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FRESH Analysis Report
Aug 9, 2026
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What this page is: Delvantic's full research page for General Dynamics Corporation (GD) — AI-driven forensic equity research: mechanical valuation models (DCF, EPV, anchored-PE, scenario) plus three independent AI lenses (Quality / Value / Sentiment). Everything below is rendered server-side; you are not missing content that requires JavaScript. All scores are predictions and research opinions, not financial advice.

Our current read (analysis of 2026-08-09): Designation Watch · Cairn score -6 (−100…+100 Quality+Value blend) · Quality 64 · Value -63 · Sentiment 27 (timing only, not weighted) · Composite fair value $316.09 vs $392.05 at analysis

Page map (sections in order; each card carries a stable reference-name attribute you can cite):

  • profile-header / price-overview — company profile, live quote, market cap
  • extended-analysisthe core: three AI lens reads with findings, scores, and the analyst memo
  • future-predictions — our forward price-band predictions
  • market-narrative / ai-findings / gpt-critique — narrative context, cross-model findings, and an adversarial critique of our own analysis (near the end of the document)
  • Members-only sections (render as login gates for anonymous readers): price-history, income-trend, key-metrics, financials (statement tables), insider-trading. The analysis above is public; the raw data tables require a free account.

More for machine readers: site briefing at /llms.txt · any ticker resolves at delvantic.com/stock/TICKER · raw inputs are public-company filings and market data (via licensed data feeds); every model, score, lens read, and prediction on this page is Delvantic's own analysis.

General Dynamics Corporation

GD NYSE GICS Category PDF
Industrials · Aerospace & Defense
Reston, VA 20190, United States gd.com Updated Aug 8, 11:00pm
Price
$392.05
Market Cap
$106.1B
Employees
110,000
Beta
0.33
Avg Volume
1,162,509
Last Dividend
$6.18
CEO
Ms. Phebe N. Novakovic

General Dynamics Corporation is a global aerospace and defense company that develops and supports a broad portfolio of products and services for government and commercial customers. Its business is organized around Aerospace, Marine Systems, Combat Systems, and Technologies, covering business jets, naval shipbuilding and repair, land combat vehicles, weapons systems, munitions, and mission-critical information technology solutions. The company’s Aerospace segment centers on the Gulfstream family of business aircraft, while Marine Systems focuses on submarine construction and ship repair. Combat Systems produces armored vehicles and related land systems, and Technologies provides communications, cybersecurity, intelligence, and command-and-control capabilities. General Dynamics Corporation plays a significant role in defense procurement, advanced manufacturing, and specialized technology services across the aerospace, maritime, and land domains.

Runs with full report Generated: Aug 9, 2026 12:16am
Earnings Schedule
Checked daily · calendar updated Aug 9
No upcoming print on the calendar yet — companies typically confirm a few weeks ahead. Last print was Jul 29, 2026.
EPS surprise history — vs analyst consensus · 5 prints of vendor history
+5.6%
Jul '25
+4.6%
Oct '25
+1.2%
Jan '26
+11.1%
Apr '26
+6.8%
Jul '26
Print date EPS est. EPS actual Revenue est. Revenue actual
Jul 29, 2026 $3.97 $4.24 +6.8%
Apr 29, 2026 $3.69 $4.10 +11.1%
Jan 28, 2026 $4.12 $4.17 +1.2%
Oct 24, 2025 $3.71 $3.88 +4.6%
Jul 23, 2025 $3.54 $3.74 +5.6%

Green = beat the estimate, red = missed. An earnings print is the fastest way a thesis changes — our designations should be re-read after each one.

Recent SEC Filings
Last updated: Aug 8, 2026 11:00pm (4h ago)
Filed Form Document
Aug 7, 2026 8-K View
Aug 6, 2026 4 View
Aug 6, 2026 4 View
Aug 5, 2026 144 View
Aug 4, 2026 4 View
Aug 4, 2026 4 View
Aug 4, 2026 8-K View
Aug 4, 2026 424B5 View
Aug 3, 2026 144 View
Jul 31, 2026 144 View
Jul 30, 2026 S-3ASR View
Jul 29, 2026 10-Q View

Filings link to the SEC’s EDGAR system. Annual/quarterly reports (10-K, 10-Q, 20-F) carry the full story; 8-K/6-K current reports are the fastest signal that something material happened.

