Tearsheet

General Dynamics (GD)


Market Price (12/20/2025): $340.43 | Market Cap: $91.7 Bil
Sector: Industrials | Industry: Aerospace & Defense

General Dynamics (GD)


Market Price (12/20/2025): $340.43
Market Cap: $91.7 Bil
Sector: Industrials
Industry: Aerospace & Defense

Investment Highlights Why It Matters Which of these 2 stories sounds closer for this stock?

1. Generates cash flow

The stock generated 4% or more of the share price (called cash flow yield), and shows moderate 10-15% or more growth.

2. Riding a trend

Think Tesla during the pandemic of 2020 when EVs were riding a cultural high, or Nvidia in the current AI boom, or even Figma. These companies don’t have enough yield, or, enough growth, or both - however - they are riding a trend. They have momentum. These can be more volatile - they don’t have the floor of strong cash flow


0 Attractive yield
Total YieldTotal Yield = Earnings Yield + Dividend Yield, Earnings Yield = Net Income / Market Cap Dividend Yield = Total Dividends / Market Cap is 6.3%, FCF Yield is 5.3%
Trading close to highs
Dist 52W High is -4.1%, Dist 3Y High is -4.1%
Key risks
GD key risks include [1] margin pressures in its Marine segment from rising shipbuilding costs, Show more.
1 Attractive cash flow generation
CFO/Rev LTMCash Flow from Operations / Revenue (Sales), Last Twelve Months (LTM) is 11%, CFO LTM is 5.7 Bil, FCF LTM is 4.8 Bil
Weak multi-year price returns
2Y Excs Rtn is -4.9%, 3Y Excs Rtn is -26%
 
2 Low stock price volatility
Vol 12M is 21%
  
3 Megatrend and thematic drivers
Megatrends include Advanced Aviation & Space, Cybersecurity, Automation & Robotics, Advanced Materials, Show more.
  
0 Attractive yield
Total YieldTotal Yield = Earnings Yield + Dividend Yield, Earnings Yield = Net Income / Market Cap Dividend Yield = Total Dividends / Market Cap is 6.3%, FCF Yield is 5.3%
1 Attractive cash flow generation
CFO/Rev LTMCash Flow from Operations / Revenue (Sales), Last Twelve Months (LTM) is 11%, CFO LTM is 5.7 Bil, FCF LTM is 4.8 Bil
2 Low stock price volatility
Vol 12M is 21%
3 Megatrend and thematic drivers
Megatrends include Advanced Aviation & Space, Cybersecurity, Automation & Robotics, Advanced Materials, Show more.
4 Trading close to highs
Dist 52W High is -4.1%, Dist 3Y High is -4.1%
5 Weak multi-year price returns
2Y Excs Rtn is -4.9%, 3Y Excs Rtn is -26%
6 Key risks
GD key risks include [1] margin pressures in its Marine segment from rising shipbuilding costs, Show more.

Valuation, Metrics & Events

GD Stock


Why The Stock Moved


Qualitative Assessment

AI Generated Analysis | Feedback

Here are key points highlighting potential reasons for a 5% movement in General Dynamics (GD) stock, based on recent available information up to early 2025: 1. Strong Financial Performance and Revenue Growth. General Dynamics reported robust financial results, including a 7.5% increase in revenue for Q4 2023, reaching $11.7 billion, and a 7.3% increase for the full year 2023 to $42.3 billion. Q1 2024 also saw continued growth, with revenue and net earnings increasing by 8.6% and 9.5% year-over-year, respectively. For the full year 2024, revenue climbed to $47.7 billion, a 12.88% increase from the previous year, with earnings rising by 14.09% to $3.78 billion. Such positive financial results often instill investor confidence and can lead to upward stock movement.

2. Record Backlog and Solid Order Activity. The company achieved its highest-ever year-end backlog in 2023, totaling $93.6 billion. This substantial backlog, coupled with a book-to-bill ratio of 1.1-to-1 for 2023, indicates strong future revenue visibility. By the end of Q1 2024, the company-wide backlog further increased to $93.7 billion, and the total estimated contract value reached $144 billion by year-end 2024, suggesting a robust foundation for sustained growth.

