Seek Returns

BA vs. GD: Boeing vs. General Dynamics Stock Comparison

How do Boeing (BA) and General Dynamics (GD) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Boeing (BA) and General Dynamics (GD) are both classified in the Aerospace & Defense sub-industry within the broader Aerospace & Defense industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Company profile comparison for Boeing (BA) and General Dynamics (GD)
Profile ItemBAGD
NameThe Boeing CompanyGeneral Dynamics Corp.
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorIndustrialsIndustrials
GICS Industry GroupCapital GoodsCapital Goods
GICS IndustryAerospace & DefenseAerospace & Defense
GICS Sub-IndustryAerospace & DefenseAerospace & Defense
Market Capitalization137.41 billion USD95.68 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateJanuary 2, 1962January 2, 1962
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

BA
GD
GSPC
Loading price history…
Boeing (BA) vs. General Dynamics (GD), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

Loading price history…
Trailing total returns for Boeing (BA) and General Dynamics (GD). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

Loading price history…
Calendar-year total returns for Boeing (BA) and General Dynamics (GD). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Boeing (BA) and General Dynamics (GD)
MetricBAGD
Total Return (1Y)-10.22%6.52%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)-3.32%16.95%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)-4.57%14.65%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

BA
GD
GSPC
Loading price history…
Boeing (BA) vs. General Dynamics (GD), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

Loading price history…
Distribution of monthly total returns for Boeing (BA) and General Dynamics (GD). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Boeing (BA) has an aggressive beta of 1.31, indicating higher sensitivity to broad-market moves, while General Dynamics (GD) is defensive at 0.30 and tends to be less market-sensitive — they sit on opposite ends of the beta spectrum.

Risk profile metrics for Boeing (BA) and General Dynamics (GD)
MetricBAGD
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)35.25%23.03%
Beta (5Y)1.310.30
Max Drawdown (5Y)-50.29%-22.55%
Avg. Volume (3M)7.77M1.19M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

Loading chart…
BA and GD are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Boeing (BA) and General Dynamics (GD)
MetricBAGD
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)-0.410.10
Sortino Ratio (1Y)-0.600.15

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Capital efficiency shows on one side only: General Dynamics (GD) earns 18.01% on shareholders’ equity, ranked against its industry; Boeing (BA) has no ROE this period.

BA

Capital Goods industry group

--

Max
40.55%
Q3
19.29%
Median
12.12%
Q1
4.08%
Min
-17.12%
BA
--

GD

Capital Goods industry group

18.01%

Max
40.55%
Q3
19.29%
GD
18.01%
Median
12.12%
Q1
4.08%
Min
-17.12%
Loading chart…
Boeing (BA) vs. General Dynamics (GD): BA does not report ROE, so it has no value marker; GD is benchmarked against the Capital Goods industry group.

Net Margin (TTM)

Both Boeing (BA) at 8.07% and General Dynamics (GD) at 8.24% keep about the typical share of revenue as profit for their industries — neither bottom line stands out from peers.

BA

Capital Goods industry group

8.07%

Max
27.47%
Q3
12.10%
BA
8.07%
Median
6.30%
Q1
1.40%
Min
-12.89%

GD

Capital Goods industry group

8.24%

Max
27.47%
Q3
12.10%
GD
8.24%
Median
6.30%
Q1
1.40%
Min
-12.89%
Loading chart…
Boeing (BA) vs. General Dynamics (GD): A comparison of their net margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

General Dynamics (GD) at 10.49% runs core operations around its industry’s norm, while Boeing (BA) at 0.30% operates in the bottom quartile.

BA

Capital Goods industry group

0.30%

Max
36.60%
Q3
18.33%
Median
11.12%
Q1
5.14%
BA
0.30%
Min
-12.63%

GD

Capital Goods industry group

10.49%

Max
36.60%
Q3
18.33%
Median
11.12%
GD
10.49%
Q1
5.14%
Min
-12.63%
Loading chart…
Boeing (BA) vs. General Dynamics (GD): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Boeing (BA) and General Dynamics (GD)
MetricBAGD
ROE (TTM)--18.01%
ROA (TTM)-0.11%6.23%
Net Margin (TTM)8.07%8.24%
Operating Margin (TTM)0.30%10.49%
Gross Margin (TTM)9.45%15.42%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Boeing (BA) at 34.50% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while General Dynamics (GD) at 10.13% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for BA.

Loading chart…
Boeing (BA) vs. General Dynamics (GD): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Only one side can be read here: General Dynamics (GD) reports EPS growth of 13.35%, ranked against its industry; Boeing (BA) has no EPS growth figure this period.

