MSI vs NOC vs LDOS Stock Comparison

Motorola Solutions, Northrop Grumman and Leidos Holdings Prices as of Oct 26, 2026 Peers: Industry group
LDOS Leidos Holdings, Inc.
$139.91 +13.2% 1M -26.3% 1Y
Market cap
$17.59B
P/E
12.8x
Revenue (TTM)
$17.63B
Div. yield
0.01%
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 $80.30B $78.25B $17.59B MSI
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 37.6x 17.3x 12.8x LDOS
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 26.4x 18.4x 11.0x LDOS
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +10.3% +6.5% +3.4% MSI
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 17.4% 10.4% 7.8% MSI
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 20.3% 12.2% 13.9% MSI
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 2.3x 1.7x 2.3x NOC
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.01% 0.02% 0.01% NOC
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +10.6% -6.6% -26.3% MSI
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +14.2%/yr +7.8%/yr +7.2%/yr MSI
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 26.2% 28.6% 35.6% MSI
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 55/100 57/100 70/100 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 48 #53 of 100 74 #27 of 100 98 #3 of 100
Growth 46 #53 of 97 39 #60 of 97 57 #42 of 97
Profitability 99 #2 of 96 77 #23 of 96 85 #15 of 96
Financial Health 20 #84 of 105 39 #65 of 105 34 #70 of 105
Shareholder Returns 60 #26 of 64 59 #27 of 64 75 #17 of 64
Overall 55 57 70
  • MSI ranked among 107 companies in Aerospace and Defense
  • NOC ranked among 107 companies in Aerospace and Defense
  • LDOS 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

PeriodMSINOCLDOSSPY
1 month +6.3%+10.8%+13.2% -0.8%
3 months +14.6%+3.3%+21.6% +3.5%
6 months +12.5%-1.7%-3.0% +7.0%
Year to date +26.7%-0.8%-22.4% +12.2%
1 year +10.6%-6.6%-26.3% +13.0%
3 years +78.3%+19.5%+54.6% +86.3%
3 years, per year +21.3%+6.1%+15.6% +23.1%
5 years +94.2%+45.7%+41.4% +68.6%
5 years, per year +14.2%+7.8%+7.2% +11.0%
10 years +560.0%+147.9%+235.6% +258.0%
10 years, per year +20.8%+9.5%+12.9% +13.6%

Risk

MeasureMSINOCLDOSSPY
Volatility, 1Y 26.2%28.6%35.6% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 27.1%28.3%37.3% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.120.000.26 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.41-0.23-0.74 1.02
Max drawdown, 5Y -27.9%-38.4%-50.3% -25.4%
From 52-week high -1.2%-26.4%-29.9% -1.8%
52-week high $491.32$768.02$199.55 $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 37.7xmedian 26.8x 17.8xmedian 26.8x 12.8xmedian 26.8x
P/S now vs peer median 6.6xmedian 2.9x 1.8xmedian 2.9x 1.0xmedian 2.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 24.7xmedian 15.2x 14.8xmedian 15.2x 9.8xmedian 15.2x
P/FCF now vs peer median 30.0xmedian 25.5x 21.0xmedian 25.5x 8.1xmedian 25.5x
P/B now vs peer median 29.9xmedian 2.5x 4.3xmedian 2.5x 3.3xmedian 2.5x
PEG now vs peer median 2.85median 0.94 17.45median 0.94 0.45median 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 monthsMSINOCLDOS
Revenue $12.24B $43.59B $17.63B
Gross profit $6.36B $8.73B $3.14B
Operating income $3.05B $4.63B $2.03B
Net income $2.14B $4.52B $1.40B
Free cash flow $2.68B $3.83B $2.16B
R&D $1.02B – –
EPS (diluted) $12.76 $31.74 $10.92
Cash & equivalents $710.00M $3.74B $748.00M
Total debt $9.03B $58.43B $21.66B
Shares (diluted) 167.20M 142.40M 126.00M
Enterprise value $76.64B $65.71B $14.30B

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 37.7x 17.8x 12.8x
P/FCF 30.0x 21.0x 8.1x
P/Operating cash flow 27.0x 15.3x 7.6x
P/S 6.6x 1.8x 1.0x
P/B 29.9x 4.3x 3.3x
P/Tangible book -305.6x 4.3x 4.0x
EV/EBITDA 24.7x 14.8x 9.8x
EV/EBIT 29.1x 19.7x 11.3x
EV/Revenue 7.2x 2.1x 1.3x
EV/FCF 33.1x 23.8x 10.6x
EV/Operating cash flow 29.8x 17.3x 9.9x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 2.85 17.45 0.45

