NOC vs ESLT vs GD Stock Comparison

Northrop Grumman, Elbit Systems and General Dynamics Prices as of Oct 26, 2026 Peers: Industry group
ESLT Elbit Systems Ltd
$777.96 +5.8% 1M +58.2% 1Y
Market cap
$36.06B
P/E
56.7x
Revenue (TTM)
$8.55B
Div. yield
0.00%
Defense Industrials
5 wins
GD General Dynamics Corp
$357.05 +6.1% 1M +1.8% 1Y
Market cap
$96.06B
P/E
21.4x
Revenue (TTM)
$54.86B
Div. yield
–
Defense Industrials
3 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Elbit Systems leads on 5 of the 12 questions below (Elbit Systems 5, General Dynamics 3, Northrop Grumman 3). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionNOCESLTGDLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $78.65B $36.06B $96.06B GD
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 17.4x 56.7x 21.4x NOC
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 18.4x 55.8x 20.3x NOC
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +6.5% +13.7% +9.1% ESLT
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 10.4% 7.4% 8.2% NOC
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 12.2% 17.8% 13.6% ESLT
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 1.7x -0.9x 0.5x ESLT
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.02% 0.00% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -6.6% +58.2% +1.8% ESLT
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +7.8%/yr +37.4%/yr +11.7%/yr ESLT
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 28.6% 44.8% 22.3% GD
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 57/100 60/100 71/100 GD

Percentile Scorecard

NOCESLTGD

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

AxisNOCESLTGD
Valuation 74 #27 of 100 46 #55 of 100 85 #16 of 100
Growth 39 #60 of 97 88 #13 of 97 43 #56 of 97
Profitability 77 #23 of 96 74 #26 of 96 78 #22 of 96
Financial Health 39 #65 of 105 58 #45 of 105 62 #41 of 105
Shareholder Returns 59 #27 of 64 37 #41 of 64 86 #10 of 64
Overall 57 60 71
  • NOC ranked among 107 companies in Aerospace and Defense
  • ESLT ranked among 107 companies in Aerospace and Defense
  • GD 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

PeriodNOCESLTGDSPY
1 month +10.8%+5.8%+6.1% -0.8%
3 months +3.3%-4.3%-8.2% +3.5%
6 months -1.7%-5.1%+14.2% +7.0%
Year to date -0.8%+34.7%+6.1% +12.2%
1 year -6.6%+58.2%+1.8% +13.0%
3 years +19.5%+318.4%+49.9% +86.3%
3 years, per year +6.1%+61.2%+14.4% +23.1%
5 years +45.7%+389.3%+73.5% +68.6%
5 years, per year +7.8%+37.4%+11.7% +11.0%
10 years +147.9%+696.3%+136.2% +258.0%
10 years, per year +9.5%+23.1%+9.0% +13.6%

Risk

MeasureNOCESLTGDSPY
Volatility, 1Y 28.6%44.8%22.3% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 28.3%39.8%20.9% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.000.710.33 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.231.300.08 1.02
Max drawdown, 5Y -38.4%-35.5%-23.0% -25.4%
From 52-week high -26.4%-23.3%-9.8% -1.8%
52-week high $768.02$1,014.33$395.97 $779.14
52-week low $473.40$454.95$312.53 $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.

MultipleNOCESLTGD
P/E now vs peer median 17.8xmedian 26.8x 55.9xmedian 26.8x 21.5xmedian 26.8x
P/S now vs peer median 1.8xmedian 2.9x 4.2xmedian 2.9x 1.8xmedian 2.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 14.8xmedian 15.2x 36.4xmedian 15.2x 15.2xmedian 15.2x
P/FCF now vs peer median 21.0xmedian 25.5x 36.4xmedian 25.5x 15.0xmedian 25.5x
P/B now vs peer median 4.3xmedian 2.5x 8.2xmedian 2.5x 3.6xmedian 2.5x
PEG now vs peer median 17.45median 0.94 1.78median 0.94 2.10median 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 monthsNOCESLTGD
Revenue $43.59B $8.55B $54.86B
Gross profit $8.73B $2.14B $8.44B
Operating income $4.63B $787.82M $5.66B
Net income $4.52B $636.61M $4.49B
Free cash flow $3.83B $992.19M $6.45B
R&D – $582.72M –
EPS (diluted) $31.74 $13.56 $16.40
Cash & equivalents $3.74B $255.34M $4.33B
Total debt $58.43B $92.13M $7.52B
Shares (diluted) 142.40M 46.92M 273.52M
Enterprise value $66.10B $32.62B $83.17B

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
MetricNOCESLTGD
P/E 17.8x 55.9x 21.5x
P/FCF 21.0x 36.4x 15.0x
P/Operating cash flow 15.3x 36.4x 12.5x
P/S 1.8x 4.2x 1.8x
P/B 4.3x 8.2x 3.6x
P/Tangible book 4.3x 8.2x 3.8x
EV/EBITDA 14.8x 36.4x 15.2x
EV/EBIT 19.7x 44.8x 17.6x
EV/Revenue 2.1x 4.1x 1.8x
EV/FCF 23.8x 35.5x 15.5x
EV/Operating cash flow 17.3x 35.5x 13.0x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 17.45 1.78 2.10

