MSI vs NOC vs LDOS Stock Comparison

Motorola Solutions, Northrop Grumman and Leidos Holdings Prices as of Nov 5, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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LDOS Leidos Holdings, Inc.
$135.86 +16.4% 1M -30.4% 1Y
Market cap
$16.57B
P/E
11.9x
Revenue (TTM)
$17.80B
Div. yield
1.27%
Defense Industrials
3 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Motorola Solutions leads on 7 of the 12 questions below (Motorola Solutions 7, Leidos Holdings 3, Northrop Grumman 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionMSINOCLDOSLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $85.48B $74.71B $16.57B MSI
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 41.0x 16.5x 11.9x LDOS
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 28.1x 16.8x 10.5x LDOS
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +11.4% +6.5% +2.7% MSI
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 16.5% 10.4% 8.0% MSI
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 18.8% 12.2% 14.5% MSI
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 2.6x 1.7x 2.3x NOC
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.94% 1.82% 1.27% NOC
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +30.9% -7.8% -30.4% MSI
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +15.9%/yr +7.6%/yr +7.5%/yr MSI
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 25.4% 29.0% 36.0% MSI
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 52/100 59/100 73/100 LDOS

Percentile Scorecard

MSINOCLDOS

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

AxisMSINOCLDOS
Valuation 41 #60 of 101 75 #26 of 101 99 #2 of 101
Growth 39 #60 of 98 42 #57 of 98 72 #28 of 98
Profitability 98 #3 of 97 77 #23 of 97 84 #16 of 97
Financial Health 20 #86 of 107 38 #67 of 107 31 #74 of 107
Shareholder Returns 60 #26 of 64 62 #25 of 64 78 #15 of 64
Overall 52 59 73
  • MSI ranked among 108 companies in Aerospace and Defense
  • NOC ranked among 108 companies in Aerospace and Defense
  • LDOS 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

PeriodMSINOCLDOSSPY
1 month +13.2%+8.8%+16.4% -5.9%
3 months +8.9%-7.4%+0.5% -4.6%
6 months +19.2%-4.8%+3.5% +0.2%
Year to date +34.7%-7.8%-24.7% +7.5%
1 year +30.9%-7.8%-30.4% +8.2%
3 years +69.6%+11.7%+31.5% +68.3%
3 years, per year +19.3%+3.7%+9.6% +19.0%
5 years +108.7%+44.3%+43.5% +56.5%
5 years, per year +15.9%+7.6%+7.5% +9.4%
10 years +580.5%+133.5%+210.5% +251.5%
10 years, per year +21.1%+8.9%+12.0% +13.4%

Risk

MeasureMSINOCLDOSSPY
Volatility, 1Y 25.4%29.0%36.0% 13.6%
Downside volatility, 1Y 25.1%29.1%38.4% 14.2%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.04-0.050.23 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 1.22-0.27-0.84 0.60
Max drawdown, 5Y -27.9%-38.4%-50.3% -25.4%
From 52-week high 0.0%-31.5%-31.5% -5.9%
52-week high $516.49$768.02$198.34 $779.14
52-week low $363.83$473.40$100.00 $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.

MultipleMSINOCLDOS
P/E now vs peer median 41.0xmedian 24.7x 16.5xmedian 24.7x 11.9xmedian 24.7x
P/S now vs peer median 6.8xmedian 2.6x 1.7xmedian 2.6x 0.9xmedian 2.6x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 26.1xmedian 14.2x 13.9xmedian 14.2x 9.3xmedian 14.2x
P/FCF now vs peer median 33.7xmedian 26.3x 19.5xmedian 26.3x 8.5xmedian 26.3x
P/B now vs peer median 27.7xmedian 2.4x 4.0xmedian 2.4x 3.2xmedian 2.4x
PEG now vs peer median 5.20median 0.89 16.23median 0.89 0.10median 0.89

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 monthsMSINOCLDOS
Revenue $12.60B $43.59B $17.80B
Gross profit $6.58B $8.73B $3.14B
Operating income $3.06B $4.63B $2.05B
Net income $2.09B $4.52B $1.44B
Free cash flow $2.53B $3.83B $1.96B
R&D $1.06B – –
EPS (diluted) $12.45 $31.74 $11.35
Cash & equivalents $774.00M $3.74B $630.00M
Total debt $10.11B $14.43B $6.03B
Shares (diluted) 167.40M 142.40M 125.00M
Enterprise value $81.96B $62.17B $13.68B

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
MetricMSINOCLDOS
P/E 41.0x 16.5x 11.9x
P/FCF 33.7x 19.5x 8.5x
P/Operating cash flow 30.1x 14.2x 7.8x
P/S 6.8x 1.7x 0.9x
P/B 27.7x 4.0x 3.2x
P/Tangible book -205.5x 4.0x 3.8x
EV/EBITDA 26.1x 13.9x 9.3x
EV/EBIT 31.0x 18.5x 10.7x
EV/Revenue 7.5x 2.0x 1.2x
EV/FCF 37.4x 22.3x 11.2x
EV/Operating cash flow 33.4x 16.2x 10.4x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 5.20 16.23 0.10

