General Dynamics (GD) Competitors

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) and Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) are both large-cap aerospace companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, community ranking, profitability, valuation, risk, earnings, media sentiment and dividends.

Do insiders and institutionals believe in GD or NOC?

86.1% of General Dynamics shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 83.4% of Northrop Grumman shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.6% of General Dynamics shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 0.2% of Northrop Grumman shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Does the media prefer GD or NOC?

In the previous week, General Dynamics had 23 more articles in the media than Northrop Grumman. MarketBeat recorded 65 mentions for General Dynamics and 42 mentions for Northrop Grumman. Northrop Grumman's average media sentiment score of 0.84 beat General Dynamics' score of 0.64 indicating that Northrop Grumman is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
General Dynamics	26 Very Positive mention(s)	19 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	1 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Northrop Grumman	17 Very Positive mention(s)	3 Positive mention(s)	16 Neutral mention(s)	1 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Does the MarketBeat Community prefer GD or NOC?

General Dynamics received 288 more outperform votes than Northrop Grumman when rated by MarketBeat users. Likewise, 69.52% of users gave General Dynamics an outperform vote while only 62.39% of users gave Northrop Grumman an outperform vote.

Company	Underperform	Outperform
General Dynamics	Outperform Votes 935 69.52%	Underperform Votes 410 30.48%
Northrop Grumman	Outperform Votes 647 62.39%	Underperform Votes 390 37.61%

Is GD or NOC more profitable?

General Dynamics has a net margin of 7.85% compared to Northrop Grumman's net margin of 5.38%. Northrop Grumman's return on equity of 24.09% beat General Dynamics' return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
General Dynamics	7.85%	16.48%	6.26%
Northrop Grumman	5.38%	24.09%	7.88%

Which has stronger earnings and valuation, GD or NOC?

General Dynamics has higher revenue and earnings than Northrop Grumman. General Dynamics is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Northrop Grumman, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
General Dynamics	$42.27B	1.87	$3.32B	$12.26	23.56
Northrop Grumman	$39.29B	1.83	$2.06B	$14.30	33.92

Which has more volatility & risk, GD or NOC?

General Dynamics has a beta of 0.68, indicating that its share price is 32% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Northrop Grumman has a beta of 0.35, indicating that its share price is 65% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Is GD or NOC a better dividend stock?

General Dynamics pays an annual dividend of $5.68 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.0%. Northrop Grumman pays an annual dividend of $7.48 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.5%. General Dynamics pays out 46.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Northrop Grumman pays out 52.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. General Dynamics is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Do analysts prefer GD or NOC?

General Dynamics currently has a consensus price target of $297.06, indicating a potential upside of 3.05%. Northrop Grumman has a consensus price target of $503.00, indicating a potential upside of 3.81%. Given Northrop Grumman's higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Northrop Grumman is more favorable than General Dynamics.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
General Dynamics	0 Sell rating(s)	4 Hold rating(s)	10 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.71
Northrop Grumman	1 Sell rating(s)	7 Hold rating(s)	4 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.25

Summary

General Dynamics beats Northrop Grumman on 14 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.