Growth

14 metrics
MetricNOCESLTGD
Revenue growth (1Y) 6.5% 13.7% 9.1%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 4.1% 14.4% 10.3%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 9.8% 18.5% 8.9%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 3.4% 14.1% 8.6%
Operating income growth (1Y) 6.8% 37.1% 9.4%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 6.4% 26.5% 10.3%
Net income growth (1Y) 12.5% 58.0% 9.8%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -1.1% 33.7% 10.0%
EPS growth (1Y) 13.3% 50.8% 8.8%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 1.0% 31.5% 10.2%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 53.2% 22.1% –
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 12.5% 82.7% 23.0%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 108.8% 105.8% –
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 22.3% 175.7% 28.7%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricNOCESLTGD
Gross margin 20.0% 25.0% 15.4%
EBITDA margin 14.1% 11.3% 12.0%
Operating margin 10.6% 9.2% 10.3%
Pretax margin 12.0% 8.1% 9.9%
Net margin 10.4% 7.4% 8.2%
FCF margin 8.8% 11.6% 11.8%
Operating cash flow margin 12.1% 11.6% 14.0%
Return on equity 24.7% 14.7% 17.0%
Return on assets 8.8% 4.7% 7.5%
Return on invested capital 12.2% 17.8% 13.6%
Return on capital employed 12.2% 11.0% 13.9%
Asset turnover 0.8x 0.6x 0.9x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.2x 1.6x 1.7x
Stock comp / revenue 0.3% 0.3% 0.4%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricNOCESLTGD
Debt / assets 27.5% 0.7% 12.5%
Debt / equity 0.8x 0.0x 0.3x
Net debt / EBITDA 1.7x -0.9x 0.5x
Debt / FCF 3.8x 0.1x 1.2x
Liabilities / assets 64.4% 68.2% 55.4%
Equity / assets 35.6% 31.8% 44.6%
Interest coverage 7.1x – –
Current ratio 1.2x 1.4x 1.4x
Quick ratio 1.0x 0.8x 2.8x
Cash ratio 0.3x 0.2x 0.2x
Altman Z-score 3.12 – 4.18

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricNOCESLTGD
Dividend yield 1.7% 0.5% 1.8%
Net buyback yield 0.7% 0.0% 0.4%
Shareholder yield 2.3% 0.5% 2.1%
Payout ratio (earnings) 30.2% 22.7% –
Payout ratio (FCF) 35.6% 14.5% –
Dividend growth (1Y) 8.0% -54.3% –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 7.4% -17.4% –

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.

ConsensusNOCESLTGD
Forward P/E 18.4xFY2026 55.8xFY2026 20.3xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $30.81FY2026 $13.93FY2026 $17.56FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +17.0%FY2026 +22.3%FY2026 +13.7%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +3.7% +21.8% +8.9%
Revenue, next fiscal year $42.95BFY2026 $8.84BFY2026 $53.43BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +2.4%FY2026 +11.3%FY2026 +1.7%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +3.7% +21.1% +12.6%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersNOCESLTGD
Held by institutions 83.4% 19.9% 86.5%
Institutions holding 1,809 384 2,217
Change in shares held, QoQ +0.3% -7.1% +0.1%
Institutions buying 840 202 1,018
Institutions selling 639 106 831
Buyers to sellers 1.31 1.91 1.23

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.

NOCESLTGD
NOC 1.00 0.40 0.62
ESLT 0.40 1.00 0.41
GD 0.62 0.41 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, NOC, ESLT and GD?

General Dynamics (GD) is the largest by market capitalisation: Northrop Grumman (NOC) $78.65B, Elbit Systems (ESLT) $36.06B, General Dynamics (GD) $96.06B.

Which stock is cheaper, NOC, ESLT and GD?

Northrop Grumman (NOC) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Northrop Grumman (NOC) 17.4x, Elbit Systems (ESLT) 56.7x, General Dynamics (GD) 21.4x). On next year's consensus earnings, Northrop Grumman (NOC) is cheapest (Northrop Grumman (NOC) 18.4x, Elbit Systems (ESLT) 55.8x, General Dynamics (GD) 20.3x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Elbit Systems (ESLT) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Northrop Grumman (NOC) +6.5%, Elbit Systems (ESLT) +13.7%, General Dynamics (GD) +9.1%.

Which company is more profitable?

Northrop Grumman (NOC) has the highest net margin (Northrop Grumman (NOC) 10.4%, Elbit Systems (ESLT) 7.4%, General Dynamics (GD) 8.2%). On return on invested capital, Elbit Systems (ESLT) leads (Northrop Grumman (NOC) 12.2%, Elbit Systems (ESLT) 17.8%, General Dynamics (GD) 13.6%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Elbit Systems (ESLT) returned the most: Northrop Grumman (NOC) -6.6%, Elbit Systems (ESLT) +58.2%, General Dynamics (GD) +1.8%. Over five years, Elbit Systems (ESLT) compounded fastest (Northrop Grumman (NOC) +7.8%/yr, Elbit Systems (ESLT) +37.4%/yr, General Dynamics (GD) +11.7%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Northrop Grumman (NOC) 0.02%, Elbit Systems (ESLT) 0.00%, General Dynamics (GD) 0.00%. Elbit Systems (ESLT) and General Dynamics (GD) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, General Dynamics (GD) has been the steadiest (Northrop Grumman (NOC) 28.6%, Elbit Systems (ESLT) 44.8%, General Dynamics (GD) 22.3%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, NOC, ESLT and GD?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Elbit Systems (ESLT) 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.