GD vs. NVT: General Dynamics vs. nVent Electric Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

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

Company profile comparison for General Dynamics (GD) and nVent Electric (NVT)
Profile Item	GD	NVT
Name	General Dynamics Corp.	nVent Electric plc
Country/Region	United States	United Kingdom
GICS Sector	Industrials	Industrials
GICS Industry Group	Capital Goods	Capital Goods
GICS Industry	Aerospace & Defense	Electrical Equipment
GICS Sub-Industry	Aerospace & Defense	Electrical Components & Equipment
Market Capitalization	95.68 billion USD	17.16 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	January 2, 1962	April 24, 2018
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

NVT

GSPC

General Dynamics (GD) vs. nVent Electric (NVT), 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 nVent Electric (NVT). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for General Dynamics (GD) and nVent Electric (NVT)
Metric	GD	NVT
Total Return (1Y)	6.52%	2.86%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	16.95%	32.72%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	14.65%	26.96%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

NVT

GSPC

General Dynamics (GD) vs. nVent Electric (NVT), 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 nVent Electric (NVT). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

nVent Electric (NVT) has an aggressive beta of 1.41, indicating higher sensitivity to broad-market moves, while General Dynamics (GD) is defensive at 0.30 and tends to be less market-sensitive — they sit on opposite ends of the beta spectrum.

Risk profile metrics for General Dynamics (GD) and nVent Electric (NVT)
Metric	GD	NVT
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	23.03%	53.94%
Beta (5Y)	0.30	1.41
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-22.55%	-46.67%
Avg. Volume (3M)	1.19M	2.54M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

GD and NVT 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 nVent Electric (NVT)
Metric	GD	NVT
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.10	-0.03
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.15	-0.03

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both General Dynamics (GD) at 18.01% and nVent Electric (NVT) at 17.42% 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%

NVT

Capital Goods industry group

17.42%

Max: 40.55%
Q3: 19.29%
NVT: 17.42%
Median: 12.12%
Q1: 4.08%
Min: -17.12%

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

Net Margin (TTM)

nVent Electric (NVT) at 12.83% 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%

NVT

Capital Goods industry group

12.83%

Max: 27.47%
NVT: 12.83%
Q3: 12.10%
Median: 6.30%
Q1: 1.40%
Min: -12.89%

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

Operating Margin (TTM)

nVent Electric (NVT) at 18.75% 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%

NVT

Capital Goods industry group

18.75%

Max: 36.60%
NVT: 18.75%
Q3: 18.33%
Median: 11.12%
Q1: 5.14%
Min: -12.63%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for General Dynamics (GD) and nVent Electric (NVT)
Metric	GD	NVT
ROE (TTM)	18.01%	17.42%
ROA (TTM)	6.23%	7.88%
Net Margin (TTM)	8.24%	12.83%
Operating Margin (TTM)	10.49%	18.75%
Gross Margin (TTM)	15.42%	36.17%

Growth

Revenue Growth

nVent Electric (NVT) at 29.51% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while General Dynamics (GD) at 10.13% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for NVT.

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

EPS Growth

nVent Electric (NVT) at 118.78% clears its industry range for EPS growth, a much stronger earnings trajectory than General Dynamics (GD) at 13.35%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for General Dynamics (GD) and nVent Electric (NVT)
Metric	GD	NVT
Revenue Growth (YoY)	10.13%	29.51%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	10.07%	19.26%
EPS Growth (YoY)	13.35%	118.78%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	8.22%	21.89%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

nVent Electric (NVT) at 2.40 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

NVT

Capital Goods industry group

2.40

Max: 5.22
Q3: 2.95
NVT: 2.40
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.43
Min: 0.36

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

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both General Dynamics (GD) at 0.33 and nVent Electric (NVT) at 0.57 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

NVT

Capital Goods industry group

0.57

Max: 2.33
Q3: 1.12
Median: 0.60
NVT: 0.57
Q1: 0.29
Min: 0.00

General Dynamics (GD) vs. nVent Electric (NVT): 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 nVent Electric (NVT)
Metric	GD	NVT
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.43	2.40
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.33	0.57
Net Debt / EBITDA	0.68	1.05

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

General Dynamics (GD) at 1.76% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while nVent Electric (NVT) at 0.84% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, GD the richer one.

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%

NVT

Capital Goods industry group

0.84%

Max: 2.66%
Q3: 1.14%
NVT: 0.84%
Median: 0.24%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

nVent Electric (NVT) at 20.15% 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.

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%

NVT

Capital Goods industry group

20.15%

Max: 67.39%
Q3: 28.02%
NVT: 20.15%
Median: 6.86%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for General Dynamics (GD) and nVent Electric (NVT)
Metric	GD	NVT
Dividend Yield (TTM)	1.76%	0.84%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	36.90%	20.15%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both General Dynamics (GD) at 20.84 and nVent Electric (NVT) at 25.78 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

NVT

Capital Goods industry group

25.78

Max: 59.38
Q3: 35.92
NVT: 25.78
Median: 25.41
Q1: 19.47
Min: 3.03

General Dynamics (GD) vs. nVent Electric (NVT): 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 nVent Electric (NVT) at 3.24 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

NVT

Capital Goods industry group

3.24

Max: 7.54
Q3: 3.76
NVT: 3.24
Median: 2.15
Q1: 1.03
Min: 0.03

General Dynamics (GD) vs. nVent Electric (NVT): 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 nVent Electric (NVT) 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

NVT

Capital Goods industry group

4.17

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

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for General Dynamics (GD) and nVent Electric (NVT)
Metric	GD	NVT
P/E Ratio (TTM)	20.84	25.78
P/S Ratio (TTM)	1.69	3.24
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	3.50	4.17
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	4.76%	2.93%