TDY vs LDOS Stock Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
TDY (Teledyne Technologies) and LDOS (Leidos) are both defense and government contractors but in distinct niches — Teledyne builds specialized electronic instruments, digital imaging, and defense electronics (FLIR thermal cameras, radar subsystems, marine instruments) across defense and industrial markets, while Leidos provides large-scale IT services, systems integration, and technology solutions to U.S. government agencies. Teledyne has more technical product IP and industrial exposure; Leidos has more predictable contract-based service revenue.
TDY vs LDOS is specialized defense instrumentation and imaging IP company (Teledyne's portfolio of technically differentiated instruments, FLIR thermal cameras, and defense electronics serving defense and industrial markets with IP-intensive products that command premium margins) versus large-scale government IT services and systems integration (Leidos' multi-year federal IT programs for DoD, intelligence community, and civilian agencies providing stable contract revenue with growth from digital transformation of government) — defense technology IP versus government IT services.
TDY holds the edge across 3 of 5 key metrics in this comparison. TDY has delivered stronger 1-year price return (+26.28% vs -28.30%), though LDOS trades at the lower forward P/E (9.29x vs 24.03x). TDY leads on both revenue growth (7.60%) and operating margin (19.03%), suggesting a stronger fundamental setup on both dimensions. Analyst consensus implies meaningfully more upside for LDOS (+50.02%) than for TDY (+17.70%).
- →Want defense electronics and imaging technology IP — Teledyne's FLIR thermal cameras, marine instruments, and defense subsystems represent proprietary IP with durable competitive positions in technically demanding applications
- →Value Teledyne's diversification across defense, industrial, scientific, and imaging end markets as providing resilience versus contractors concentrated in a single program or service category
- →Believe the FLIR integration will complete its synergy realization, improving Teledyne's margins and demonstrating the strategic logic of combining FLIR's imaging portfolio with Teledyne's instrumentation and defense electronics businesses
- →Want large-scale government IT services exposure — Leidos' multi-year federal contracts provide revenue visibility that product companies like Teledyne don't offer
- →Value Leidos' intelligence community and classified program portfolio as sticky, well-funded, and growing as national security agencies modernize their digital infrastructure
- →Prefer Leidos' simpler contract-based business model versus Teledyne's complex portfolio of specialized instruments, cameras, and defense electronics segments requiring understanding of diverse technical markets
| Metric | TDY | LDOS |
|---|---|---|
| AI score | 59.9 | 46.2 |
| AI rank | #167 | #676 |
| Latest close | $619.58 | $107.12 |
| 1M return | +2.17% | -14.96% |
| 6M return | +23.22% | -40.94% |
| 1Y return | +26.28% | -28.30% |
How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?
| Period | TDY | LDOS |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | $12.67K (+26.7%) started 2025-06-18 | $7.22K (-27.8%) started 2025-06-18 |
| 5Y ago | $14.29K (+42.9%) started 2021-06-21 | $11.23K (+12.3%) started 2021-06-21 |
| 10Y ago | $61.84K (+518.4%) started 2016-06-20 | $58.18K (+481.8%) started 2016-06-20 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
| Metric | TDY | LDOS |
|---|---|---|
| Market cap | $29B | $15.37B |
| Trailing P/E | 31.75 | 11.18 |
| Forward P/E | 24.03 | 9.29 |
| Price/Sales | 4.07 | N/A |
| EV/Revenue | 4.97 | 1.26 |
| Analyst target | $736.85 | $183.27 |
| Target upside | +17.70% | +50.02% |
| Metric | TDY | LDOS |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growth | 7.60% | 3.70% |
| Earnings growth | 21.60% | -7.60% |
| EPS growth | +21.60% | -7.60% |
| FCF margin | +12.22% | +6.89% |
| Operating margin | 19.03% | 12.23% |
| Profit margin | 14.99% | 8.15% |
| ROIC proxy | 9.05% | 30.58% |
| Return on equity | 9.05% | 30.58% |
| Dividend yield | N/A | 1.41% |
| Beta | 0.94 | 0.52 |
| Debt/equity | 23.13 | 137.13 |
| Current ratio | 1.76 | 1.40 |
| Quick ratio | 1.01 | 1.11 |
Lower drawdown and smaller single-period drops generally indicate a smoother ride, though they do not guarantee lower future risk.