Show more

Stock Movement Drivers

Return vs. Risk


Price Returns Compared

 202020212022202320242025Total [1]
Returns
GD Return-13%44%22%7%4%31%120%
Peers Return-19%12%25%4%-1%34%56%
S&P 500 Return16%27%-19%24%23%16%112%

Monthly Win Rates [3]
GD Win Rate42%58%58%58%67%67% 
Peers Win Rate48%53%60%45%48%57% 
S&P 500 Win Rate58%75%42%67%75%73% 

Max Drawdowns [4]
GD Max Drawdown-39%-2%-1%-17%-4%-8% 
Peers Max Drawdown-43%-9%-11%-18%-18%-12% 
S&P 500 Max Drawdown-31%-1%-25%-1%-2%-15% 


[1] Cumulative total returns since the beginning of 2020
[2] Peers: LMT, NOC, RTX, BA, HII. See GD Returns vs. Peers.
[3] Win Rate = % of calendar months in which monthly returns were positive
[4] Max drawdown represents maximum peak-to-trough decline within a year
[5] 2025 data is for the year up to 12/19/2025 (YTD)

How Low Can It Go

Unique KeyEventGDS&P 500
2022 Inflation Shock2022 Inflation Shock  
2022 Inflation Shock% Loss% Loss-20.2%-25.4%
2022 Inflation Shock% Gain to Breakeven% Gain to Breakeven25.3%34.1%
2022 Inflation ShockTime to BreakevenTime to Breakeven196 days464 days
2020 Covid Pandemic2020 Covid Pandemic  
2020 Covid Pandemic% Loss% Loss-43.7%-33.9%
2020 Covid Pandemic% Gain to Breakeven% Gain to Breakeven77.7%51.3%
2020 Covid PandemicTime to BreakevenTime to Breakeven402 days148 days
2018 Correction2018 Correction  
2018 Correction% Loss% Loss-35.5%-19.8%
2018 Correction% Gain to Breakeven% Gain to Breakeven55.2%24.7%
2018 CorrectionTime to BreakevenTime to Breakeven1,162 days120 days
2008 Global Financial Crisis2008 Global Financial Crisis  
2008 Global Financial Crisis% Loss% Loss-61.5%-56.8%
2008 Global Financial Crisis% Gain to Breakeven% Gain to Breakeven159.6%131.3%
2008 Global Financial CrisisTime to BreakevenTime to Breakeven1,753 days1,480 days

Compare to RTX, LMT, NOC, TDG, LHX


In The Past

General Dynamics's stock fell -20.2% during the 2022 Inflation Shock from a high on 12/2/2022. A -20.2% loss requires a 25.3% gain to breakeven.

Preserve Wealth

Limiting losses and compounding gains is essential to preserving wealth over time.

Asset Allocation

Actively managed asset allocation strategies protect wealth. Learn more.

About General Dynamics (GD)

Better Bets than General Dynamics (GD)

Latest Trefis Analyses

Trade Ideas

Select past ideas related to GD. For more, see Trefis Trade Ideas.

