GENERAL DYNAMICS CORPORATION vs NORTHROP GRUMMAN CORP /DE/, two Aerospace & Defense stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
Where GD and NOC diverge most: on implied growth (priced in), GD reads +8.4% and NOC reads +0.5%; on altman z (solvency), GD reads 8.20 and NOC reads 2.87. The rest of the comparable metrics sit closer together. On valuation, today's GD price has a different growth bar priced in than NOC (+8.4% implied for GD vs +0.5% for NOC); the higher figure is the steeper assumption to clear, not a better or worse stock. What GD's price implies is a bet that sits within the historical range (whole-company basis). What NOC's price implies is a bet that sits within the historical range (whole-company basis). The bull and bear cases for each are in their full reports below.
| Metric | GD | NOC |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $383.79 | $542.47 |
| Market cap | $105.2B | $77.2B |
| Sector | Aerospace & Defense | Aerospace & Defense |
| Stage | Mature | Mature |
| Implied growth (priced in) | +8.4% | +0.5% |
| P/E | — | 17.3 |
| P/B | 4.03 | 4.32 |
| P/S | 1.96 | 1.80 |
| EV/EBITDA | 17.0 | 14.7 |
| Revenue growth | +9.4% | +5.8% |
| Operating margin | 10.5% | 10.1% |
| Net margin | 8.1% | 10.5% |
| Return on equity | 16.6% | 25.1% |
| Return on assets | 7.3% | 8.9% |
| Return on invested capital | 13.3% | 13.0% |
| FCF yield | 5.9% | 4.7% |
| Dividend yield | — | 1.7% |
| Debt / equity | 0.31 | 0.85 |
| Current ratio | 1.38 | 1.17 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 8.20 | 2.87 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 7 / 9 | 7 / 9 |
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The stronger value is highlighted per metric where one is strictly better on that single number; it is not an overall verdict on either company. For informational and research purposes only. Not investment advice. Not a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security. boothcheck is not a registered investment adviser. Past performance does not guarantee future results.