Growth

14 metrics
MetricMSINOCLDOS
Revenue growth (1Y) 11.4% 6.5% 2.7%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 8.6% 4.1% 5.5%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 13.1% 9.8% 2.8%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 10.6% 3.4% 13.1%
Operating income growth (1Y) 6.9% 6.8% -0.4%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 10.8% 6.4% 57.4%
Net income growth (1Y) -1.6% 12.5% 2.0%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 7.0% -1.1% 110.2%
EPS growth (1Y) -0.6% 13.3% 5.0%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 7.9% 1.0% 119.5%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 7.1% 53.2% 36.3%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 11.1% 12.5% 28.9%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 5.0% 108.8% 41.9%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 11.5% 22.3% 34.6%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricMSINOCLDOS
Gross margin 52.2% 20.0% 17.6%
EBITDA margin 28.9% 14.1% 13.2%
Operating margin 24.2% 10.6% 11.5%
Pretax margin 21.6% 12.0% 10.1%
Net margin 16.5% 10.4% 8.0%
FCF margin 20.1% 8.8% 11.0%
Operating cash flow margin 22.5% 12.1% 11.9%
Return on equity 72.4% 24.7% 27.3%
Return on assets 10.4% 8.8% 9.3%
Return on invested capital 18.8% 12.2% 14.5%
Return on capital employed 21.7% 12.2% 16.6%
Asset turnover 0.6x 0.8x 1.1x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.4x 1.2x 1.5x
Stock comp / revenue 3.1% 0.3% 0.6%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricMSINOCLDOS
Debt / assets 47.8% 27.5% 39.0%
Debt / equity 3.3x 0.8x 1.2x
Net debt / EBITDA 2.6x 1.7x 2.3x
Debt / FCF 4.0x 3.8x 3.1x
Liabilities / assets 85.4% 64.4% 66.2%
Equity / assets 14.6% 35.6% 33.8%
Interest coverage 6.7x 7.1x –
Current ratio 1.1x 1.2x 1.6x
Quick ratio 0.8x 1.0x 1.4x
Cash ratio 0.1x 0.3x 0.2x
Altman Z-score 4.14 3.02 3.18

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricMSINOCLDOS
Dividend yield 0.9% 1.8% 1.3%
Net buyback yield 1.1% 0.7% 6.4%
Shareholder yield 2.0% 2.5% 7.7%
Payout ratio (earnings) 37.5% 30.2% 15.1%
Payout ratio (FCF) 30.9% 35.6% 11.1%
Dividend growth (1Y) 10.4% 8.0% 3.8%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 10.9% 7.4% 2.8%

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.

ConsensusMSINOCLDOS
Forward P/E 28.1xFY2026 16.8xFY2026 10.5xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $18.41FY2026 $31.30FY2026 $12.88FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +19.7%FY2026 +18.8%FY2026 +7.4%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +10.4% +1.5% -12.5%
Revenue, next fiscal year $12.12BFY2026 $42.96BFY2026 $17.42BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +3.8%FY2026 +2.4%FY2026 +1.5%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +8.2% +3.3% +13.6%
MSI estimates →NOC estimates →LDOS estimates →

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersMSINOCLDOS
Held by institutions 88.3% 83.4% 79.3%
Institutions holding 1,469 1,813 774
Change in shares held, QoQ +3.4% +0.3% +4.1%
Institutions buying 639 841 380
Institutions selling 597 642 295
Buyers to sellers 1.07 1.31 1.29
MSI holders →NOC holders →LDOS 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.

MSINOCLDOS
MSI 1.00 0.22 0.25
NOC 0.22 1.00 0.42
LDOS 0.25 0.42 1.00

Add a Peer

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

Related Comparisons

MSI vs LMTLockheed Martin MSI vs GDGeneral Dynamics MSI vs LHXL3Harris Technologies MSI vs ESLTElbit Systems

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, MSI, NOC and LDOS?

Motorola Solutions (MSI) is the largest by market capitalisation: Motorola Solutions (MSI) $85.48B, Northrop Grumman (NOC) $74.71B, Leidos Holdings (LDOS) $16.57B.

Which stock is cheaper, MSI, NOC and LDOS?

Leidos Holdings (LDOS) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Motorola Solutions (MSI) 41.0x, Northrop Grumman (NOC) 16.5x, Leidos Holdings (LDOS) 11.9x). On next year's consensus earnings, Leidos Holdings (LDOS) is cheapest (Motorola Solutions (MSI) 28.1x, Northrop Grumman (NOC) 16.8x, Leidos Holdings (LDOS) 10.5x). 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: Motorola Solutions (MSI) +11.4%, Northrop Grumman (NOC) +6.5%, Leidos Holdings (LDOS) +2.7%.

Which company is more profitable?

Motorola Solutions (MSI) has the highest net margin (Motorola Solutions (MSI) 16.5%, Northrop Grumman (NOC) 10.4%, Leidos Holdings (LDOS) 8.0%). On return on invested capital, Motorola Solutions (MSI) leads (Motorola Solutions (MSI) 18.8%, Northrop Grumman (NOC) 12.2%, Leidos Holdings (LDOS) 14.5%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Motorola Solutions (MSI) returned the most: Motorola Solutions (MSI) +30.9%, Northrop Grumman (NOC) -7.8%, Leidos Holdings (LDOS) -30.4%. Over five years, Motorola Solutions (MSI) compounded fastest (Motorola Solutions (MSI) +15.9%/yr, Northrop Grumman (NOC) +7.6%/yr, Leidos Holdings (LDOS) +7.5%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Northrop Grumman (NOC) has the highest dividend yield: Motorola Solutions (MSI) 0.94%, Northrop Grumman (NOC) 1.82%, Leidos Holdings (LDOS) 1.27%.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Motorola Solutions (MSI) has been the steadiest (Motorola Solutions (MSI) 25.4%, Northrop Grumman (NOC) 29.0%, Leidos Holdings (LDOS) 36.0%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

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

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Motorola Solutions (MSI) leads on 7. 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.