Unique KeyDateTickerCompanyCategoryTrade Strategy6M Fwd Rtn12M Fwd Rtn12M Max DD
CNM_11212025_Dip_Buyer_FCFYield11212025CNMCore & MainDip BuyDB | FCFY OPMDip Buy with High FCF Yield and High Margin
Buying dips for companies with high FCF yield and meaningfully high operating margin
18.0%18.0%-1.6%
VRRM_11212025_Dip_Buyer_FCFYield11212025VRRMVerra MobilityDip BuyDB | FCFY OPMDip Buy with High FCF Yield and High Margin
Buying dips for companies with high FCF yield and meaningfully high operating margin
3.7%3.7%-1.2%
LII_11212025_Dip_Buyer_ValueBuy11212025LIILennox InternationalDip BuyDB | P/E OPMDip Buy with Low PE and High Margin
Buying dips for companies with tame PE and meaningfully high operating margin
6.8%6.8%0.0%
ADP_11212025_Monopoly_xInd_xCD_Getting_Cheaper11212025ADPAutomatic Data ProcessingMonopolyMY | Getting CheaperMonopoly-Like with P/S Decline
Large cap with monopoly-like margins or cash flow generation and getting cheaper based on P/S multiple
2.6%2.6%-1.2%
CW_11212025_Quality_Momentum_RoomToRun_10%11212025CWCurtiss-WrightQualityQ | Momentum | UpsideQuality Stocks with Momentum and Upside
Buying quality stocks with strong momentum but still having room to run
3.6%3.6%-0.4%
GD_9302022_Quality_Momentum_RoomToRun_10%09302022GDGeneral DynamicsQualityQ | Momentum | UpsideQuality Stocks with Momentum and Upside
Buying quality stocks with strong momentum but still having room to run
8.7%6.6%-2.1%
GD_9302020_Dip_Buyer_FCFYield09302020GDGeneral DynamicsDip BuyDB | FCFY OPMDip Buy with High FCF Yield and High Margin
Buying dips for companies with high FCF yield and meaningfully high operating margin
33.1%45.6%-4.4%
GD_12312018_Dip_Buyer_FCFYield12312018GDGeneral DynamicsDip BuyDB | FCFY OPMDip Buy with High FCF Yield and High Margin
Buying dips for companies with high FCF yield and meaningfully high operating margin
17.5%14.8%-2.4%
Unique KeyDateTickerCompanyCategoryTrade Strategy6M Fwd Rtn12M Fwd Rtn12M Max DD
CNM_11212025_Dip_Buyer_FCFYield11212025CNMCore & MainDip BuyDB | FCFY OPMDip Buy with High FCF Yield and High Margin
Buying dips for companies with high FCF yield and meaningfully high operating margin
18.0%18.0%-1.6%
VRRM_11212025_Dip_Buyer_FCFYield11212025VRRMVerra MobilityDip BuyDB | FCFY OPMDip Buy with High FCF Yield and High Margin
Buying dips for companies with high FCF yield and meaningfully high operating margin
3.7%3.7%-1.2%
LII_11212025_Dip_Buyer_ValueBuy11212025LIILennox InternationalDip BuyDB | P/E OPMDip Buy with Low PE and High Margin
Buying dips for companies with tame PE and meaningfully high operating margin
6.8%6.8%0.0%
ADP_11212025_Monopoly_xInd_xCD_Getting_Cheaper11212025ADPAutomatic Data ProcessingMonopolyMY | Getting CheaperMonopoly-Like with P/S Decline
Large cap with monopoly-like margins or cash flow generation and getting cheaper based on P/S multiple
2.6%2.6%-1.2%
CW_11212025_Quality_Momentum_RoomToRun_10%11212025CWCurtiss-WrightQualityQ | Momentum | UpsideQuality Stocks with Momentum and Upside
Buying quality stocks with strong momentum but still having room to run
3.6%3.6%-0.4%
GD_9302022_Quality_Momentum_RoomToRun_10%09302022GDGeneral DynamicsQualityQ | Momentum | UpsideQuality Stocks with Momentum and Upside
Buying quality stocks with strong momentum but still having room to run
8.7%6.6%-2.1%
GD_9302020_Dip_Buyer_FCFYield09302020GDGeneral DynamicsDip BuyDB | FCFY OPMDip Buy with High FCF Yield and High Margin
Buying dips for companies with high FCF yield and meaningfully high operating margin
33.1%45.6%-4.4%
GD_12312018_Dip_Buyer_FCFYield12312018GDGeneral DynamicsDip BuyDB | FCFY OPMDip Buy with High FCF Yield and High Margin
Buying dips for companies with high FCF yield and meaningfully high operating margin
17.5%14.8%-2.4%

