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General Dynamics vs Northrop Grumman: Which Stock Looks Stronger in 2026?

The structural profiles are close, with Northrop Grumman carrying a narrow edge on growth. The remaining gap is narrow enough that the comparison remains open to different readings. In the market, General Dynamics carries the stronger setup — intact trend against Northrop Grumman's broken trend. That leaves a split case: the structural lead stays with Northrop Grumman, but the market is not currently confirming it.

The comparison is based on similar long-term financial trajectories, not sector labels. Both peer scores are relative to the S&P 500 universe, making them directly comparable.

Updated 2026-07-05

Growth remains the main source of distance in the comparison.

INDUSTRY COMPARISON

Both operate in: Aerospace & Defense

This comparison is based on industry proximity, not on functional trajectory similarity. GD and NOC share the same industry classification.

For a similarity-based comparison, see how General Dynamics and Northrop Grumman each position within their functional peer groups in AssetNext.

Peer-Relative Score
GD
General Dynamics Corporation
67
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500
vs
NOC
Northrop Grumman Corporation
72
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500

Scores reflect position relative to comparable companies with similar long-term financial trajectories.

The largest gaps do not all point in the same direction.

Dimension spread: GD vs NOC Profitability 65 57 Stability 76 72 Valuation 77 88 Growth 50 71 GD NOC
Gap Ranking
#1 Growth +21
#2 Valuation +11
#3 Profitability +8
#4 Stability +4
Price Setup

Left means cheaper relative valuation. Higher means stronger structure.

Price setup map for GD and NOC Stronger + cheaper Stronger + richer Weaker + cheaper Weaker + richer GDNOC Relative valuation Structural strength

Northrop Grumman Corporation and General Dynamics Corporation look relatively close on structure, but the price setup still leans toward Northrop Grumman Corporation.

Valuation position uses peer-relative PE percentile (idx_pct_pe) where available.

Entry today — historical context

Where GD and NOC each sit in their own 5-year price and valuation history.

BASED ON 5-YEAR HISTORY GD Elevated · above norm 0th 50th 100th 16 pct gap NOC Elevated · near norm 0th 50th 100th 99th 83rd
Today NOC sits in the upper portion of its own 5-year history (83rd percentile), while GD sits higher in its own history (99th). Within each stock's own 5-year context, NOC is at a historically more favourable entry position than GD. This reflects entry timing, not which company is structurally stronger — peer-relative analysis is a separate question addressed above.

Describes historical entry positioning only. Descriptive — not investment advice.

Relative Position vs Comparable Companies
Growth
Both rank well on growth, but Northrop Grumman Corporation still sits higher.
Valuation
On valuation, the same pattern holds: both rank well, but Northrop Grumman Corporation still sits higher.
Growth — Dominant Gap
GD
50
NOC
71
Gap+21in favour of NOC

Earnings growth is one contributing factor within the growth lead.

What keeps the gap from being one-sided

Stability is the one area where General Dynamics Corporation still pushes back materially — it is the steadier name on this dimension, which keeps the result from reading as one-way.

What this means for the comparison

The lead is built on both growth and valuation, making it broader than a single-dimension result.

Explore full peer positioning in AssetNext

Break down the GD vs NOC comparison across all dimensions with the full interactive tool.

Explore full breakdown →
Similar growth-and-valuation comparisons

Explore how GD and NOC each compare against other companies in their peer groups.

Rule-based, descriptive analysis only. Derived from peer percentile dimensions. Not investment advice. Peer groups are determined algorithmically based on structural similarity — not by sector classification alone.

How AssetNext Peer Scores Work

AssetNext scores reflect each company's structural position within its functional peer group — not a ranking against all stocks simultaneously. Peers are identified by similarity across eight financial dimensions, including revenue growth trajectory, margin structure, capital intensity, and earnings stability. A score of 75 means the company ranks in the top quartile within its own peer group, not the entire market.

Four dimension scores drive the overall peer score: Growth (revenue trajectory and expansion dynamics), Quality (margin structure and capital efficiency), Valuation (peer-relative pricing on standard multiples), and Stability (earnings consistency and financial predictability). Each dimension is scored 0–100 relative to the peer group, then combined into an overall peer score using equal weighting.

Because scores are peer-relative, the same company can have slightly different scores in different index universes. On comparison pages, both companies are shown within their shared peer universe wherever possible — so the scores are directly comparable. The peer basis is stated on each score card.

Scores are recalculated periodically as underlying financial data is updated. All analysis is descriptive and rule-based — AssetNext describes structural realities and never issues buy, sell or hold recommendations.