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GE vs. LMT: GE Aerospace vs. Lockheed Martin Stock Comparison

How do GE Aerospace (GE) and Lockheed Martin (LMT) 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

GE Aerospace (GE) and Lockheed Martin (LMT) both fall under the Capital Goods industry group, but GE is classified in Industrial Conglomerates while LMT is classified in Aerospace & Defense.

Company profile comparison for GE Aerospace (GE) and Lockheed Martin (LMT)
Profile ItemGELMT
NameGeneral Electric CompanyLockheed Martin Corporation
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorIndustrialsIndustrials
GICS Industry GroupCapital GoodsCapital Goods
GICS IndustryIndustrial ConglomeratesAerospace & Defense
GICS Sub-IndustryIndustrial ConglomeratesAerospace & Defense
Market Capitalization335.82 billion USD120.98 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateJanuary 2, 1962January 2, 1962
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

GE
LMT
GSPC
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GE Aerospace (GE) vs. Lockheed Martin (LMT), 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 GE Aerospace (GE) and Lockheed Martin (LMT). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for GE Aerospace (GE) and Lockheed Martin (LMT). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for GE Aerospace (GE) and Lockheed Martin (LMT)
MetricGELMT
Total Return (1Y)15.54%14.23%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)53.37%10.52%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)39.15%11.62%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

GE
LMT
GSPC
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GE Aerospace (GE) vs. Lockheed Martin (LMT), 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 GE Aerospace (GE) and Lockheed Martin (LMT). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

GE Aerospace (GE) has an aggressive beta of 1.38, indicating higher sensitivity to broad-market moves, while Lockheed Martin (LMT) is defensive at 0.08 and tends to be less market-sensitive — they sit on opposite ends of the beta spectrum.

Risk profile metrics for GE Aerospace (GE) and Lockheed Martin (LMT)
MetricGELMT
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)33.00%28.23%
Beta (5Y)1.380.08
Max Drawdown (5Y)-44.94%-31.79%
Avg. Volume (3M)4.11M1.21M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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GE and LMT 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 GE Aerospace (GE) and Lockheed Martin (LMT)
MetricGELMT
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.340.36
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.490.56

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both GE Aerospace (GE) at 48.23% and Lockheed Martin (LMT) at 89.17% turn shareholders’ equity into profit at rates above their industry benchmark ranges for ROE. That is a strong capital-efficiency signal, though leverage and the equity base still matter.

GE

Capital Goods industry group

48.23%

GE
48.23%
Max
40.35%
Q3
18.69%
Median
11.55%
Q1
2.89%
Min
-19.86%

LMT

Capital Goods industry group

89.17%

LMT
89.17%
Max
40.35%
Q3
18.69%
Median
11.55%
Q1
2.89%
Min
-19.86%
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GE Aerospace (GE) vs. Lockheed Martin (LMT): A comparison of their ROE against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

GE Aerospace (GE) at 17.72% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Lockheed Martin (LMT) at 8.16%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

GE

Capital Goods industry group

17.72%

Max
27.47%
GE
17.72%
Q3
11.71%
Median
5.78%
Q1
0.77%
Min
-14.15%

LMT

Capital Goods industry group

8.16%

Max
27.47%
Q3
11.71%
LMT
8.16%
Median
5.78%
Q1
0.77%
Min
-14.15%
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GE Aerospace (GE) vs. Lockheed Martin (LMT): A comparison of their net margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

GE Aerospace (GE) at 20.57% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Lockheed Martin (LMT) at 11.96%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

GE

Capital Goods industry group

20.57%

Max
35.46%
GE
20.57%
Q3
17.39%
Median
10.58%
Q1
4.59%
Min
-12.63%

LMT

Capital Goods industry group

11.96%

Max
35.46%
Q3
17.39%
LMT
11.96%
Median
10.58%
Q1
4.59%
Min
-12.63%
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GE Aerospace (GE) vs. Lockheed Martin (LMT): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for GE Aerospace (GE) and Lockheed Martin (LMT)
MetricGELMT
ROE (TTM)48.23%89.17%
ROA (TTM)5.07%8.64%
Net Margin (TTM)17.72%8.16%
Operating Margin (TTM)20.57%11.96%
Gross Margin (TTM)31.05%11.80%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both GE Aerospace (GE) at 18.48% and Lockheed Martin (LMT) at 5.64% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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GE Aerospace (GE) vs. Lockheed Martin (LMT): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

GE Aerospace (GE) at 35.89% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while Lockheed Martin (LMT) at -3.68% is closer to the peer norm — faster per-share earnings growth for GE.