Recent Active Movers

Recent Active Movers

More From Trefis

Peer Comparisons for General Dynamics

Peers to compare with:

Financials

GDLMTNOCRTXBAHIIMedian
NameGeneral .Lockheed.Northrop.RTX Boeing Huntingt. 
Mkt Price339.36474.13568.46182.01214.08336.64338.00
Mkt Cap91.4110.081.3244.5162.713.3100.7
Rev LTM51,50973,34940,92885,98880,75711,56962,429
Op Inc LTM5,3275,9974,0988,815-8,4244694,712
FCF LTM4,8124,5931,8344,726-6,3506673,214
FCF 3Y Avg3,3955,6342,1375,547-3,0294562,766
CFO LTM5,7196,3613,4387,963-3,7161,0324,578
CFO 3Y Avg4,3507,3863,7918,691-9767914,071

Growth & Margins

GDLMTNOCRTXBAHIIMedian
NameGeneral .Lockheed.Northrop.RTX Boeing Huntingt. 
Rev Chg LTM11.9%2.9%-0.1%8.8%10.2%-1.7%5.8%
Rev Chg 3Y Avg9.9%4.3%5.2%9.4%10.1%4.2%7.3%
Rev Chg Q10.6%8.8%4.3%11.9%30.4%3.5%9.7%
QoQ Delta Rev Chg LTM2.5%2.1%1.1%2.9%7.2%0.9%2.3%
Op Mgn LTM10.3%8.2%10.0%10.3%-10.4%4.1%9.1%
Op Mgn 3Y Avg10.2%11.0%9.0%7.7%-7.2%5.1%8.3%
QoQ Delta Op Mgn LTM0.0%0.0%0.2%0.3%2.0%-0.2%0.1%
CFO/Rev LTM11.1%8.7%8.4%9.3%-4.6%8.9%8.8%
CFO/Rev 3Y Avg9.3%10.5%9.4%11.3%-1.3%6.9%9.4%
FCF/Rev LTM9.3%6.3%4.5%5.5%-7.9%5.8%5.6%
FCF/Rev 3Y Avg7.3%8.0%5.3%7.2%-3.9%4.0%6.3%

Valuation

GDLMTNOCRTXBAHIIMedian
NameGeneral .Lockheed.Northrop.RTX Boeing Huntingt. 
Mkt Cap91.4110.081.3244.5162.713.3100.7
P/S1.81.52.02.82.01.11.9
P/EBIT16.718.314.723.5-23.518.317.5
P/E21.726.220.237.1-16.525.323.5
P/CFO16.017.323.730.7-43.812.916.6
Total Yield6.3%5.9%5.7%4.1%-6.1%5.1%5.4%
Dividend Yield1.7%2.1%0.8%1.4%0.0%1.2%1.3%
FCF Yield 3Y Avg4.4%4.8%2.8%3.7%-2.6%4.5%4.0%
D/E0.10.20.20.20.30.20.2
Net D/E0.10.20.20.10.20.20.2

Returns

GDLMTNOCRTXBAHIIMedian
NameGeneral .Lockheed.Northrop.RTX Boeing Huntingt. 
1M Rtn-1.1%1.7%1.0%5.2%15.3%9.2%3.4%
3M Rtn5.2%1.0%-0.4%15.5%-0.7%22.9%3.1%
6M Rtn22.9%2.3%15.1%25.2%7.7%44.9%19.0%
12M Rtn33.1%1.8%23.8%60.6%20.9%83.6%28.4%
3Y Rtn46.6%5.8%12.9%98.3%13.7%57.4%30.2%
1M Excs Rtn-4.0%-1.2%-1.9%2.3%12.4%6.3%0.5%
3M Excs Rtn3.5%-2.7%-3.0%12.5%-1.2%20.3%1.2%
6M Excs Rtn7.9%-11.6%1.2%12.4%-7.1%29.9%4.6%
12M Excs Rtn17.6%-13.5%7.5%44.9%10.8%65.1%14.2%
3Y Excs Rtn-25.8%-65.0%-58.7%23.8%-57.3%-16.8%-41.6%

