GD vs RTX Stock Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
General Dynamics and RTX are both diversified defense and aerospace companies, but General Dynamics combines land combat systems, naval shipbuilding, and Gulfstream business jets, while RTX combines commercial jet engines and aerostructures with missile systems and defense electronics.
General Dynamics offers exposure to naval shipbuilding, combat vehicles, and business jets, while RTX offers exposure to commercial aerospace engine aftermarket recovery alongside missile systems and defense electronics. Consider whether you prefer General Dynamics' shipbuilding and business jet mix or RTX's commercial aerospace and missile systems combination.
RTX holds the edge across 4 of 5 key metrics in this comparison. RTX has delivered stronger 1-year price return (+23.45% vs +9.67%), though GD has the better forward P/E setup (20.45x vs 26.95x for RTX). RTX leads on both revenue growth (14.50%) and operating margin (12.70%), suggesting a stronger fundamental setup on both dimensions. Analyst consensus implies similar upside for both: +10.73% for GD and +10.92% for RTX.
Human Wall Street analysts' price targets, typically implying a ~12-month view — a separate signal from this site's own AI Prediction Signal further down the page, which is a 5-/30-day machine-learning forecast based on price history alone.
- Want exposure to naval shipbuilding, combat vehicles, and Gulfstream business jets in one diversified company
- Believe multi-year defense program backlogs provide durable long-term revenue visibility
- Are comfortable with business jet demand cyclicality tied to the Gulfstream segment
- Value a company with meaningful commercial aerospace exposure alongside core defense contracting
- Believe commercial aerospace engine aftermarket demand will continue recovering as air travel grows
- Want exposure to missile systems and defense electronics benefiting from elevated global defense spending
- Are comfortable with near-term margin pressure from Pratt & Whitney engine inspection and remediation costs
- Value diversified exposure spanning both commercial aviation and defense end markets
| Metric | GD | RTX |
|---|---|---|
| AI scorei | 52.2 | 54.1 |
| AI ranki | #403 | #312 |
| Latest closei | $358.60 | $195.50 |
| 1M returni | -9.39% | -12.32% |
| 6M returni | +0.65% | -3.85% |
| 1Y returni | +9.67% | +23.45% |
How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?
| Period | GD | RTX |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | $10.99K (+9.9%) started 2025-09-16 | $12.33K (+23.3%) started 2025-09-16 |
| 5Y ago | $21.73K (+117.3%) started 2021-09-17 | $27.78K (+177.8%) started 2021-09-17 |
| 10Y ago | $35.38K (+253.8%) started 2016-09-19 | $47.47K (+374.7%) started 2016-09-19 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
| Metric | GD | RTX |
|---|---|---|
| Market capi | $102.63B | $285.33B |
| Trailing P/Ei | 23.14 | 37.34 |
| Forward P/Ei | 20.45 | 26.95 |
| Price/Salesi | N/A | 2.27 |
| EV/Revenuei | 1.96 | 3.40 |
| Analyst targeti | $420.02 | $234.82 |
| Target upsidei | +10.73% | +10.92% |
| Metric | GD | RTX |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growthi | 8.10% | 14.50% |
| Earnings growthi | 13.40% | 28.70% |
| EPS growthi | +13.40% | +28.70% |
| FCF margini | +8.02% | +10.57% |
| Operating margini | 10.38% | 12.70% |
| Profit margini | 8.18% | 8.28% |
| ROIC proxyi | 17.80% | 12.27% |
| Return on equityi | 17.80% | 12.27% |
| Dividend yieldi | 1.68% | 1.38% |
| Payout ratioi | 37.68% | 48.77% |
| Dividend growth streaki | No increase yet | No increase yet |
| Betai | 0.33 | 0.29 |
| Debt/equityi | 35.34 | 57.02 |
| Current ratioi | 1.44 | 1.01 |
| Quick ratioi | 0.85 | 0.65 |
Over the past year, GD and RTX have moved moderately in the same direction (correlation of 0.52), based on daily returns.
Lower drawdown and smaller single-period drops generally indicate a smoother ride, though they do not guarantee lower future risk.
| Period | Metric | GD | RTX |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growthi | +9.87% | +23.28% |
| CAGRi | +9.88% | +23.32% | |
| Volatilityi | 22.26% | 25.97% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 0.33 | 0.77 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 0.51 | 1.19 | |
| Max drawdowni | 15.23% | 19.32% | |
| Current drawdowni | 9.44% | 13.30% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 4.06% | 5.88% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 5.10% | 8.24% | |
| Max daily dropi | 4.18% | 4.40% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 6.86% | 11.45% | |
| 5Y | Growthi | +99.56% | +154.77% |
| CAGRi | +14.83% | +20.58% | |
| Volatilityi | 20.70% | 24.27% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 0.56 | 0.71 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 0.81 | 1.04 | |
| Max drawdowni | 22.55% | 32.84% | |
| Current drawdowni | 9.44% | 13.30% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 5.98% | 6.98% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 8.07% | 9.80% | |
| Max daily dropi | 7.27% | 10.22% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 10.82% | 12.34% | |
| 10Y | Growthi | +186.13% | +279.13% |
| CAGRi | +11.10% | +14.27% | |
| Volatilityi | 22.84% | 27.95% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 0.38 | 0.46 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 0.54 | 0.66 | |
| Max drawdowni | 51.63% | 51.98% | |
| Current drawdowni | 9.44% | 13.30% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 10.78% | 9.35% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 14.91% | 13.91% | |
| Max daily dropi | 10.93% | 14.48% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 19.06% | 26.15% |
| Category | GD | RTX |
|---|---|---|
| Company | General Dynamics Corporation | RTX Corporation |
| Sector | Industrials | Industrials |
| Industry | Aerospace & Defense | Aerospace & Defense |
| Core business | A diversified defense and aerospace company producing combat vehicles, naval ships and submarines, and Gulfstream business jets, along with information technology and mission systems services for government customers. | A global aerospace and defense company operating through Collins Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney engine manufacturing, and Raytheon missile systems and defense electronics segments. |
| Investor focus | Gulfstream business jet order trends and delivery cadence, defense segment backlog growth, and naval shipbuilding program execution. | Pratt & Whitney engine aftermarket recovery and any ongoing inspection or remediation costs, commercial aerospace demand, and defense segment backlog growth. |
- Diversified structure spans combat vehicles, marine systems, aerospace, and technology segments, balancing commercial and defense exposure
- Gulfstream franchise provides exposure to business jet demand alongside core defense contracting revenue
- Long-duration naval shipbuilding and combat systems programs provide multi-year revenue visibility
- Diversified structure spans commercial aerospace components, jet engines, and defense missile and electronics systems
- Pratt & Whitney and Collins Aerospace benefit from commercial aviation traffic recovery and aftermarket service demand
- Raytheon missile systems and defense electronics segment benefits from elevated global defense spending trends
- Gulfstream segment introduces sensitivity to broader business jet demand and corporate travel spending cycles
- Shipbuilding programs can face schedule and cost execution risk given their scale and complexity
- Defense budget allocation decisions and program funding priorities can shift program-level revenue growth
- Pratt & Whitney has faced engine durability issues requiring inspections and remediation that have weighed on near-term costs and margins
- Commercial aerospace exposure ties results to airline capital spending and aircraft production cycles
- Large, complex defense and aerospace programs carry execution and cost overrun risk
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