EMR vs. GD: Emerson Electric vs. General Dynamics Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Emerson Electric (EMR) 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

Emerson Electric (EMR) and General Dynamics (GD) both fall under the Capital Goods industry group, but EMR is classified in Electrical Equipment while GD is classified in Aerospace & Defense.

Company profile comparison for Emerson Electric (EMR) and General Dynamics (GD)
Profile Item	EMR	GD
Name	Emerson Electric Co.	General Dynamics Corp.
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Industrials	Industrials
GICS Industry Group	Capital Goods	Capital Goods
GICS Industry	Electrical Equipment	Aerospace & Defense
GICS Sub-Industry	Electrical Components & Equipment	Aerospace & Defense
Market Capitalization	90.56 billion USD	95.68 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	June 1, 1972	January 2, 1962
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

EMR

GSPC

Emerson Electric (EMR) 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

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Trailing total returns for Emerson Electric (EMR) and General Dynamics (GD). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Emerson Electric (EMR) and General Dynamics (GD)
Metric	EMR	GD
Total Return (1Y)	34.39%	6.52%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	28.46%	16.95%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	14.17%	14.65%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

EMR

GSPC

Emerson Electric (EMR) 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

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Emerson Electric (EMR) and General Dynamics (GD). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Emerson Electric (EMR) and General Dynamics (GD)
Metric	EMR	GD
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	32.47%	23.03%
Beta (5Y)	1.20	0.30
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-29.61%	-22.55%
Avg. Volume (3M)	2.61M	1.19M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

EMR 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 Emerson Electric (EMR) and General Dynamics (GD)
Metric	EMR	GD
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.93	0.10
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.37	0.15

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Emerson Electric (EMR) at 13.12% 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.

EMR

Capital Goods industry group

13.12%

Max: 40.55%
Q3: 19.29%
EMR: 13.12%
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%

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

Net Margin (TTM)

Emerson Electric (EMR) at 14.18% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of General Dynamics (GD) at 8.24%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

EMR

Capital Goods industry group

14.18%

Max: 27.47%
EMR: 14.18%
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%

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

Operating Margin (TTM)

Emerson Electric (EMR) at 25.90% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of General Dynamics (GD) at 10.49%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

EMR

Capital Goods industry group

25.90%

Max: 36.60%
EMR: 25.90%
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%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Emerson Electric (EMR) and General Dynamics (GD)
Metric	EMR	GD
ROE (TTM)	13.12%	18.01%
ROA (TTM)	5.98%	6.23%
Net Margin (TTM)	14.18%	8.24%
Operating Margin (TTM)	25.90%	10.49%
Gross Margin (TTM)	53.36%	15.42%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Only one side can be read here: General Dynamics (GD) reports revenue growth of 10.13%, ranked against its industry; Emerson Electric (EMR) has no revenue growth figure this period.

Emerson Electric (EMR) vs. General Dynamics (GD): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Emerson Electric (EMR) at 18.56% and General Dynamics (GD) at 13.35% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Emerson Electric (EMR) vs. General Dynamics (GD): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Emerson Electric (EMR) and General Dynamics (GD)
Metric	EMR	GD
Revenue Growth (YoY)	--	10.13%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	--	10.07%
EPS Growth (YoY)	18.56%	13.35%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	-40.62%	8.22%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Emerson Electric (EMR) at 0.94 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.

EMR

Capital Goods industry group

0.94

Max: 5.22
Q3: 2.95
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.43
EMR: 0.94
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

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

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Emerson Electric (EMR) at 0.59 and General Dynamics (GD) at 0.33 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

EMR

Capital Goods industry group

0.59

Max: 2.33
Q3: 1.12
Median: 0.60
EMR: 0.59
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

Emerson Electric (EMR) 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 Emerson Electric (EMR) and General Dynamics (GD)
Metric	EMR	GD
Current Ratio (MRQ)	0.94	1.43
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.59	0.33
Net Debt / EBITDA	1.89	0.68

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Emerson Electric (EMR) 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.

EMR

Capital Goods industry group

0.00%

Max: 2.66%
Q3: 1.14%
Median: 0.24%
EMR: 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%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Emerson Electric (EMR) at 48.51% and General Dynamics (GD) at 36.90% pay out an above-typical share of earnings for their industries, leaving thinner cover if profits dip.

EMR

Capital Goods industry group

48.51%

Max: 67.39%
EMR: 48.51%
Q3: 28.02%
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%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Emerson Electric (EMR) and General Dynamics (GD)
Metric	EMR	GD
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.00%	1.76%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	48.51%	36.90%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Emerson Electric (EMR) at 33.89 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.

EMR

Capital Goods industry group

33.89

Max: 59.38
Q3: 35.92
EMR: 33.89
Median: 25.41
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

Emerson Electric (EMR) vs. General Dynamics (GD): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

General Dynamics (GD) at 1.69 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Emerson Electric (EMR) at 4.77 sits in the pricier quartile — EMR costs more per dollar of sales.

EMR

Capital Goods industry group

4.77

Max: 7.54
EMR: 4.77
Q3: 3.76
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

Emerson Electric (EMR) 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 Emerson Electric (EMR) at 4.38 and General Dynamics (GD) at 3.50 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

EMR

Capital Goods industry group

4.38

Max: 9.66
Q3: 5.00
EMR: 4.38
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

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Emerson Electric (EMR) and General Dynamics (GD)
Metric	EMR	GD
P/E Ratio (TTM)	33.89	20.84
P/S Ratio (TTM)	4.77	1.69
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	4.38	3.50
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	3.85%	4.76%