GD vs. XYL: General Dynamics vs. Xylem Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

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

Company profile comparison for General Dynamics (GD) and Xylem (XYL)
Profile Item	GD	XYL
Name	General Dynamics Corp.	Xylem Inc.
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	22.44 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	January 2, 1962	October 13, 2011
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

XYL

GSPC

General Dynamics (GD) vs. Xylem (XYL), 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 Xylem (XYL). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for General Dynamics (GD) and Xylem (XYL)
Metric	GD	XYL
Total Return (1Y)	6.52%	-33.10%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	16.95%	2.29%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	14.65%	-4.47%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

XYL

GSPC

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for General Dynamics (GD) and Xylem (XYL)
Metric	GD	XYL
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	23.03%	30.74%
Beta (5Y)	0.30	0.96
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-22.55%	-44.89%
Avg. Volume (3M)	1.19M	2.60M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

GD and XYL 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 Xylem (XYL)
Metric	GD	XYL
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.10	-1.22
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.15	-1.48

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both General Dynamics (GD) at 18.01% and Xylem (XYL) at 9.76% 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%

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

9.76%

Max: 40.55%
Q3: 19.29%
Median: 12.12%
XYL: 9.76%
Q1: 4.08%
Min: -17.12%

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

Net Margin (TTM)

Both General Dynamics (GD) at 8.24% and Xylem (XYL) at 11.94% 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%

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

11.94%

Max: 27.47%
Q3: 12.10%
XYL: 11.94%
Median: 6.30%
Q1: 1.40%
Min: -12.89%

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

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both General Dynamics (GD) at 10.49% and Xylem (XYL) at 15.95% 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%

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

15.95%

Max: 36.60%
Q3: 18.33%
XYL: 15.95%
Median: 11.12%
Q1: 5.14%
Min: -12.63%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for General Dynamics (GD) and Xylem (XYL)
Metric	GD	XYL
ROE (TTM)	18.01%	9.76%
ROA (TTM)	6.23%	5.07%
Net Margin (TTM)	8.24%	11.94%
Operating Margin (TTM)	10.49%	15.95%
Gross Margin (TTM)	15.42%	39.32%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both General Dynamics (GD) at 10.13% and Xylem (XYL) at 5.52% 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. Xylem (XYL): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both General Dynamics (GD) at 13.35% and Xylem (XYL) at 7.40% 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. Xylem (XYL): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for General Dynamics (GD) and Xylem (XYL)
Metric	GD	XYL
Revenue Growth (YoY)	10.13%	5.52%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	10.07%	17.84%
EPS Growth (YoY)	13.35%	7.40%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	8.22%	25.99%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both General Dynamics (GD) at 1.43 and Xylem (XYL) 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

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

1.39

Max: 5.22
Q3: 2.95
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.43
XYL: 1.39
Min: 0.36

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

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both General Dynamics (GD) at 0.33 and Xylem (XYL) at 0.29 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

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

0.29

Max: 2.33
Q3: 1.12
Median: 0.60
XYL: 0.29
Q1: 0.29
Min: 0.00

General Dynamics (GD) vs. Xylem (XYL): 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 Xylem (XYL)
Metric	GD	XYL
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.43	1.39
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.33	0.29
Net Debt / EBITDA	0.68	1.18

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both General Dynamics (GD) at 1.76% and Xylem (XYL) at 1.69% 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%

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

1.69%

Max: 2.66%
XYL: 1.69%
Q3: 1.14%
Median: 0.24%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

General Dynamics (GD) vs. Xylem (XYL): 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 Xylem (XYL) at 37.47% 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%

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

37.47%

Max: 67.39%
XYL: 37.47%
Q3: 28.02%
Median: 6.86%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for General Dynamics (GD) and Xylem (XYL)
Metric	GD	XYL
Dividend Yield (TTM)	1.76%	1.69%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	36.90%	37.47%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both General Dynamics (GD) at 20.84 and Xylem (XYL) at 21.69 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

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

21.69

Max: 59.38
Q3: 35.92
Median: 25.41
XYL: 21.69
Q1: 19.47
Min: 3.03

General Dynamics (GD) vs. Xylem (XYL): 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 Xylem (XYL) at 2.48 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

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

2.48

Max: 7.54
Q3: 3.76
XYL: 2.48
Median: 2.15
Q1: 1.03
Min: 0.03

General Dynamics (GD) vs. Xylem (XYL): 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 Xylem (XYL) at 2.19 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

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

2.19

Max: 9.66
Q3: 5.00
Median: 3.12
XYL: 2.19
Q1: 1.81
Min: -1.08

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for General Dynamics (GD) and Xylem (XYL)
Metric	GD	XYL
P/E Ratio (TTM)	20.84	21.69
P/S Ratio (TTM)	1.69	2.48
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	3.50	2.19
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	4.76%	5.39%