LMT vs GD vs MSI Stock Comparison

Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics and Motorola Solutions Prices as of Oct 23, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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LMT Lockheed Martin Corp
$604.47 +15.3% 1M +23.9% 1Y
Market cap
$143.89B
P/E
22.1x
Revenue (TTM)
$79.12B
Div. yield
0.02%
Defense Industrials
4 wins
GD General Dynamics Corp
$349.38 +1.8% 1M +2.3% 1Y
Market cap
$95.90B
P/E
21.4x
Revenue (TTM)
$54.86B
Div. yield
–
Defense Industrials
5 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

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

QuestionLMTGDMSILeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $143.89B $95.90B $80.25B LMT
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 22.1x 21.4x 37.6x GD
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 20.6x 19.9x 26.2x GD
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +7.9% +9.1% +10.3% MSI
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 8.2% 8.2% 17.4% MSI
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 26.5% 13.6% 20.3% LMT
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 1.3x 0.5x 2.3x GD
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.02% 0.00% 0.01% LMT
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +23.9% +2.3% +8.4% LMT
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +10.0%/yr +10.8%/yr +14.1%/yr MSI
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 29.5% 22.3% 26.2% GD
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 60/100 73/100 55/100 GD

Percentile Scorecard

LMTGDMSI

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

AxisLMTGDMSI
Valuation 70 #31 of 100 86 #15 of 100 48 #53 of 100
Growth 62 #38 of 97 54 #45 of 97 45 #54 of 97
Profitability 88 #12 of 96 77 #23 of 96 99 #2 of 96
Financial Health 41 #63 of 106 62 #41 of 106 21 #84 of 106
Shareholder Returns 41 #39 of 65 88 #9 of 65 63 #25 of 65
Overall 60 73 55
  • LMT ranked among 107 companies in Aerospace and Defense
  • GD 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

PeriodLMTGDMSISPY
1 month +15.3%+1.8%+4.6% -1.0%
3 months +3.7%-9.6%+15.4% +2.9%
6 months +17.7%+11.5%+10.0% +6.4%
Year to date +25.0%+3.8%+25.7% +11.4%
1 year +23.9%+2.3%+8.4% +13.1%
3 years +37.1%+49.9%+71.3% +79.4%
3 years, per year +11.1%+14.5%+19.7% +21.5%
5 years +61.4%+66.8%+93.2% +67.7%
5 years, per year +10.0%+10.8%+14.1% +10.9%
10 years +162.2%+132.6%+554.7% +255.2%
10 years, per year +10.1%+8.8%+20.7% +13.5%

Risk

MeasureLMTGDMSISPY
Volatility, 1Y 29.5%22.3%26.2% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 26.4%20.9%27.0% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y -0.100.340.12 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.810.100.32 1.03
Max drawdown, 5Y -33.2%-23.0%-27.9% -25.4%
From 52-week high -10.7%-11.8%-1.9% -2.5%
52-week high $676.70$395.97$491.32 $779.14
52-week low $439.19$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.

MultipleLMTGDMSI
P/E now vs peer median 21.4xmedian 26.2x 21.0xmedian 26.2x 37.4xmedian 26.2x
P/S now vs peer median 1.8xmedian 2.9x 1.7xmedian 2.9x 6.5xmedian 2.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 14.0xmedian 14.7x 14.9xmedian 14.7x 24.5xmedian 14.7x
P/FCF now vs peer median 16.7xmedian 24.9x 14.7xmedian 24.9x 29.8xmedian 24.9x
P/B now vs peer median 13.9xmedian 2.4x 3.5xmedian 2.4x 29.7xmedian 2.4x
PEG now vs peer median 61.37median 0.92 2.05median 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 monthsLMTGDMSI
Revenue $79.12B $54.86B $12.24B
Gross profit $9.28B $8.44B $6.36B
Operating income $9.32B $5.66B $3.05B
Net income $6.51B $4.49B $2.14B
Free cash flow $8.38B $6.45B $2.68B
R&D – – $1.02B
EPS (diluted) $28.13 $16.40 $12.76
Cash & equivalents $5.96B $4.33B $710.00M
Total debt $83.92B $32.26B $36.50B
Shares (diluted) 231.50M 273.52M 167.20M
Enterprise value $128.13B $83.02B $76.60B

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
MetricLMTGDMSI
P/E 21.4x 21.0x 37.4x
P/FCF 16.7x 14.7x 29.8x
P/Operating cash flow 13.8x 12.3x 26.8x
P/S 1.8x 1.7x 6.5x
P/B 13.9x 3.5x 29.7x
P/Tangible book 16.8x 3.7x -303.3x
EV/EBITDA 14.0x 14.9x 24.5x
EV/EBIT 16.5x 17.3x 28.9x
EV/Revenue 1.9x 1.8x 7.2x
EV/FCF 18.4x 15.2x 32.9x
EV/Operating cash flow 15.2x 12.7x 29.6x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 61.37 2.05 2.83

