MSI vs LMT vs CW Stock Comparison

Motorola Solutions, Lockheed Martin and Curtiss Wright Prices as of Oct 26, 2026 Peers: Industry group
LMT Lockheed Martin Corp
$635.32 +22.3% 1M +30.9% 1Y
Market cap
$143.69B
P/E
22.1x
Revenue (TTM)
$79.12B
Div. yield
0.02%
Defense Industrials
6 wins
CW Curtiss Wright Corp
$476.33 -11.8% 1M -16.6% 1Y
Market cap
$17.63B
P/E
32.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$3.65B
Div. yield
–
Defense Industrials
4 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Lockheed Martin leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Lockheed Martin 6, Curtiss Wright 4, Motorola Solutions 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionMSILMTCWLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $80.30B $143.69B $17.63B LMT
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 37.6x 22.1x 32.6x LMT
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 26.4x 21.5x 33.2x LMT
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +10.3% +7.9% +10.5% CW
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 17.4% 8.2% 14.8% MSI
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 20.3% 26.5% 14.7% LMT
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 2.3x 1.3x 0.6x CW
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.01% 0.02% 0.00% LMT
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +10.6% +30.9% -16.6% LMT
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +14.2%/yr +13.9%/yr +29.7%/yr CW
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 26.2% 30.0% 36.0% MSI
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 55/100 60/100 68/100 CW

Percentile Scorecard

MSILMTCW

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

AxisMSILMTCW
Valuation 48 #53 of 100 68 #33 of 100 52 #49 of 100
Growth 46 #53 of 97 62 #38 of 97 59 #40 of 97
Profitability 99 #2 of 96 90 #11 of 96 95 #6 of 96
Financial Health 20 #84 of 105 41 #62 of 105 66 #36 of 105
Shareholder Returns 60 #26 of 64 40 #39 of 64 67 #22 of 64
Overall 55 60 68
  • MSI 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

PeriodMSILMTCWSPY
1 month +6.3%+22.3%-11.8% -0.8%
3 months +14.6%+9.5%-35.9% +3.5%
6 months +12.5%+23.8%-33.6% +7.0%
Year to date +26.7%+31.4%-13.6% +12.2%
1 year +10.6%+30.9%-16.6% +13.0%
3 years +78.3%+43.3%+143.4% +86.3%
3 years, per year +21.3%+12.7%+34.5% +23.1%
5 years +94.2%+92.0%+266.6% +68.6%
5 years, per year +14.2%+13.9%+29.7% +11.0%
10 years +560.0%+154.0%+465.4% +258.0%
10 years, per year +20.8%+9.8%+18.9% +13.6%

Risk

MeasureMSILMTCWSPY
Volatility, 1Y 26.2%30.0%36.0% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 27.1%26.5%38.0% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.12-0.081.41 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.411.03-0.46 1.02
Max drawdown, 5Y -27.9%-33.2%-41.3% -25.4%
From 52-week high -1.2%-6.1%-39.9% -1.8%
52-week high $491.32$676.70$792.61 $779.14
52-week low $363.83$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.

MultipleMSILMTCW
P/E now vs peer median 37.7xmedian 26.8x 22.5xmedian 26.8x 32.5xmedian 26.8x
P/S now vs peer median 6.6xmedian 2.9x 1.9xmedian 2.9x 4.8xmedian 2.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 24.7xmedian 15.2x 14.7xmedian 15.2x 22.4xmedian 15.2x
P/FCF now vs peer median 30.0xmedian 25.5x 17.5xmedian 25.5x 28.1xmedian 25.5x
P/B now vs peer median 29.9xmedian 2.5x 14.6xmedian 2.5x 6.4xmedian 2.5x
PEG now vs peer median 2.85median 0.94 64.50median 0.94 1.58median 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 monthsMSILMTCW
Revenue $12.24B $79.12B $3.65B
Gross profit $6.36B $9.28B $1.38B
Operating income $3.05B $9.32B $686.21M
Net income $2.14B $6.51B $541.18M
Free cash flow $2.68B $8.38B $625.29M
R&D $1.02B – $98.16M
EPS (diluted) $12.76 $28.13 $14.58
Cash & equivalents $710.00M $5.96B $477.15M
Total debt $9.03B $20.50B $957.39M
Shares (diluted) 167.20M 231.50M 37.12M
Enterprise value $76.64B $127.92B $16.22B

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
MetricMSILMTCW
P/E 37.7x 22.5x 32.5x
P/FCF 30.0x 17.5x 28.1x
P/Operating cash flow 27.0x 14.5x 24.4x
P/S 6.6x 1.9x 4.8x
P/B 29.9x 14.6x 6.4x
P/Tangible book -305.6x 17.6x 7.8x
EV/EBITDA 24.7x 14.7x 22.4x
EV/EBIT 29.1x 17.3x 26.3x
EV/Revenue 7.2x 2.0x 4.9x
EV/FCF 33.1x 19.2x 28.9x
EV/Operating cash flow 29.8x 16.0x 25.1x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 2.85 64.50 1.58

