GD vs. LHX: General Dynamics vs. L3Harris Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do General Dynamics (GD) and L3Harris (LHX) 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 L3Harris (LHX) 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 General Dynamics (GD) and L3Harris (LHX)
Profile Item	GD	LHX
Name	General Dynamics Corp.	L3Harris Technologies, Inc.
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Industrials	Industrials
GICS Industry Group	Capital Goods	Capital Goods
GICS Industry	Aerospace & Defense	Aerospace & Defense
GICS Sub-Industry	Aerospace & Defense	Aerospace & Defense
Market Capitalization	95.68 billion USD	48.39 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	January 2, 1962	December 31, 1981
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

LHX

GSPC

General Dynamics (GD) vs. L3Harris (LHX), 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 General Dynamics (GD) and L3Harris (LHX). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for General Dynamics (GD) and L3Harris (LHX). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for General Dynamics (GD) and L3Harris (LHX)
Metric	GD	LHX
Total Return (1Y)	6.52%	-5.21%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	16.95%	16.68%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	14.65%	5.91%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

LHX

GSPC

General Dynamics (GD) vs. L3Harris (LHX), 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 General Dynamics (GD) and L3Harris (LHX). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for General Dynamics (GD) and L3Harris (LHX)
Metric	GD	LHX
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	23.03%	29.75%
Beta (5Y)	0.30	0.46
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-22.55%	-38.16%
Avg. Volume (3M)	1.19M	1.70M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

GD and LHX 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 L3Harris (LHX)
Metric	GD	LHX
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.10	-0.32
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.15	-0.45

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both General Dynamics (GD) at 18.01% and L3Harris (LHX) at 10.03% 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%

LHX

Capital Goods industry group

10.03%

Max: 40.55%
Q3: 19.29%
Median: 12.12%
LHX: 10.03%
Q1: 4.08%
Min: -17.12%

General Dynamics (GD) vs. L3Harris (LHX): A comparison of their ROE against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Both General Dynamics (GD) at 8.24% and L3Harris (LHX) at 8.76% keep about the typical share of revenue as profit for their industries — neither bottom line stands out from peers.

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%

LHX

Capital Goods industry group

8.76%

Max: 27.47%
Q3: 12.10%
LHX: 8.76%
Median: 6.30%
Q1: 1.40%
Min: -12.89%

General Dynamics (GD) vs. L3Harris (LHX): A comparison of their net margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both General Dynamics (GD) at 10.49% and L3Harris (LHX) at 14.34% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

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%

LHX

Capital Goods industry group

14.34%

Max: 36.60%
Q3: 18.33%
LHX: 14.34%
Median: 11.12%
Q1: 5.14%
Min: -12.63%

General Dynamics (GD) vs. L3Harris (LHX): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for General Dynamics (GD) and L3Harris (LHX)
Metric	GD	LHX
ROE (TTM)	18.01%	10.03%
ROA (TTM)	6.23%	4.56%
Net Margin (TTM)	8.24%	8.76%
Operating Margin (TTM)	10.49%	14.34%
Gross Margin (TTM)	15.42%	25.55%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both General Dynamics (GD) at 10.13% and L3Harris (LHX) at 2.53% 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. L3Harris (LHX): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both General Dynamics (GD) at 13.35% and L3Harris (LHX) at 8.39% 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. L3Harris (LHX): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for General Dynamics (GD) and L3Harris (LHX)
Metric	GD	LHX
Revenue Growth (YoY)	10.13%	2.53%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	10.07%	8.62%
EPS Growth (YoY)	13.35%	8.39%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	8.22%	15.82%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both General Dynamics (GD) at 1.43 and L3Harris (LHX) at 1.20 run current ratio in the tighter-liquidity quartile of industry peers, leaving thinner cushions against current liabilities than typical competitors.

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

LHX

Capital Goods industry group

1.20

Max: 5.22
Q3: 2.95
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.43
LHX: 1.20
Min: 0.36

General Dynamics (GD) vs. L3Harris (LHX): A comparison of their current ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both General Dynamics (GD) at 0.33 and L3Harris (LHX) at 0.52 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

LHX

Capital Goods industry group

0.52

Max: 2.33
Q3: 1.12
Median: 0.60
LHX: 0.52
Q1: 0.29
Min: 0.00

General Dynamics (GD) vs. L3Harris (LHX): 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 L3Harris (LHX)
Metric	GD	LHX
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.43	1.20
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.33	0.52
Net Debt / EBITDA	0.68	1.88

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both General Dynamics (GD) at 1.76% and L3Harris (LHX) at 1.92% 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%

LHX

Capital Goods industry group

1.92%

Max: 2.66%
LHX: 1.92%
Q3: 1.14%
Median: 0.24%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

General Dynamics (GD) vs. L3Harris (LHX): 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 L3Harris (LHX) at 46.09% 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%

LHX

Capital Goods industry group

46.09%

Max: 67.39%
LHX: 46.09%
Q3: 28.02%
Median: 6.86%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

General Dynamics (GD) vs. L3Harris (LHX): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for General Dynamics (GD) and L3Harris (LHX)
Metric	GD	LHX
Dividend Yield (TTM)	1.76%	1.92%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	36.90%	46.09%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both General Dynamics (GD) at 20.84 and L3Harris (LHX) at 24.20 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

LHX

Capital Goods industry group

24.20

Max: 59.38
Q3: 35.92
Median: 25.41
LHX: 24.20
Q1: 19.47
Min: 3.03

General Dynamics (GD) vs. L3Harris (LHX): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both General Dynamics (GD) at 1.69 and L3Harris (LHX) at 2.07 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

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

LHX

Capital Goods industry group

2.07

Max: 7.54
Q3: 3.76
Median: 2.15
LHX: 2.07
Q1: 1.03
Min: 0.03

General Dynamics (GD) vs. L3Harris (LHX): 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 L3Harris (LHX) at 2.39 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

LHX

Capital Goods industry group

2.39

Max: 9.66
Q3: 5.00
Median: 3.12
LHX: 2.39
Q1: 1.81
Min: -1.08

General Dynamics (GD) vs. L3Harris (LHX): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for General Dynamics (GD) and L3Harris (LHX)
Metric	GD	LHX
P/E Ratio (TTM)	20.84	24.20
P/S Ratio (TTM)	1.69	2.07
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	3.50	2.39
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	4.76%	7.09%