General Dynamics vs Northrop Grumman Corp /de/ (GD vs NOC)
Side by side from their SEC filings: revenue, margins, growth, returns and valuation, plus short interest, insider activity and institutional ownership.
General Dynamics is the larger company by revenue ($52.5B vs $42.0B) and market value ($101.4B vs $77.0B). General Dynamics has grown revenue faster over the last 4 fiscal years (+36.6% cumulative vs +17.6%). Northrop Grumman Corp /de/ trades at the lower trailing P/E (17.0x vs 23.6x).
About General Dynamics
General Dynamics is a global aerospace and defense company that designs, engineers, and manufactures products in business aviation, ship construction and repair, land combat vehicles, weapon systems, munitions, and technology services. Its Aerospace segment produces business jets through Gulfstream and Jet Aviation, offering aircraft manufacturing, repair, and customer support worldwide. The Marine Systems segment designs and builds nuclear-powered submarines and surface combatant ships for the U.S. Navy, providing maintenance and modernization services.
About Northrop Grumman Corp /de/
Northrop Grumman Corporation is a global aerospace and defense technology company that provides products and services primarily to the U.S. Department of War and intelligence community, as well as international customers. Its main offerings include space systems, military aircraft, missile defense, advanced weapons, mission systems, networking and communications, and strategic deterrence systems. The company operates through four sectors: Aeronautics Systems, Defense Systems, Mission Systems, and Space Systems, serving military and government clients with advanced technology solutions.
Head to head (GD FY2025 vs NOC FY2025)
| Metric | GDFY2025 | NOCFY2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $52.55B | $41.95B |
| Revenue growth (YoY) | 10.1% | 2.2% |
| Gross margin | — | — |
| Operating margin | 10.2% | 10.8% |
| Net margin | 8.0% | 10.0% |
| Net income | $4.21B | $4.18B |
| Diluted EPS | $15.45 | $29.08 |
| FCF margin | 7.5% | 7.9% |
| ROE | 16.4% | 25.1% |
| Debt / equity | 0.3× | 0.9× |
| Market cap | $101.43B | $76.96B |
| P/E (TTM) | 23.6× | 17.0× |
Fundamentals are from each company’s SEC filings (GD FY2025, NOC FY2025). P/E and market cap are derived from recent market prices and update daily.
Five-year trend (as reported)
| Revenue | FY2021 | FY2022 | FY2023 | FY2024 | FY2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GD | $38.47B | $39.41B | $42.27B | $47.72B | $52.55B |
| NOC | $35.67B | $36.60B | $39.29B | $41.03B | $41.95B |
Peer standing
Where each company ranks among the 684 Industrials companies, on the same scale. Each figure is ranked only against peers that report it. Percentiles describe position in the distribution, not a rating.
| Metric | GD | NOC |
|---|---|---|
| Operating margin | 10.2%67th percentile of 606 | 10.8%69th percentile of 606 |
| Net margin | 8.0%70th percentile of 646 | 10.0%75th percentile of 646 |
| FCF margin | 7.5%62nd percentile of 561 | 7.9%63rd percentile of 561 |
| Revenue growth (YoY) | +10.1%68th percentile of 669 | +2.2%42nd percentile of 669 |
| ROE | 16.4%75th percentile of 600 | 25.1%88th percentile of 600 |
| P/E (TTM) | 23.6×47th percentile of 435 | 17.0×29th percentile of 435 |
| Debt / equity | 0.27×33rd percentile of 407 | 0.91×73rd percentile of 407 |
| Short interest (days to cover) | 1.87d34th percentile of 676 | 2.00d36th percentile of 676 |
Short interest
| FINRA settlement data | GD | NOC |
|---|---|---|
| Shares sold short | 3.1M | 2.4M |
| Change vs prior settlement | +2.8% | +10.1% |
| Days to cover | 1.87 | 2.00 |
| As of settlement | 2026-06-30 | 2026-06-30 |
Source: FINRA Consolidated Short Interest. FINRA is the owner and source of the FINRA-supplied data; republishing or redistributing it is not permitted. Not presented as a percentage of float. No FINRA endorsement of this product is implied.
Insider activity (last 90 days)
| Form 4 open-market activity | GD | NOC |
|---|---|---|
| Buys | 0 | 0 |
| Sells | 6 ($27.0M) | 11 ($54,309) |
Open-market purchases and sales reported on SEC Form 4 (grants, exercises and tax withholding excluded). For context, about 16% of covered companies saw any open-market insider buy in a 90-day window.
Held by the same investors
7 tracked 13F managers hold both General Dynamics and Northrop Grumman Corp /de/ as of their latest quarterly filings: AQR Capital Management, Citadel Advisors, D. E. Shaw, Gotham Asset Management, Millennium Management, Renaissance Technologies, Two Sigma Investments. See which superinvestors hold your own portfolio with the smart money checker.
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Data sourced from SEC EDGAR (public domain). Figures are as-reported and may be unaudited or restated; verify against the source filings before relying on them. Comparisons are descriptive (higher or lower on a reported figure), not a rating or a recommendation. Informational only. Not investment advice.