General Dynamics vs Northrop Grumman (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 ($93.1B vs $73.9B). General Dynamics has grown revenue faster over the last 4 fiscal years (+36.6% cumulative vs +17.6%). Northrop Grumman trades at the lower trailing P/E (16.5x vs 21.0x).
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
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% |
| Long-term debt / equity | 0.27× | 0.91× |
| Market cap | $93.13B | $73.85B |
| P/E | 21.0× | 16.5× |
Fundamentals are from each company’s SEC filings (GD FY2025, NOC FY2025). ROE is net income over fiscal-year-end equity; long-term debt / equity counts non-current term debt only. P/E and market cap are derived from stored market prices, last retrieved on a rolling basis and typically within the past week.
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 668 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 598 | 10.8%68th percentile of 598 |
| Net margin | 8.0%69th percentile of 630 | 10.0%74th percentile of 630 |
| FCF margin | 7.5%61st percentile of 546 | 7.9%62nd percentile of 546 |
| Revenue growth (YoY) | +10.1%66th percentile of 652 | +2.2%40th percentile of 652 |
| ROE | 16.4%75th percentile of 590 | 25.1%88th percentile of 590 |
| P/E | 21.0×44th percentile of 406 | 16.5×30th percentile of 406 |
| Long-term debt / equity | 0.27×34th percentile of 403 | 0.91×72nd percentile of 403 |
| Short interest (days to cover) | 1.51d23rd percentile of 661 | 2.60d37th percentile of 661 |
Short interest
| FINRA settlement data | GD | NOC |
|---|---|---|
| Shares sold short | 2.2M | 2.3M |
| Change vs prior settlement | -19.3% | +1.3% |
| Days to cover | 1.51 | 2.60 |
| As of settlement | 2026-09-30 | 2026-09-30 |
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 activity (codes P/S) | GD | NOC |
|---|---|---|
| Buys | 0 | 0 |
| Sells | 12 ($41.8M) | 10 ($52,015) |
Non-derivative purchases (code P) and sales (code S) reported on SEC Form 4, which may be open-market or private (grants, exercises and tax withholding excluded). For context, about 15% of covered companies saw any reported insider purchase (code P) in a 90-day window.
Held by the same investors
8 tracked 13F managers hold both General Dynamics and Northrop Grumman as of their latest quarterly filings: AQR Capital Management, Bridgewater Associates, 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.
Go deeper
Track GD and NOC
Get an alert when either company files something material, see which superinvestors own them, and ask their filings a question with cited answers.
Start monitoring freeIncludes one free filing-grounded research answer. Or check your whole portfolio, no account needed.
Data sourced from SEC EDGAR. 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.