Price Overview
Price at report time
$392.05
as of Aug 9, 12:22am (3h ago)
Change · Aug 9
+5.13 (+1.33%)
Day Range
$383.26 – $392.14
52-Week Range
$306.77 – $400.00
50-Day MA
$364.20
200-Day MA
$350.79
Volume
1,053,000.00
Right now · live
loading…
 
Real-time — the change above is the move since the report (over 3h).
Share Structure
Outstanding 270,430,187.00
Float 254,476,085.00
Free Float 94.1%
High free float — 94.1% of shares trade freely, ~5.9% held by insiders/institutions
Very liquid — most shares trade freely. Low insider ownership can mean less management alignment, but makes large position sizing straightforward.
Price History (1 Year)
Last updated: Aug 9, 2026 12:24am (3h ago)
Revenue & Net Income Trend
The directional story — useful even when net income is negative.
Last updated: Aug 7, 2026 4:58am (1d ago)
Revenue
The top line — total sales before any costs or taxes are subtracted. A measure of how much business the company is doing.
Net Income
The bottom line — profit left after subtracting all expenses, interest, and taxes from revenue. Reflects accounting profitability, but includes non-cash items like depreciation, so it isn't the same as cash earned.
Operating Cash Flow
The real cash generated by the day-to-day business — selling products, paying suppliers, collecting from customers. Calculated from net income by adding back non-cash items and adjusting for timing (unpaid bills, unsold inventory). When OCF consistently lags net income, the reported profit may not be converting to real money.
Period Revenue Net Income Net Margin YoY/QoQ
Key Metrics
TD Twelve Data statement HEX SEC filing
Industry comparison last run: Aug 9, 2026 12:13am
P/E Ratio (Price per dollar of earnings)
HEX
Stock Price / EPS (Diluted)
25.38
Stock Price: $392.05
EPS (Diluted): 15.45
P/B Ratio (Price vs net asset value)
HEX
Stock Price / Book Value Per Share
4.17
Stock Price: $392.05
Total Equity: $25.62B
Shares: 272,425,000
EV/EBITDA (Total value vs operating profit)
HEX
Enterprise Value / EBITDA
17.77
Market Cap: $106.07B
Total Debt: $8.01B
Cash: $2.33B
EBITDA: $6.28B
Enterprise Value (Takeover price (cap + debt - cash))
HEX
Market Cap + Total Debt - Cash
$111.6B
Market Cap: $106.07B
Total Debt: $8.01B
Cash: $2.33B
Gross Margin (Revenue left after direct costs)
HEX
Gross Profit / Revenue
Gross Profit: N/A
Revenue: $52.55B
Missing from API: Gross Profit
Operating Margin (Revenue left after all operations)
HEX
Operating Income / Revenue
10.2%
Operating Income: $5.36B
Revenue: $52.55B
Net Margin (Revenue left as actual profit)
HEX
Net Income / Revenue
8.0%
Net Income: $4.21B
Revenue: $52.55B
ROE (Profit from shareholder equity)
HEX
Net Income / Total Equity
16.4%
Net Income: $4.21B
Total Equity: $25.62B
ROIC (Profit from all invested capital)
HEX
NOPAT / Invested Capital
14.1%
Operating Income: $5.36B
Tax Rate: 17.5%
Equity: $25.62B
Total Debt: $8.01B
Cash: $2.33B
Current Ratio (Can it pay short-term bills)
HEX
Current Assets / Current Liabilities
1.44
Current Assets: $24.25B
Current Liabilities: $16.80B
Debt/Equity (Leverage — debt vs equity)
HEX
Total Debt / Total Equity
0.31
Short-Term Debt: $1.01B
Long-Term Debt: $7.01B
Total Debt: $8.01B
Total Equity: $25.62B
Rev/Share (Top-line per share)
HEX
Revenue / Shares Outstanding
$192.90
Revenue: $52.55B
Shares: 272,425,000
Book Value/Share (Net assets per share)
HEX
(Total Assets - Total Liabilities) / Shares
$94.05
Total Equity: $25.62B
Shares: 272,425,000
FCF/Share (Real cash generated per share)
HEX
(Operating Cash Flow + CapEx) / Shares
$14.53
Operating CF: $5.12B
CapEx: -$1.16B
Shares: 272,425,000
CapEx is negative (outflow) — added to OCF to get FCF
Div Yield (Annual income from holding)
TD
Last Annual Dividend / Stock Price
1.6%
Last Dividend: $6.18
Stock Price: $392.05
Payout Ratio (Earnings paid out as dividends)
HEX
Dividends Paid / Net Income
37.8%
Dividends Paid: -$1.59B
Net Income: $4.21B
Industry Benchmarks
Last run: Aug 9, 2026 12:13am
Compares GD against LLM-researched typical ranges for its industry. One research call per industry, cached indefinitely — every stock in the same industry reuses the same baseline.
Income Statement (Annual)
Last updated: Aug 7, 2026 4:58am (1d ago)