Loading chart…
Boeing (BA) vs. General Dynamics (GD): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Boeing (BA) and General Dynamics (GD)
MetricBAGD
Revenue Growth (YoY)34.50%10.13%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)10.33%10.07%
EPS Growth (YoY)--13.35%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)--8.22%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Boeing (BA) at 1.13 and General Dynamics (GD) at 1.43 run current ratio in the tighter-liquidity quartile of industry peers, leaving thinner cushions against current liabilities than typical competitors.

BA

Capital Goods industry group

1.13

Max
5.22
Q3
2.95
Median
2.08
Q1
1.43
BA
1.13
Min
0.36

GD

Capital Goods industry group

1.43

Max
5.22
Q3
2.95
Median
2.08
Q1
1.43
GD
1.43
Min
0.36
Loading chart…
Boeing (BA) vs. General Dynamics (GD): A comparison of their current ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

General Dynamics (GD) at 0.33 is near its industry mid-range for debt-to-equity ratio, while Boeing (BA) at 7.39 sits above its benchmark range, pointing to a heavier debt load relative to equity.

BA

Capital Goods industry group

7.39

BA
7.39
Max
2.33
Q3
1.12
Median
0.60
Q1
0.29
Min
0.00

GD

Capital Goods industry group

0.33

Max
2.33
Q3
1.12
Median
0.60
GD
0.33
Q1
0.29
Min
0.00
Loading chart…
Boeing (BA) vs. General Dynamics (GD): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Boeing (BA) and General Dynamics (GD)
MetricBAGD
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.131.43
Debt / Equity (MRQ)7.390.33
Net Debt / EBITDA13.810.68

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Boeing (BA) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile General Dynamics (GD) reports a yield of 1.76%, ranking against industry peers normally.

BA

Capital Goods industry group

0.00%

Max
2.66%
Q3
1.14%
Median
0.24%
BA
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

GD

Capital Goods industry group

1.76%

Max
2.66%
GD
1.76%
Q3
1.14%
Median
0.24%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
Loading chart…
Boeing (BA) vs. General Dynamics (GD): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Boeing (BA) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile General Dynamics (GD) reports a payout of 36.90%, ranking against industry peers normally.

BA

Capital Goods industry group

0.00%

Max
67.39%
Q3
28.02%
Median
6.86%
BA
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

GD

Capital Goods industry group

36.90%

Max
67.39%
GD
36.90%
Q3
28.02%
Median
6.86%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
Loading chart…
Boeing (BA) vs. General Dynamics (GD): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Boeing (BA) and General Dynamics (GD)
MetricBAGD
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.00%1.76%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)0.00%36.90%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Boeing (BA) at 17.89 sits in the cheaper P/E ratio quartile, while General Dynamics (GD) at 20.84 is closer to its industry’s usual earnings multiple — a discount for BA, though growth and earnings durability still matter.

BA

Capital Goods industry group

17.89

Max
59.38
Q3
35.92
Median
25.41
Q1
19.47
BA
17.89
Min
3.03

GD

Capital Goods industry group

20.84

Max
59.38
Q3
35.92
Median
25.41
GD
20.84
Q1
19.47
Min
3.03
Loading chart…
Boeing (BA) vs. General Dynamics (GD): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both Boeing (BA) at 1.45 and General Dynamics (GD) at 1.69 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

BA

Capital Goods industry group

1.45

Max
7.54
Q3
3.76
Median
2.15
BA
1.45
Q1
1.03
Min
0.03

GD

Capital Goods industry group

1.69

Max
7.54
Q3
3.76
Median
2.15
GD
1.69
Q1
1.03
Min
0.03
Loading chart…
Boeing (BA) vs. General Dynamics (GD): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

General Dynamics (GD) at 3.50 sits near its industry’s typical P/B ratio, while Boeing (BA) at 20.99 prices above its benchmark range — BA looks rich relative to book.

BA

Capital Goods industry group

20.99

BA
20.99
Max
9.66
Q3
5.00
Median
3.12
Q1
1.81
Min
-1.08

GD

Capital Goods industry group

3.50

Max
9.66
Q3
5.00
GD
3.50
Median
3.12
Q1
1.81
Min
-1.08
Loading chart…
Boeing (BA) vs. General Dynamics (GD): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Boeing (BA) and General Dynamics (GD)
MetricBAGD
P/E Ratio (TTM)17.8920.84
P/S Ratio (TTM)1.451.69
P/B Ratio (MRQ)20.993.50
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)3.44%4.76%