GD vs. SYM: General Dynamics vs. Symbotic Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

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

General Dynamics (GD) has more than two decades of public-market history since January 2, 1962, whereas Symbotic (SYM) listed on March 9, 2021 and has a much shorter record to draw on.

Company profile comparison for General Dynamics (GD) and Symbotic (SYM)
Profile Item	GD	SYM
Name	General Dynamics Corp.	Symbotic Inc. Class A Common Stock
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	22.29 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	Nasdaq
Listing Date	January 2, 1962	March 9, 2021
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

SYM

GSPC

General Dynamics (GD) vs. Symbotic (SYM), 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 Symbotic (SYM). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for General Dynamics (GD) and Symbotic (SYM)
Metric	GD	SYM
Total Return (1Y)	6.52%	-44.66%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	16.95%	6.78%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	14.65%	30.90%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

SYM

GSPC

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

Risk Metrics

Symbotic (SYM) has a highly aggressive beta of 2.05, indicating much higher sensitivity to broad-market moves, while General Dynamics (GD) is defensive at 0.30 and tends to be less market-sensitive — a wide gap in beta profiles.

Risk profile metrics for General Dynamics (GD) and Symbotic (SYM)
Metric	GD	SYM
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	23.03%	78.15%
Beta (5Y)	0.30	2.05
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-22.55%	-72.46%
Avg. Volume (3M)	1.19M	1.61M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

GD and SYM 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 Symbotic (SYM)
Metric	GD	SYM
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.10	-0.63
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.15	-0.93

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both General Dynamics (GD) at 18.01% and Symbotic (SYM) at 4.39% 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%

SYM

Capital Goods industry group

4.39%

Max: 40.55%
Q3: 19.29%
Median: 12.12%
SYM: 4.39%
Q1: 4.08%
Min: -17.12%

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

Net Margin (TTM)

General Dynamics (GD) at 8.24% keeps about the industry-typical share of revenue as profit, while Symbotic (SYM) at 0.31% retains only a bottom-quartile 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%

SYM

Capital Goods industry group

0.31%

Max: 27.47%
Q3: 12.10%
Median: 6.30%
Q1: 1.40%
SYM: 0.31%
Min: -12.89%

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

Operating Margin (TTM)

General Dynamics (GD) at 10.49% runs core operations around its industry’s norm, while Symbotic (SYM) at 4.59% operates in the bottom quartile.

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%

SYM

Capital Goods industry group

4.59%

Max: 36.60%
Q3: 18.33%
Median: 11.12%
Q1: 5.14%
SYM: 4.59%
Min: -12.63%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for General Dynamics (GD) and Symbotic (SYM)
Metric	GD	SYM
ROE (TTM)	18.01%	4.39%
ROA (TTM)	6.23%	0.32%
Net Margin (TTM)	8.24%	0.31%
Operating Margin (TTM)	10.49%	4.59%
Gross Margin (TTM)	15.42%	21.27%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Symbotic (SYM) at 25.65% 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 SYM.

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

EPS Growth

Only one side can be read here: General Dynamics (GD) reports EPS growth of 13.35%, ranked against its industry; Symbotic (SYM) has no EPS growth figure this period.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for General Dynamics (GD) and Symbotic (SYM)
Metric	GD	SYM
Revenue Growth (YoY)	10.13%	25.65%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	10.07%	55.87%
EPS Growth (YoY)	13.35%	--
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	8.22%	--

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both General Dynamics (GD) at 1.43 and Symbotic (SYM) at 1.33 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

SYM

Capital Goods industry group

1.33

Max: 5.22
Q3: 2.95
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.43
SYM: 1.33
Min: 0.36

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

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Symbotic (SYM) at 0.02 keeps leverage in the lower industry quartile, while General Dynamics (GD) at 0.33 runs a more typical debt-to-equity mix.

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

SYM

Capital Goods industry group

0.02

Max: 2.33
Q3: 1.12
Median: 0.60
Q1: 0.29
SYM: 0.02
Min: 0.00

General Dynamics (GD) vs. Symbotic (SYM): 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 Symbotic (SYM)
Metric	GD	SYM
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.43	1.33
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.33	0.02
Net Debt / EBITDA	0.68	-30.44

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Symbotic (SYM) 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.

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%

SYM

Capital Goods industry group

0.00%

Max: 2.66%
Q3: 1.14%
Median: 0.24%
SYM: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Symbotic (SYM) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile General Dynamics (GD) reports a payout of 36.90%, ranking against industry peers normally.

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%

SYM

Capital Goods industry group

0.00%

Max: 67.39%
Q3: 28.02%
Median: 6.86%
SYM: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for General Dynamics (GD) and Symbotic (SYM)
Metric	GD	SYM
Dividend Yield (TTM)	1.76%	0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	36.90%	0.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

General Dynamics (GD) at 20.84 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Symbotic (SYM) at 460.25 sits above its peer range — an unusually expensive price for SYM’s trailing earnings.

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

SYM

Capital Goods industry group

460.25

SYM: 460.25
Max: 59.38
Q3: 35.92
Median: 25.41
Q1: 19.47
Min: 3.03

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

General Dynamics (GD) at 1.69 prices around its industry’s typical P/S ratio, while Symbotic (SYM) at 8.42 clears its benchmark range — SYM looks notably rich on 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

SYM

Capital Goods industry group

8.42

SYM: 8.42
Max: 7.54
Q3: 3.76
Median: 2.15
Q1: 1.03
Min: 0.03

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

General Dynamics (GD) at 3.50 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while Symbotic (SYM) at 6.70 carries an above-peer premium to book — SYM is pricier on assets.

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

SYM

Capital Goods industry group

6.70

Max: 9.66
SYM: 6.70
Q3: 5.00
Median: 3.12
Q1: 1.81
Min: -1.08

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for General Dynamics (GD) and Symbotic (SYM)
Metric	GD	SYM
P/E Ratio (TTM)	20.84	460.25
P/S Ratio (TTM)	1.69	8.42
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	3.50	6.70
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	4.76%	2.46%