Growth

14 metrics
MetricMSINOCLDOS
Revenue growth (1Y) 10.3% 6.5% 3.4%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 8.2% 4.1% 5.9%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 11.7% 9.8% 4.8%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 11.3% 3.4% 14.4%
Operating income growth (1Y) 8.9% 6.8% -0.4%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 15.4% 6.4% 21.1%
Net income growth (1Y) 0.8% 12.5% -0.8%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 12.0% -1.1% 24.8%
EPS growth (1Y) 1.8% 13.3% 1.3%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 13.2% 1.0% 28.6%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 13.9% 53.2% 54.9%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 19.4% 12.5% 35.7%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 12.3% 108.8% 63.2%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 21.4% 22.3% 41.7%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricMSINOCLDOS
Gross margin 52.0% 20.0% 17.8%
EBITDA margin 29.4% 14.1% 13.2%
Operating margin 24.9% 10.6% 11.5%
Pretax margin 22.6% 12.0% 10.2%
Net margin 17.4% 10.4% 7.8%
FCF margin 21.9% 8.8% 12.3%
Operating cash flow margin 24.3% 12.1% 13.0%
Return on equity 81.5% 24.7% 26.8%
Return on assets 11.2% 8.8% 9.0%
Return on invested capital 20.3% 12.2% 13.9%
Return on capital employed 22.4% 12.2% 16.5%
Asset turnover 0.6x 0.8x 1.1x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.4x 1.2x 1.6x
Stock comp / revenue 2.9% 0.3% 0.6%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricMSINOCLDOS
Debt / assets 46.9% 27.5% 38.6%
Debt / equity 3.4x 0.8x 1.1x
Net debt / EBITDA 2.3x 1.7x 2.3x
Debt / FCF 3.4x 3.8x 2.8x
Liabilities / assets 86.0% 64.4% 65.9%
Equity / assets 14.0% 35.6% 34.1%
Interest coverage 6.9x 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 4.30 3.12 3.20

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricMSINOCLDOS
Dividend yield 1.0% 1.7% 1.2%
Net buyback yield 1.3% 0.7% 3.7%
Shareholder yield 2.3% 2.3% 5.0%
Payout ratio (earnings) 35.8% 30.2% 15.5%
Payout ratio (FCF) 28.6% 35.6% 10.0%
Dividend growth (1Y) 10.7% 8.0% 3.3%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 11.0% 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 26.4xFY2026 18.4xFY2026 11.0xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $18.41FY2026 $30.81FY2026 $12.75FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +19.7%FY2026 +17.0%FY2026 +6.3%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +10.4% +3.7% -9.0%
Revenue, next fiscal year $12.12BFY2026 $42.95BFY2026 $17.52BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +3.8%FY2026 +2.4%FY2026 +2.0%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +8.2% +3.7% +14.9%
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 1,466 1,809 773
Change in shares held, QoQ +3.4% +0.3% +4.1%
Institutions buying 639 840 380
Institutions selling 596 639 294
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 +MOG-AMoog
Plot all 68 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) $80.30B, Northrop Grumman (NOC) $78.25B, Leidos Holdings (LDOS) $17.59B.

Which stock is cheaper, MSI, NOC and LDOS?

Leidos Holdings (LDOS) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Motorola Solutions (MSI) 37.6x, Northrop Grumman (NOC) 17.3x, Leidos Holdings (LDOS) 12.8x). On next year's consensus earnings, Leidos Holdings (LDOS) is cheapest (Motorola Solutions (MSI) 26.4x, Northrop Grumman (NOC) 18.4x, Leidos Holdings (LDOS) 11.0x). 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: Motorola Solutions (MSI) +10.3%, Northrop Grumman (NOC) +6.5%, Leidos Holdings (LDOS) +3.4%.

Which company is more profitable?

Motorola Solutions (MSI) has the highest net margin (Motorola Solutions (MSI) 17.4%, Northrop Grumman (NOC) 10.4%, Leidos Holdings (LDOS) 7.8%). On return on invested capital, Motorola Solutions (MSI) leads (Motorola Solutions (MSI) 20.3%, Northrop Grumman (NOC) 12.2%, Leidos Holdings (LDOS) 13.9%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Motorola Solutions (MSI) returned the most: Motorola Solutions (MSI) +10.6%, Northrop Grumman (NOC) -6.6%, Leidos Holdings (LDOS) -26.3%. Over five years, Motorola Solutions (MSI) compounded fastest (Motorola Solutions (MSI) +14.2%/yr, Northrop Grumman (NOC) +7.8%/yr, Leidos Holdings (LDOS) +7.2%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Northrop Grumman (NOC) has the highest dividend yield: Motorola Solutions (MSI) 0.01%, Northrop Grumman (NOC) 0.02%, Leidos Holdings (LDOS) 0.01%.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Motorola Solutions (MSI) has been the steadiest (Motorola Solutions (MSI) 26.2%, Northrop Grumman (NOC) 28.6%, Leidos Holdings (LDOS) 35.6%). 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.