Growth

14 metrics
MetricLMTGDMSI
Revenue growth (1Y) 7.9% 9.1% 10.3%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 5.3% 10.3% 8.2%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 55.0% 8.9% 11.7%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 3.0% 8.6% 11.3%
Operating income growth (1Y) 52.8% 9.4% 8.9%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 3.1% 10.3% 15.4%
Net income growth (1Y) 55.1% 9.8% 0.8%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -2.2% 10.0% 12.0%
EPS growth (1Y) 55.9% 8.8% 1.8%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 0.3% 10.2% 13.2%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 59.0% 53.3% 13.9%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 10.6% 23.0% 19.4%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 82.5% 56.1% 12.3%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 13.0% 28.7% 21.4%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricLMTGDMSI
Gross margin 11.7% 15.4% 52.0%
EBITDA margin 13.9% 12.0% 29.4%
Operating margin 11.8% 10.3% 24.9%
Pretax margin 9.7% 9.9% 22.6%
Net margin 8.2% 8.2% 17.4%
FCF margin 10.6% 11.8% 21.9%
Operating cash flow margin 12.8% 14.0% 24.3%
Return on equity 69.2% 17.0% 81.5%
Return on assets 10.3% 7.5% 11.2%
Return on invested capital 26.5% 13.6% 20.3%
Return on capital employed 23.9% 13.9% 22.4%
Asset turnover 1.2x 0.9x 0.6x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.6x 1.7x 1.4x
Stock comp / revenue 0.5% 0.4% 2.9%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricLMTGDMSI
Debt / assets 31.8% 12.5% 46.9%
Debt / equity 2.0x 0.3x 3.4x
Net debt / EBITDA 1.3x 0.5x 2.3x
Debt / FCF 2.4x 1.2x 3.4x
Liabilities / assets 84.4% 55.4% 86.0%
Equity / assets 15.6% 44.6% 14.0%
Interest coverage 8.6x – 6.9x
Current ratio 1.3x 1.4x 1.1x
Quick ratio 1.1x 2.8x 0.8x
Cash ratio 0.2x 0.2x 0.1x
Altman Z-score 3.73 4.15 4.28

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricLMTGDMSI
Dividend yield 2.3% 1.8% 1.0%
Net buyback yield 0.5% 0.4% 1.3%
Shareholder yield 2.8% 2.2% 2.3%
Payout ratio (earnings) 49.2% – 35.8%
Payout ratio (FCF) 38.3% – 28.6%
Dividend growth (1Y) 1.8% – 10.7%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 1.6% – 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.

ConsensusLMTGDMSI
Forward P/E 20.6xFY2026 19.9xFY2026 26.2xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $29.31FY2026 $17.55FY2026 $18.41FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +36.4%FY2026 +13.6%FY2026 +19.7%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +7.0% +9.0% +10.4%
Revenue, next fiscal year $85.60BFY2026 $53.42BFY2026 $12.12BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +14.1%FY2026 +1.7%FY2026 +3.8%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +3.0% +12.7% +8.2%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersLMTGDMSI
Held by institutions 75.5% 86.5% 88.3%
Institutions holding 2,779 2,217 1,466
Change in shares held, QoQ +0.4% +0.1% +3.4%
Institutions buying 1,336 1,018 639
Institutions selling 1,026 831 596
Buyers to sellers 1.30 1.23 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.

LMTGDMSI
LMT 1.00 0.57 0.20
GD 0.57 1.00 0.22
MSI 0.20 0.22 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, LMT, GD and MSI?

Lockheed Martin (LMT) is the largest by market capitalisation: Lockheed Martin (LMT) $143.89B, General Dynamics (GD) $95.90B, Motorola Solutions (MSI) $80.25B.

Which stock is cheaper, LMT, GD and MSI?

General Dynamics (GD) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Lockheed Martin (LMT) 22.1x, General Dynamics (GD) 21.4x, Motorola Solutions (MSI) 37.6x). On next year's consensus earnings, General Dynamics (GD) is cheapest (Lockheed Martin (LMT) 20.6x, General Dynamics (GD) 19.9x, 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: Lockheed Martin (LMT) +7.9%, General Dynamics (GD) +9.1%, Motorola Solutions (MSI) +10.3%.

Which company is more profitable?

Motorola Solutions (MSI) has the highest net margin (Lockheed Martin (LMT) 8.2%, General Dynamics (GD) 8.2%, Motorola Solutions (MSI) 17.4%). On return on invested capital, Lockheed Martin (LMT) leads (Lockheed Martin (LMT) 26.5%, General Dynamics (GD) 13.6%, Motorola Solutions (MSI) 20.3%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Lockheed Martin (LMT) returned the most: Lockheed Martin (LMT) +23.9%, General Dynamics (GD) +2.3%, Motorola Solutions (MSI) +8.4%. Over five years, Motorola Solutions (MSI) compounded fastest (Lockheed Martin (LMT) +10.0%/yr, General Dynamics (GD) +10.8%/yr, Motorola Solutions (MSI) +14.1%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Lockheed Martin (LMT) has the highest dividend yield: Lockheed Martin (LMT) 0.02%, General Dynamics (GD) 0.00%, 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 (Lockheed Martin (LMT) 29.5%, General Dynamics (GD) 22.3%, Motorola Solutions (MSI) 26.2%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, LMT, 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.