FDA Approved Drugs Data

Expand for More

Post-Approval Fwd Returns
FDA
App #
Brand
Name
Generic
Name
Dosage
Form
FDA
Approval
3M
Rtn
6M
Rtn
1Y
Rtn
2Y
Rtn
Total
Rtn
NDA220634  CARBON DIOXIDE, USPcarbon dioxidegas616202517.7%23.1%22.7%22.7%22.7%
NDA216307  HELIUM, USPheliumgas72620219.0%9.2%16.0%21.5%93.8%
NDA209927  MEDICAL AIR, USPmedical airgas122520167.5%15.9%17.6%-12.4%136.2%

Financials

Segment Financials

Revenue by Segment

$ Mil20242023202220212020
Technologies12,92212,49212,45712,64813,359
Marine Systems12,46111,04010,5269,9799,183
Aerospace8,6218,5678,1358,0759,801
Combat Systems8,2687,3087,3517,2237,007
Corporate00   
Total42,27239,40738,46937,92539,350


Operating Income by Segment
$ Mil20242023202220212020
Technologies1,2021,2271,2751,2111,311
Aerospace1,1821,1301,0311,0831,532
Combat Systems1,1471,0751,0671,041996
Marine Systems874897874854785
Corporate-160-118-84-56-54
Total4,2454,2114,1634,1334,570


Assets by Segment
$ Mil20242023202220212020
Technologies19,53419,70019,49019,66320,453
Aerospace15,09912,67611,74812,05012,324
Combat Systems10,47911,03211,65712,03411,220
Marine Systems6,2095,8645,2944,4883,918
Corporate3,4892,3131,8843,0731,434
Total54,81051,58550,07351,30849,349


Price Behavior

Short Interest

Short Interest: As Of Date11282025
Short Interest: Shares Quantity2,345,121
Short Interest: % Change Since 11152025-5.5%
Average Daily Volume1,072,504
Days-to-Cover Short Interest2.19
Basic Shares Quantity269,232,000
Short % of Basic Shares0.9%

Earnings Returns History

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 Forward Returns
Earnings Date1D Returns5D Returns21D Returns
10/24/20252.7%0.9%-0.3%
7/23/20256.5%5.7%6.7%
4/23/2025-3.3%-1.0%1.1%
1/29/2025-4.2%-2.0%-4.2%
10/23/2024-0.5%-1.4%-8.5%
7/24/2024-3.3%-0.5%-0.1%
4/24/2024-4.0%-1.9%1.8%
1/24/20244.7%7.7%9.2%
...
SUMMARY STATS   
# Positive121115
# Negative12139
Median Positive1.4%3.4%6.1%
Median Negative-2.6%-1.4%-4.2%
Max Positive6.5%7.7%12.7%
Max Negative-4.2%-7.4%-9.5%

SEC Filings

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Report DateFiling DateFiling
93020251024202510-Q 9/28/2025
6302025723202510-Q 6/29/2025
3312025423202510-Q 3/30/2025
12312024207202510-K 12/31/2024
93020241023202410-Q 9/29/2024
6302024724202410-Q 6/30/2024
3312024424202410-Q 3/31/2024
12312023208202410-K 12/31/2023
93020231025202310-Q 10/1/2023
6302023726202310-Q 7/2/2023
3312023426202310-Q 4/2/2023
12312022207202310-K 12/31/2022
93020221026202210-Q 10/2/2022
6302022727202210-Q 7/3/2022
3312022427202210-Q 4/3/2022
12312021209202210-K 12/31/2021

Insider Activity

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 OwnerTitleFiling DateActionPriceSharesTransacted
Value
Value of
Held Shares
Form
0Rayha MarkVice President11242025Sell339.9010033,9901,980,257Form