20.4% 11.1%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 41.9% 20.1% 5.0%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 34.6% 23.2% 11.5%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricLDOSGDMSI
Gross margin 17.6% 15.4% 52.2%
EBITDA margin 13.2% 12.0% 28.9%
Operating margin 11.5% 10.4% 24.2%
Pretax margin 10.1% 10.0% 21.6%
Net margin 8.0% 8.2% 16.5%
FCF margin 11.0% 10.2% 20.1%
Operating cash flow margin 11.9% 12.9% 22.5%
Return on equity 27.3% 17.2% 72.4%
Return on assets 9.3% 7.7% 10.4%
Return on invested capital 14.5% 14.0% 18.8%
Return on capital employed 16.6% 14.2% 21.7%
Asset turnover 1.1x 0.9x 0.6x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.5x 1.6x 1.4x
Stock comp / revenue 0.6% 0.4% 3.1%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricLDOSGDMSI
Debt / assets 39.0% 11.7% 47.8%
Debt / equity 1.2x 0.3x 3.3x
Net debt / EBITDA 2.3x 0.4x 2.6x
Debt / FCF 3.1x 1.2x 4.0x
Liabilities / assets 66.2% 54.7% 85.4%
Equity / assets 33.8% 45.3% 14.6%
Interest coverage – – 6.7x
Current ratio 1.6x 1.4x 1.1x
Quick ratio 1.4x 2.9x 0.8x
Cash ratio 0.2x 0.2x 0.1x
Altman Z-score 3.18 4.29 4.03

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricLDOSGDMSI
Dividend yield 1.3% 1.7% 1.0%
Net buyback yield 6.4% 0.6% 1.1%
Shareholder yield 7.7% 2.4% 2.1%
Payout ratio (earnings) 15.1% – 37.5%
Payout ratio (FCF) 11.1% – 30.9%
Dividend growth (1Y) 3.8% – 10.4%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 2.8% – 10.9%

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.

ConsensusLDOSGDMSI
Forward P/E 10.6xFY2026 20.8xFY2026 27.0xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $12.75FY2026 $17.56FY2026 $18.41FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +6.3%FY2026 +13.7%FY2026 +19.7%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after -9.0% +8.9% +10.4%
Revenue, next fiscal year $17.52BFY2026 $53.43BFY2026 $12.12BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +2.0%FY2026 +1.7%FY2026 +3.8%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +14.9% +12.6% +8.2%
LDOS estimates →GD estimates →MSI estimates →

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersLDOSGDMSI
Held by institutions 79.3% 86.6% 88.3%
Institutions holding 774 2,221 1,469
Change in shares held, QoQ +4.1% +0.1% +3.4%
Institutions buying 380 1,020 640
Institutions selling 295 833 596
Buyers to sellers 1.29 1.22 1.07
LDOS holders →GD holders →MSI 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.

LDOSGDMSI
LDOS 1.00 0.49 0.25
GD 0.49 1.00 0.22
MSI 0.25 0.22 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry
LDOS · Defense
+LMTLockheed Martin +NOCNorthrop Grumman +LHXL3Harris Technologies +ESLTElbit Systems +TDYTeledyne Technologies +CWCurtiss Wright +CACICaci International +HIIHuntington Ingalls Industries
Plot all 205 Defense stocks →

Related Comparisons

LDOS vs LMTLockheed Martin LDOS vs NOCNorthrop Grumman LDOS vs LHXL3Harris Technologies LDOS vs ESLTElbit Systems

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, LDOS, GD and MSI?

General Dynamics (GD) is the largest by market capitalisation: Leidos Holdings (LDOS) $16.56B, General Dynamics (GD) $98.63B, Motorola Solutions (MSI) $82.27B.

Which stock is cheaper, LDOS, GD and MSI?

Leidos Holdings (LDOS) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Leidos Holdings (LDOS) 11.9x, General Dynamics (GD) 21.2x, Motorola Solutions (MSI) 39.5x). On next year's consensus earnings, Leidos Holdings (LDOS) is cheapest (Leidos Holdings (LDOS) 10.6x, General Dynamics (GD) 20.8x, Motorola Solutions (MSI) 27.0x). 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: Leidos Holdings (LDOS) +2.7%, General Dynamics (GD) +9.7%, Motorola Solutions (MSI) +11.4%.

Which company is more profitable?

Motorola Solutions (MSI) has the highest net margin (Leidos Holdings (LDOS) 8.0%, General Dynamics (GD) 8.2%, Motorola Solutions (MSI) 16.5%). On return on invested capital, Motorola Solutions (MSI) leads (Leidos Holdings (LDOS) 14.5%, General Dynamics (GD) 14.0%, Motorola Solutions (MSI) 18.8%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Motorola Solutions (MSI) returned the most: Leidos Holdings (LDOS) -32.0%, General Dynamics (GD) +6.3%, Motorola Solutions (MSI) +26.1%. Over five years, Motorola Solutions (MSI) compounded fastest (Leidos Holdings (LDOS) +7.5%/yr, General Dynamics (GD) +12.7%/yr, Motorola Solutions (MSI) +15.0%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

General Dynamics (GD) has the highest dividend yield: Leidos Holdings (LDOS) 1.27%, General Dynamics (GD) 1.72%, Motorola Solutions (MSI) 0.97%.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, General Dynamics (GD) has been the steadiest (Leidos Holdings (LDOS) 36.0%, General Dynamics (GD) 22.7%, Motorola Solutions (MSI) 25.1%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, LDOS, GD 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, 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.