Growth

14 metrics
MetricMSILMTCW
Revenue growth (1Y) 10.3% 7.9% 10.5%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 8.2% 5.3% 10.3%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 11.7% 55.0% 11.7%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 11.3% 3.0% 11.1%
Operating income growth (1Y) 8.9% 52.8% 17.3%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 15.4% 3.1% 14.6%
Net income growth (1Y) 0.8% 55.1% 19.9%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 12.0% -2.2% 19.1%
EPS growth (1Y) 1.8% 55.9% 22.4%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 13.2% 0.3% 20.6%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 13.9% 59.0% 25.1%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 19.4% 10.6% 21.0%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 12.3% 82.5% 24.2%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 21.4% 13.0% 19.5%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricMSILMTCW
Gross margin 52.0% 11.7% 37.7%
EBITDA margin 29.4% 13.9% 22.0%
Operating margin 24.9% 11.8% 18.8%
Pretax margin 22.6% 9.7% 18.9%
Net margin 17.4% 8.2% 14.8%
FCF margin 21.9% 10.6% 17.1%
Operating cash flow margin 24.3% 12.8% 19.7%
Return on equity 81.5% 69.2% 20.0%
Return on assets 11.2% 10.3% 10.1%
Return on invested capital 20.3% 26.5% 14.7%
Return on capital employed 22.4% 23.9% 17.3%
Asset turnover 0.6x 1.2x 0.7x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.4x 1.6x 1.3x
Stock comp / revenue 2.9% 0.5% 0.7%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricMSILMTCW
Debt / assets 46.9% 31.8% 17.5%
Debt / equity 3.4x 2.0x 0.3x
Net debt / EBITDA 2.3x 1.3x 0.6x
Debt / FCF 3.4x 2.4x 1.5x
Liabilities / assets 86.0% 84.4% 49.2%
Equity / assets 14.0% 15.6% 50.8%
Interest coverage 6.9x 8.6x 16.2x
Current ratio 1.1x 1.3x 1.6x
Quick ratio 0.8x 1.1x 1.4x
Cash ratio 0.1x 0.2x 0.3x
Altman Z-score 4.30 3.81 6.37

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricMSILMTCW
Dividend yield 1.0% 2.2% 0.2%
Net buyback yield 1.3% 0.5% 2.5%
Shareholder yield 2.3% 2.7% 2.7%
Payout ratio (earnings) 35.8% 49.2% –
Payout ratio (FCF) 28.6% 38.3% –
Dividend growth (1Y) 10.7% 1.8% –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 11.0% 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.

ConsensusMSILMTCW
Forward P/E 26.4xFY2026 21.5xFY2026 33.2xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $18.41FY2026 $29.52FY2026 $14.35FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +19.7%FY2026 +37.4%FY2026 +8.5%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +10.4% +7.7% +11.6%
Revenue, next fiscal year $12.12BFY2026 $85.91BFY2026 $4.03BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +3.8%FY2026 +14.5%FY2026 +15.2%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +8.2% +4.1% -3.9%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersMSILMTCW
Held by institutions 88.3% 75.5% 85.6%
Institutions holding 1,466 2,779 946
Change in shares held, QoQ +3.4% +0.4% +2.8%
Institutions buying 639 1,336 479
Institutions selling 596 1,026 313
Buyers to sellers 1.07 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.

MSILMTCW
MSI 1.00 0.21 0.08
LMT 0.21 1.00 0.32
CW 0.08 0.32 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, MSI, LMT and CW?

Lockheed Martin (LMT) is the largest by market capitalisation: Motorola Solutions (MSI) $80.30B, Lockheed Martin (LMT) $143.69B, Curtiss Wright (CW) $17.63B.

Which stock is cheaper, MSI, LMT and CW?

Lockheed Martin (LMT) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Motorola Solutions (MSI) 37.6x, Lockheed Martin (LMT) 22.1x, Curtiss Wright (CW) 32.6x). On next year's consensus earnings, Lockheed Martin (LMT) is cheapest (Motorola Solutions (MSI) 26.4x, Lockheed Martin (LMT) 21.5x, Curtiss Wright (CW) 33.2x). 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: Motorola Solutions (MSI) +10.3%, Lockheed Martin (LMT) +7.9%, Curtiss Wright (CW) +10.5%.

Which company is more profitable?

Motorola Solutions (MSI) has the highest net margin (Motorola Solutions (MSI) 17.4%, Lockheed Martin (LMT) 8.2%, Curtiss Wright (CW) 14.8%). On return on invested capital, Lockheed Martin (LMT) leads (Motorola Solutions (MSI) 20.3%, 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: Motorola Solutions (MSI) +10.6%, Lockheed Martin (LMT) +30.9%, Curtiss Wright (CW) -16.6%. Over five years, Curtiss Wright (CW) compounded fastest (Motorola Solutions (MSI) +14.2%/yr, Lockheed Martin (LMT) +13.9%/yr, Curtiss Wright (CW) +29.7%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Lockheed Martin (LMT) has the highest dividend yield: Motorola Solutions (MSI) 0.01%, Lockheed Martin (LMT) 0.02%, Curtiss Wright (CW) 0.00%. Curtiss Wright (CW) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Motorola Solutions (MSI) has been the steadiest (Motorola Solutions (MSI) 26.2%, Lockheed Martin (LMT) 30.0%, Curtiss Wright (CW) 36.0%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, MSI, 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, Lockheed Martin (LMT) leads on 6. 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.