| Period | Metric | TDY | LDOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growth | +26.72% | -27.79% |
| CAGR | +26.76% | -27.83% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.89 | -1.08 | |
| Max drawdown | 18.39% | 46.32% | |
| Max daily drop | 5.23% | 11.15% | |
| Max wkly drop | 8.42% | 16.99% | |
| 5Y | Growth | +42.93% | +6.57% |
| CAGR | +7.42% | +1.28% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.23 | 0.02 | |
| Max drawdown | 32.24% | 46.51% | |
| Max daily drop | 10.95% | 14.54% | |
| Max wkly drop | 12.60% | 21.35% | |
| 10Y | Growth | +518.41% | +253.04% |
| CAGR | +20.00% | +13.45% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.64 | 0.43 | |
| Max drawdown | 48.95% | 46.51% | |
| Max daily drop | 22.89% | 14.54% | |
| Max wkly drop | 32.90% | 21.35% |
| Category | TDY | LDOS |
|---|---|---|
| Company | Teledyne Technologies Incorporated | Leidos Holdings, Inc. |
| Sector | Technology | Technology |
| Industry | Scientific & Technical Instruments | N/A |
| Core business | Teledyne Technologies designs and manufactures sophisticated electronic instruments and systems for industrial, scientific, defense, and aerospace applications. Teledyne's four segments: Digital Imaging (FLIR-branded thermal cameras, machine vision cameras, X-ray detectors, infrared/hyperspectral imaging for defense and industrial inspection), Instrumentation (marine instruments, environmental monitoring, electronic test and measurement equipment), Aerospace and Defense Electronics (radar subsystems, electronic warfare, satellite communications, oceanographic equipment), and Engineered Systems (specialized defense systems, marine systems, turbine engines). Teledyne acquired FLIR Systems in 2021 for $8 billion, dramatically expanding its imaging and defense electronics portfolio. | Leidos is one of the largest U.S. government IT services, defense technology, and systems integration contractors. Leidos provides: Defense and Intelligence (surveillance systems, intelligence community IT systems, cybersecurity for DoD clients), Civil (federal civilian agency IT modernization — TSA, FAA, NASA, health IT systems for VA and HHS), and Health (military healthcare IT systems, clinical support services for DoD/VA health programs). Leidos serves primarily U.S. government clients (DoD, intelligence community, civilian agencies) and some international government and commercial clients. Leidos was spun off from Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) in 2013. |
| Investor focus | Investors track Teledyne's organic revenue growth across segments, the FLIR integration and synergy realization, defense electronics spending trends driving imaging and electronic warfare demand, and margin expansion as the FLIR integration matures. | Investors track Leidos' revenue growth rate (driven by new contract wins and re-competes), bookings and book-to-bill ratio (new business awarded versus revenue recognized), margin trajectory, and exposure to continuing resolution impacts on federal procurement timing. |
- →FLIR thermal imaging portfolio is the defense market leader — FLIR's thermal cameras are on virtually every major U.S. military vehicle, drone, and soldier-carried system for night vision, target acquisition, and battlefield awareness; this installed base creates replacement and upgrade revenue
- →Highly diversified technical product portfolio reduces single-contract concentration — Teledyne's hundreds of specialized instruments across imaging, oceanography, test equipment, and defense electronics reduces dependence on any single contract or end market
- →Niche technical markets create defensible competitive positions — Teledyne focuses on technically demanding applications (subsea vehicles, space cameras, hyperspectral imaging) where engineering expertise creates barriers that commodity manufacturers cannot easily replicate
- →Large-scale federal IT services with predictable program revenue — Leidos' government IT contracts tend to be multi-year programs with relatively predictable revenue; cost-plus and time-and-materials contracts provide stable cash flow
- →Intelligence community and classified program exposure — Leidos holds significant classified programs for the intelligence community; classified programs tend to be sticky, well-funded, and less susceptible to competitive protests
- →Health IT portfolio for military and VA healthcare — Leidos is a major provider of IT systems for military healthcare (MHS Genesis — DoD's electronic health record system) and VA healthcare modernization; military and VA health IT is a significant federal spending priority
- →Defense budget uncertainty affects procurement timing — Teledyne's defense electronics revenue depends on U.S. and allied defense procurement budgets; continuing resolutions and budget negotiations create timing uncertainty for program awards
- →FLIR acquisition integration and debt — the $8B FLIR acquisition was substantial; the leverage and integration complexity has consumed management attention and synergy realization continues
- →Industrial and commercial end markets add cyclical exposure — Teledyne's instrumentation and machine vision businesses serve industrial manufacturing, energy, and scientific research customers; these segments add cyclical exposure not present in pure-play defense contractors
- →Contract re-compete risk — large IT services contracts eventually come up for rebid; losing a major re-compete can significantly impact revenue; every large contract creates periodic re-compete risk
- →Compressed margins in government IT services — government IT services is competitive; LPTA (lowest price technically acceptable) contracting practices pressure margins; new contract wins often come at lower margins that need improvement through execution efficiency
- →Government shutdown and continuing resolution impact — when Congress operates under continuing resolutions, program spending is constrained; new program starts are delayed; Leidos' revenue growth is affected by federal budget dynamics
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