DOV vs. GD: Dover vs. General Dynamics Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Dover (DOV) 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

Dover (DOV) and General Dynamics (GD) both fall under the Capital Goods industry group, but DOV is classified in Machinery while GD is classified in Aerospace & Defense.

Company profile comparison for Dover (DOV) and General Dynamics (GD)
Profile Item	DOV	GD
Name	Dover Corporation	General Dynamics Corp.
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Industrials	Industrials
GICS Industry Group	Capital Goods	Capital Goods
GICS Industry	Machinery	Aerospace & Defense
GICS Sub-Industry	Industrial Machinery & Supplies & Components	Aerospace & Defense
Market Capitalization	27.11 billion USD	95.68 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	March 17, 1980	January 2, 1962
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

DOV

GSPC

Dover (DOV) 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 Dover (DOV) and General Dynamics (GD). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

Loading price history…

Calendar-year total returns for Dover (DOV) and General Dynamics (GD). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Dover (DOV) and General Dynamics (GD)
Metric	DOV	GD
Total Return (1Y)	18.59%	6.52%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	18.73%	16.95%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	5.12%	14.65%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

DOV

GSPC

Dover (DOV) 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 Dover (DOV) and General Dynamics (GD). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Dover (DOV) and General Dynamics (GD)
Metric	DOV	GD
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	25.76%	23.03%
Beta (5Y)	1.08	0.30
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-35.56%	-22.55%
Avg. Volume (3M)	1.21M	1.19M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

DOV 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 Dover (DOV) and General Dynamics (GD)
Metric	DOV	GD
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.56	0.10
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.81	0.15

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Dover (DOV) at 15.20% and General Dynamics (GD) at 18.01% land near their industries’ usual ROE ranges, so capital efficiency looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

DOV

Capital Goods industry group

15.20%

Max: 40.55%
Q3: 19.29%
DOV: 15.20%
Median: 12.12%
Q1: 4.08%
Min: -17.12%

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%

Dover (DOV) vs. General Dynamics (GD): A comparison of their ROE against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Dover (DOV) at 13.60% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of General Dynamics (GD) at 8.24%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

DOV

Capital Goods industry group

13.60%

Max: 27.47%
DOV: 13.60%
Q3: 12.10%
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%

Dover (DOV) vs. General Dynamics (GD): A comparison of their net margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Dover (DOV) at 19.66% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of General Dynamics (GD) at 10.49%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

DOV

Capital Goods industry group

19.66%

Max: 36.60%
DOV: 19.66%
Q3: 18.33%
Median: 11.12%
Q1: 5.14%
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%

Dover (DOV) vs. General Dynamics (GD): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Dover (DOV) and General Dynamics (GD)
Metric	DOV	GD
ROE (TTM)	15.20%	18.01%
ROA (TTM)	7.23%	6.23%
Net Margin (TTM)	13.60%	8.24%
Operating Margin (TTM)	19.66%	10.49%
Gross Margin (TTM)	40.23%	15.42%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Dover (DOV) at 4.48% and General Dynamics (GD) at 10.13% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Dover (DOV) vs. General Dynamics (GD): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

General Dynamics (GD) at 13.35% is around its peer norm for EPS growth, while Dover (DOV) at -59.18% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker earnings momentum.

Dover (DOV) vs. General Dynamics (GD): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Dover (DOV) and General Dynamics (GD)
Metric	DOV	GD
Revenue Growth (YoY)	4.48%	10.13%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	1.04%	10.07%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-59.18%	13.35%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	2.28%	8.22%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Dover (DOV) at 1.95 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while General Dynamics (GD) at 1.43 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for GD.

DOV

Capital Goods industry group

1.95

Max: 5.22
Q3: 2.95
Median: 2.08
DOV: 1.95
Q1: 1.43
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

Dover (DOV) vs. General Dynamics (GD): A comparison of their current ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Dover (DOV) at 0.43 and General Dynamics (GD) at 0.33 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

DOV

Capital Goods industry group

0.43

Max: 2.33
Q3: 1.12
Median: 0.60
DOV: 0.43
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

Dover (DOV) 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 Dover (DOV) and General Dynamics (GD)
Metric	DOV	GD
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.95	1.43
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.43	0.33
Net Debt / EBITDA	0.80	0.68

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

General Dynamics (GD) at 1.76% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while Dover (DOV) at 1.03% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, GD the richer one.

DOV

Capital Goods industry group

1.03%

Max: 2.66%
Q3: 1.14%
DOV: 1.03%
Median: 0.24%
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%

Dover (DOV) vs. General Dynamics (GD): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Dover (DOV) at 24.33% pays out a band-typical share of earnings, while General Dynamics (GD) at 36.90% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

DOV

Capital Goods industry group

24.33%

Max: 67.39%
Q3: 28.02%
DOV: 24.33%
Median: 6.86%
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%

Dover (DOV) vs. General Dynamics (GD): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Dover (DOV) and General Dynamics (GD)
Metric	DOV	GD
Dividend Yield (TTM)	1.03%	1.76%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	24.33%	36.90%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Dover (DOV) at 23.79 and General Dynamics (GD) at 20.84 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

DOV

Capital Goods industry group

23.79

Max: 59.38
Q3: 35.92
Median: 25.41
DOV: 23.79
Q1: 19.47
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

Dover (DOV) 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 Dover (DOV) at 3.16 and General Dynamics (GD) at 1.69 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

DOV

Capital Goods industry group

3.16

Max: 7.54
Q3: 3.76
DOV: 3.16
Median: 2.15
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

Dover (DOV) vs. General Dynamics (GD): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

On P/B ratio, both Dover (DOV) at 3.55 and General Dynamics (GD) at 3.50 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

DOV

Capital Goods industry group

3.55

Max: 9.66
Q3: 5.00
DOV: 3.55
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

Dover (DOV) vs. General Dynamics (GD): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Dover (DOV) and General Dynamics (GD)
Metric	DOV	GD
P/E Ratio (TTM)	23.79	20.84
P/S Ratio (TTM)	3.16	1.69
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	3.55	3.50
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	3.18%	4.76%