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GE Aerospace (GE) vs. Lockheed Martin (LMT): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for GE Aerospace (GE) and Lockheed Martin (LMT)
MetricGELMT
Revenue Growth (YoY)18.48%5.64%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)16.32%4.38%
EPS Growth (YoY)35.89%-3.68%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)446.03%-0.26%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both GE Aerospace (GE) at 0.98 and Lockheed Martin (LMT) at 1.19 run current ratio in the tighter-liquidity quartile of industry peers, leaving thinner cushions against current liabilities than typical competitors.

GE

Capital Goods industry group

0.98

Max
5.28
Q3
2.99
Median
2.09
Q1
1.45
GE
0.98
Min
0.76

LMT

Capital Goods industry group

1.19

Max
5.28
Q3
2.99
Median
2.09
Q1
1.45
LMT
1.19
Min
0.76
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GE Aerospace (GE) vs. Lockheed Martin (LMT): A comparison of their current ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both balance sheets lean debt-heavy versus peers, but LMT is more stretched: GE Aerospace (GE) at 1.13 sits in the higher-leverage quartile and Lockheed Martin (LMT) at 2.34 is above its industry benchmark range.

GE

Capital Goods industry group

1.13

Max
2.15
GE
1.13
Q3
1.09
Median
0.57
Q1
0.27
Min
0.00

LMT

Capital Goods industry group

2.34

LMT
2.34
Max
2.15
Q3
1.09
Median
0.57
Q1
0.27
Min
0.00
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GE Aerospace (GE) vs. Lockheed Martin (LMT): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for GE Aerospace (GE) and Lockheed Martin (LMT)
MetricGELMT
Current Ratio (MRQ)0.981.19
Debt / Equity (MRQ)1.132.34
Net Debt / EBITDA0.901.73

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Lockheed Martin (LMT) at 2.57% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while GE Aerospace (GE) at 0.51% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, LMT the richer one.

GE

Capital Goods industry group

0.51%

Max
2.75%
Q3
1.11%
GE
0.51%
Median
0.18%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

LMT

Capital Goods industry group

2.57%

Max
2.75%
LMT
2.57%
Q3
1.11%
Median
0.18%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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GE Aerospace (GE) vs. Lockheed Martin (LMT): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

GE Aerospace (GE) at 19.58% pays out a band-typical share of earnings, while Lockheed Martin (LMT) at 50.33% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

GE

Capital Goods industry group

19.58%

Max
72.00%
Q3
28.86%
GE
19.58%
Median
6.13%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

LMT

Capital Goods industry group

50.33%

Max
72.00%
LMT
50.33%
Q3
28.86%
Median
6.13%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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GE Aerospace (GE) vs. Lockheed Martin (LMT): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for GE Aerospace (GE) and Lockheed Martin (LMT)
MetricGELMT
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.51%2.57%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)19.58%50.33%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Lockheed Martin (LMT) at 19.34 sits in the cheaper P/E ratio quartile, while GE Aerospace (GE) at 38.17 is closer to its industry’s usual earnings multiple — a discount for LMT, though growth and earnings durability still matter.

GE

Capital Goods industry group

38.17

Max
66.10
Q3
40.43
GE
38.17
Median
29.30
Q1
21.19
Min
1.09

LMT

Capital Goods industry group

19.34

Max
66.10
Q3
40.43
Median
29.30
Q1
21.19
LMT
19.34
Min
1.09
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GE Aerospace (GE) vs. Lockheed Martin (LMT): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Lockheed Martin (LMT) at 1.57 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while GE Aerospace (GE) at 6.63 sits in the pricier quartile — GE costs more per dollar of sales.

GE

Capital Goods industry group

6.63

Max
9.06
GE
6.63
Q3
4.40
Median
2.41
Q1
1.19
Min
0.05

LMT

Capital Goods industry group

1.57

Max
9.06
Q3
4.40
Median
2.41
LMT
1.57
Q1
1.19
Min
0.05
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GE Aerospace (GE) vs. Lockheed Martin (LMT): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Measured against book value, both GE Aerospace (GE) at 19.04 and Lockheed Martin (LMT) at 13.75 look expensive — each P/B ratio sits above its industry’s benchmark range.

GE

Capital Goods industry group

19.04

GE
19.04
Max
11.10
Q3
5.63
Median
3.31
Q1
1.94
Min
-3.52

LMT

Capital Goods industry group

13.75

LMT
13.75
Max
11.10
Q3
5.63
Median
3.31
Q1
1.94
Min
-3.52
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GE Aerospace (GE) vs. Lockheed Martin (LMT): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for GE Aerospace (GE) and Lockheed Martin (LMT)
MetricGELMT
P/E Ratio (TTM)38.1719.34
P/S Ratio (TTM)6.631.57
P/B Ratio (MRQ)19.0413.75
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)1.96%4.60%