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GD vs. VRT: General Dynamics vs. Vertiv Stock Comparison

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

Company profile comparison for General Dynamics (GD) and Vertiv (VRT)
Profile ItemGDVRT
NameGeneral Dynamics Corp.Vertiv Holdings Co Class A Common Stock
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorIndustrialsIndustrials
GICS Industry GroupCapital GoodsCapital Goods
GICS IndustryAerospace & DefenseElectrical Equipment
GICS Sub-IndustryAerospace & DefenseElectrical Components & Equipment
Market Capitalization95.68 billion USD70.41 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateJanuary 2, 1962August 2, 2018
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

GD
VRT
GSPC
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General Dynamics (GD) vs. Vertiv (VRT), 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 Vertiv (VRT). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for General Dynamics (GD) and Vertiv (VRT)
MetricGDVRT
Total Return (1Y)6.52%11.12%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)16.95%71.14%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)14.65%49.38%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

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

Risk Metrics

Vertiv (VRT) has a highly aggressive beta of 2.15, 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 Vertiv (VRT)
MetricGDVRT
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)23.03%71.11%
Beta (5Y)0.302.15
Max Drawdown (5Y)-22.55%-69.52%
Avg. Volume (3M)1.19M5.90M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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GD and VRT 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 Vertiv (VRT)
MetricGDVRT
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.100.10
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.150.14

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Vertiv (VRT) at 46.57% 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%

VRT

Capital Goods industry group

46.57%

VRT
46.57%
Max
40.55%
Q3
19.29%
Median
12.12%
Q1
4.08%
Min
-17.12%
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General Dynamics (GD) vs. Vertiv (VRT): A comparison of their ROE against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Vertiv (VRT) at 16.00% 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%

VRT

Capital Goods industry group

16.00%

Max
27.47%
VRT
16.00%
Q3
12.10%
Median
6.30%
Q1
1.40%
Min
-12.89%
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General Dynamics (GD) vs. Vertiv (VRT): A comparison of their net margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Vertiv (VRT) at 23.77% 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%

VRT

Capital Goods industry group

23.77%

Max
36.60%
VRT
23.77%
Q3
18.33%
Median
11.12%
Q1
5.14%
Min
-12.63%
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General Dynamics (GD) vs. Vertiv (VRT): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for General Dynamics (GD) and Vertiv (VRT)
MetricGDVRT
ROE (TTM)18.01%46.57%
ROA (TTM)6.23%11.94%
Net Margin (TTM)8.24%16.00%
Operating Margin (TTM)10.49%23.77%
Gross Margin (TTM)15.42%38.12%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Vertiv (VRT) at 27.69% 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 VRT.

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

EPS Growth

Vertiv (VRT) at 166.41% 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.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for General Dynamics (GD) and Vertiv (VRT)
MetricGDVRT
Revenue Growth (YoY)10.13%27.69%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)10.07%21.59%
EPS Growth (YoY)13.35%166.41%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)8.22%340.11%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both General Dynamics (GD) at 1.43 and Vertiv (VRT) at 1.39 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

VRT

Capital Goods industry group

1.39

Max
5.22
Q3
2.95
Median
2.08
Q1
1.43
VRT
1.39
Min
0.36
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General Dynamics (GD) vs. Vertiv (VRT): A comparison of their current ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both General Dynamics (GD) at 0.33 and Vertiv (VRT) at 0.61 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

VRT

Capital Goods industry group

0.61

Max
2.33
Q3
1.12
VRT
0.61
Median
0.60
Q1
0.29
Min
0.00
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General Dynamics (GD) vs. Vertiv (VRT): 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 Vertiv (VRT)
MetricGDVRT
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.431.39
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.330.61
Net Debt / EBITDA0.68-0.11

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

General Dynamics (GD) at 1.76% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while Vertiv (VRT) at 0.11% 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%

VRT

Capital Goods industry group

0.11%

Max
2.66%
Q3
1.14%
Median
0.24%
VRT
0.11%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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General Dynamics (GD) vs. Vertiv (VRT): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Vertiv (VRT) at 4.67% 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%

VRT

Capital Goods industry group

4.67%

Max
67.39%
Q3
28.02%
Median
6.86%
VRT
4.67%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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General Dynamics (GD) vs. Vertiv (VRT): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for General Dynamics (GD) and Vertiv (VRT)
MetricGDVRT
Dividend Yield (TTM)1.76%0.11%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)36.90%4.67%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both General Dynamics (GD) at 20.84 and Vertiv (VRT) at 34.18 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

VRT

Capital Goods industry group

34.18

Max
59.38
Q3
35.92
VRT
34.18
Median
25.41
Q1
19.47
Min
3.03
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General Dynamics (GD) vs. Vertiv (VRT): 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 Vertiv (VRT) at 5.37 sits in the pricier quartile — VRT 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

VRT

Capital Goods industry group

5.37

Max
7.54
VRT
5.37
Q3
3.76
Median
2.15
Q1
1.03
Min
0.03
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General Dynamics (GD) vs. Vertiv (VRT): 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 Vertiv (VRT) at 12.80 prices above its benchmark range — VRT 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

VRT

Capital Goods industry group

12.80

VRT
12.80
Max
9.66
Q3
5.00
Median
3.12
Q1
1.81
Min
-1.08
Loading chart…
General Dynamics (GD) vs. Vertiv (VRT): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for General Dynamics (GD) and Vertiv (VRT)
MetricGDVRT
P/E Ratio (TTM)20.8434.18
P/S Ratio (TTM)1.695.37
P/B Ratio (MRQ)3.5012.80
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)4.76%4.21%