GD vs. IEX: General Dynamics vs. IDEX Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do General Dynamics (GD) and IDEX (IEX) 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

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

Company profile comparison for General Dynamics (GD) and IDEX (IEX)
Profile Item	GD	IEX
Name	General Dynamics Corp.	IDEX Corporation
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Industrials	Industrials
GICS Industry Group	Capital Goods	Capital Goods
GICS Industry	Aerospace & Defense	Machinery
GICS Sub-Industry	Aerospace & Defense	Industrial Machinery & Supplies & Components
Market Capitalization	95.68 billion USD	16.67 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	January 2, 1962	June 2, 1989
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

IEX

GSPC

General Dynamics (GD) vs. IDEX (IEX), 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 General Dynamics (GD) and IDEX (IEX). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

Loading price history…

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for General Dynamics (GD) and IDEX (IEX)
Metric	GD	IEX
Total Return (1Y)	6.52%	42.33%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	16.95%	8.92%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	14.65%	1.31%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

IEX

GSPC

General Dynamics (GD) vs. IDEX (IEX), 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 General Dynamics (GD) and IDEX (IEX). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for General Dynamics (GD) and IDEX (IEX)
Metric	GD	IEX
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	23.03%	22.98%
Beta (5Y)	0.30	0.95
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-22.55%	-34.60%
Avg. Volume (3M)	1.19M	666.74K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

GD and IEX 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 General Dynamics (GD) and IDEX (IEX)
Metric	GD	IEX
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.10	1.66
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.15	2.64

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both General Dynamics (GD) at 18.01% and IDEX (IEX) at 13.35% land near their industries’ usual ROE ranges, so capital efficiency looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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%

IEX

Capital Goods industry group

13.35%

Max: 40.55%
Q3: 19.29%
IEX: 13.35%
Median: 12.12%
Q1: 4.08%
Min: -17.12%

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

Net Margin (TTM)

IDEX (IEX) at 14.65% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of General Dynamics (GD) at 8.24%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

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%

IEX

Capital Goods industry group

14.65%

Max: 27.47%
IEX: 14.65%
Q3: 12.10%
Median: 6.30%
Q1: 1.40%
Min: -12.89%

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

Operating Margin (TTM)

IDEX (IEX) at 22.33% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of General Dynamics (GD) at 10.49%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

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%

IEX

Capital Goods industry group

22.33%

Max: 36.60%
IEX: 22.33%
Q3: 18.33%
Median: 11.12%
Q1: 5.14%
Min: -12.63%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for General Dynamics (GD) and IDEX (IEX)
Metric	GD	IEX
ROE (TTM)	18.01%	13.35%
ROA (TTM)	6.23%	7.06%
Net Margin (TTM)	8.24%	14.65%
Operating Margin (TTM)	10.49%	22.33%
Gross Margin (TTM)	15.42%	44.91%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both General Dynamics (GD) at 10.13% and IDEX (IEX) at 5.77% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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

EPS Growth

Both General Dynamics (GD) at 13.35% and IDEX (IEX) at -3.46% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for General Dynamics (GD) and IDEX (IEX)
Metric	GD	IEX
Revenue Growth (YoY)	10.13%	5.77%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	10.07%	2.81%
EPS Growth (YoY)	13.35%	-3.46%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	8.22%	-5.97%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

IDEX (IEX) at 2.78 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.

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

IEX

Capital Goods industry group

2.78

Max: 5.22
Q3: 2.95
IEX: 2.78
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.43
Min: 0.36

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

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both General Dynamics (GD) at 0.33 and IDEX (IEX) at 0.44 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

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

IEX

Capital Goods industry group

0.44

Max: 2.33
Q3: 1.12
Median: 0.60
IEX: 0.44
Q1: 0.29
Min: 0.00

General Dynamics (GD) vs. IDEX (IEX): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for General Dynamics (GD) and IDEX (IEX)
Metric	GD	IEX
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.43	2.78
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.33	0.44
Net Debt / EBITDA	0.68	1.18

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both General Dynamics (GD) at 1.76% and IDEX (IEX) at 1.30% offer top-quartile dividend income relative to share price within their industries.

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%

IEX

Capital Goods industry group

1.30%

Max: 2.66%
IEX: 1.30%
Q3: 1.14%
Median: 0.24%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both General Dynamics (GD) at 36.90% and IDEX (IEX) at 50.14% pay out an above-typical share of earnings for their industries, leaving thinner cover if profits dip.

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%

IEX

Capital Goods industry group

50.14%

Max: 67.39%
IEX: 50.14%
Q3: 28.02%
Median: 6.86%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for General Dynamics (GD) and IDEX (IEX)
Metric	GD	IEX
Dividend Yield (TTM)	1.76%	1.30%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	36.90%	50.14%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both General Dynamics (GD) at 20.84 and IDEX (IEX) at 31.53 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

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

IEX

Capital Goods industry group

31.53

Max: 59.38
Q3: 35.92
IEX: 31.53
Median: 25.41
Q1: 19.47
Min: 3.03

General Dynamics (GD) vs. IDEX (IEX): 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 IDEX (IEX) at 4.56 sits in the pricier quartile — IEX costs more per dollar of sales.

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

IEX

Capital Goods industry group

4.56

Max: 7.54
IEX: 4.56
Q3: 3.76
Median: 2.15
Q1: 1.03
Min: 0.03

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

On P/B ratio, both General Dynamics (GD) at 3.50 and IDEX (IEX) at 4.17 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

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

IEX

Capital Goods industry group

4.17

Max: 9.66
Q3: 5.00
IEX: 4.17
Median: 3.12
Q1: 1.81
Min: -1.08

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for General Dynamics (GD) and IDEX (IEX)
Metric	GD	IEX
P/E Ratio (TTM)	20.84	31.53
P/S Ratio (TTM)	1.69	4.56
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	3.50	4.17
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	4.76%	3.50%