GD vs. MMM: General Dynamics vs. 3M Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do General Dynamics (GD) and 3M (MMM) 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 3M (MMM) both fall under the Capital Goods industry group, but GD is classified in Aerospace & Defense while MMM is classified in Industrial Conglomerates.

Company profile comparison for General Dynamics (GD) and 3M (MMM)
Profile Item	GD	MMM
Name	General Dynamics Corp.	3M Company
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Industrials	Industrials
GICS Industry Group	Capital Goods	Capital Goods
GICS Industry	Aerospace & Defense	Industrial Conglomerates
GICS Sub-Industry	Aerospace & Defense	Industrial Conglomerates
Market Capitalization	95.68 billion USD	95.67 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	January 2, 1962	January 2, 1962
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

MMM

GSPC

General Dynamics (GD) vs. 3M (MMM), 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 3M (MMM). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for General Dynamics (GD) and 3M (MMM). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for General Dynamics (GD) and 3M (MMM)
Metric	GD	MMM
Total Return (1Y)	6.52%	16.26%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	16.95%	38.64%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	14.65%	8.14%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

MMM

GSPC

General Dynamics (GD) vs. 3M (MMM), 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 3M (MMM). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for General Dynamics (GD) and 3M (MMM)
Metric	GD	MMM
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	23.03%	27.61%
Beta (5Y)	0.30	0.97
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-22.55%	-48.86%
Avg. Volume (3M)	1.19M	3.14M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

GD and MMM 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 3M (MMM)
Metric	GD	MMM
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.10	0.43
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.15	0.70

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

3M (MMM) at 72.97% clears its industry range for ROE, a sharper capital-efficiency signal than General Dynamics (GD) at 18.01%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

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%

MMM

Capital Goods industry group

72.97%

MMM: 72.97%
Max: 40.55%
Q3: 19.29%
Median: 12.12%
Q1: 4.08%
Min: -17.12%

General Dynamics (GD) vs. 3M (MMM): A comparison of their ROE against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

3M (MMM) at 14.01% 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%

MMM

Capital Goods industry group

14.01%

Max: 27.47%
MMM: 14.01%
Q3: 12.10%
Median: 6.30%
Q1: 1.40%
Min: -12.89%

General Dynamics (GD) vs. 3M (MMM): A comparison of their net margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

3M (MMM) at 23.69% 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%

MMM

Capital Goods industry group

23.69%

Max: 36.60%
MMM: 23.69%
Q3: 18.33%
Median: 11.12%
Q1: 5.14%
Min: -12.63%

General Dynamics (GD) vs. 3M (MMM): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for General Dynamics (GD) and 3M (MMM)
Metric	GD	MMM
ROE (TTM)	18.01%	72.97%
ROA (TTM)	6.23%	8.22%
Net Margin (TTM)	8.24%	14.01%
Operating Margin (TTM)	10.49%	23.69%
Gross Margin (TTM)	15.42%	39.53%

Growth

Revenue Growth

General Dynamics (GD) at 10.13% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while 3M (MMM) at 1.52% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

General Dynamics (GD) vs. 3M (MMM): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both General Dynamics (GD) at 13.35% and 3M (MMM) at -20.53% 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. 3M (MMM): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for General Dynamics (GD) and 3M (MMM)
Metric	GD	MMM
Revenue Growth (YoY)	10.13%	1.52%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	10.07%	-1.57%
EPS Growth (YoY)	13.35%	-20.53%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	8.22%	-16.16%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both General Dynamics (GD) at 1.43 and 3M (MMM) at 1.41 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

MMM

Capital Goods industry group

1.41

Max: 5.22
Q3: 2.95
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.43
MMM: 1.41
Min: 0.36

General Dynamics (GD) vs. 3M (MMM): 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 3M (MMM) at 3.04 sits above its benchmark range, pointing to a heavier debt load relative to equity.

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

MMM

Capital Goods industry group

3.04

MMM: 3.04
Max: 2.33
Q3: 1.12
Median: 0.60
Q1: 0.29
Min: 0.00

General Dynamics (GD) vs. 3M (MMM): 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 3M (MMM)
Metric	GD	MMM
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.43	1.41
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.33	3.04
Net Debt / EBITDA	0.68	1.26

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both General Dynamics (GD) at 1.76% and 3M (MMM) at 1.64% 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%

MMM

Capital Goods industry group

1.64%

Max: 2.66%
MMM: 1.64%
Q3: 1.14%
Median: 0.24%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

General Dynamics (GD) vs. 3M (MMM): 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 3M (MMM) at 45.82% 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%

MMM

Capital Goods industry group

45.82%

Max: 67.39%
MMM: 45.82%
Q3: 28.02%
Median: 6.86%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

General Dynamics (GD) vs. 3M (MMM): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for General Dynamics (GD) and 3M (MMM)
Metric	GD	MMM
Dividend Yield (TTM)	1.76%	1.64%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	36.90%	45.82%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both General Dynamics (GD) at 20.84 and 3M (MMM) at 27.63 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

MMM

Capital Goods industry group

27.63

Max: 59.38
Q3: 35.92
MMM: 27.63
Median: 25.41
Q1: 19.47
Min: 3.03

General Dynamics (GD) vs. 3M (MMM): 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 3M (MMM) at 3.79 sits in the pricier quartile — MMM 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

MMM

Capital Goods industry group

3.79

Max: 7.54
MMM: 3.79
Q3: 3.76
Median: 2.15
Q1: 1.03
Min: 0.03

General Dynamics (GD) vs. 3M (MMM): 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 3M (MMM) at 23.18 prices above its benchmark range — MMM looks rich relative to book.

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

MMM

Capital Goods industry group

23.18

MMM: 23.18
Max: 9.66
Q3: 5.00
Median: 3.12
Q1: 1.81
Min: -1.08

General Dynamics (GD) vs. 3M (MMM): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for General Dynamics (GD) and 3M (MMM)
Metric	GD	MMM
P/E Ratio (TTM)	20.84	27.63
P/S Ratio (TTM)	1.69	3.79
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	3.50	23.18
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	4.76%	6.66%