Metric 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Revenue $38.5B $39.4B $42.3B $47.7B $52.6B
Cost of Revenue
Gross Profit
Operating Expenses
Operating Income $4.2B $4.2B $4.2B $4.8B $5.4B
Net Income $3.3B $3.4B $3.3B $3.8B $4.2B
EBITDA $5.1B $5.1B $5.1B $5.7B $6.3B
EPS $11.61 $12.31 $12.14 $13.81 $15.65
EPS (Diluted) $11.55 $12.19 $12.02 $13.63 $15.45
Balance Sheet (Annual)
Last updated: Aug 6, 2026 7:29am (2d ago)
Metric 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Cash & Equivalents $1.6B $1.2B $1.9B $1.7B $2.3B
Total Current Assets $20.0B $21.1B $23.6B $24.4B $24.2B
Total Assets $50.1B $51.6B $54.8B $55.9B $57.2B
Current Liabilities $14.0B $15.3B $16.4B $17.8B $16.8B
Long-Term Debt $10.5B $9.2B $8.8B $7.3B $7.0B
Total Liabilities $32.4B $33.0B $33.5B $33.8B $31.6B
Total Equity $17.6B $18.6B $21.3B $22.1B $25.6B
Retained Earnings $35.4B $37.4B $39.3B $41.5B $44.1B
Cash Flow (Annual)
Last updated: Aug 7, 2026 4:58am (1d ago)
Metric 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Operating Cash Flow $4.3B $4.6B $4.7B $4.1B $5.1B
Capital Expenditure -$887.0M -$1.1B -$904.0M -$916.0M -$1.2B
Free Cash Flow $3.4B $3.5B $3.8B $3.2B $4.0B
Acquisitions (net)
Net Debt Issued / (Repaid) $1.5B -$1.0B -$1.3B -$500.0M -$753.0M
Dividends Paid -$1.3B -$1.4B -$1.4B -$1.5B -$1.6B
Stock Buybacks -$1.8B -$1.2B -$434.0M -$1.5B -$637.0M
Net Change in Cash -$1.2B -$361.0M $671.0M -$216.0M $636.0M
Growth Trends (YoY %)
Last updated: Aug 7, 2026 4:58am (1d ago)
Metric 2022 2023 2024 2025
Revenue Growth +2.4% +7.3% +12.9% +10.1%
Gross Profit Growth
Operating Income Growth +1.2% +0.8% +13.0% +11.7%
Net Income Growth +4.1% -2.2% +14.1% +11.3%
EBITDA Growth +0.8% +0.3% +11.2% +10.5%
Dividend History (Last 20)
Last updated: Aug 6, 2026 7:29am (2d ago)
Date Dividend Declaration Record Payment
2026-07-02 $1.59
2026-04-10 $1.59
2026-01-16 $1.50
2025-10-10 $1.50
2025-07-03 $1.50
2025-04-11 $1.50
2025-01-17 $1.42
2024-10-11 $1.42
2024-07-05 $1.42
2024-04-11 $1.42
2024-01-18 $1.32
2023-10-05 $1.32
2023-07-06 $1.32
2023-04-13 $1.32
2023-01-19 $1.26
2022-10-06 $1.26
2022-06-30 $1.26
2022-04-07 $1.26
2022-01-13 $1.19
2021-10-07 $1.19
Insider Trading (Recent)
Last updated: Aug 9, 2026 12:16am (3h ago)
Type codes PPurchase SSale AAward / grant MOption exercise FIn-kind (tax) CConversion GGift DReturn to issuer
All SEC Form 4 codes
Open market
P Purchase
Open-market or private purchase of shares.
S Sale
Open-market or private sale of shares.
Compensation (Rule 16b-3)
A Award / grant
Grant or award of securities (RSUs, options, etc.) under Rule 16b-3.
D Return to issuer
Securities disposed back to the company under Rule 16b-3.
F In-kind (tax)
Shares withheld or delivered to pay the option-exercise price or tax — not an open-market sale.
I Discretionary
Discretionary transaction under an employee plan — Rule 16b-3(f).
M Option exercise
Exercise or conversion of a derivative (option/RSU) into shares — exempt.
Derivatives
C Conversion
Conversion of a derivative security into the underlying shares.
E Short expiration
Expiration of a short derivative position.
H Long expiration
Expiration or cancellation of a long derivative position with value received.
O OTM exercise
Exercise of an out-of-the-money derivative.
X ITM exercise
Exercise of an in-the-money or at-the-money derivative.
Other exempt
G Gift
Bona fide gift of securities.
L Small acquisition
Small acquisition under Rule 16a-6.
W Inheritance
Acquisition or disposition by will or the laws of descent.
Z Voting trust
Deposit into or withdrawal from a voting trust.
Other
J Other
Other acquisition or disposition (explained in a Form 4 footnote).
K Equity swap
Transaction in an equity swap or similar instrument.
U Tender / buyout
Disposition via tender of shares in a change-of-control transaction.

Compensation-plan codes (A, D, F, M) are routine and rarely directional. Open-market P (buy) and S (sale) carry the most signal.

Date Insider Type Shares Price Value
2026-08-03 NOVAKOVIC PHEBE N S-Sale 5,673.00 $381.17 $2.2M
2026-08-03 NOVAKOVIC PHEBE N S-Sale 22,707.00 $382.17 $8.7M
2026-08-03 NOVAKOVIC PHEBE N S-Sale 15,917.00 $383.09 $6.1M
2026-08-03 NOVAKOVIC PHEBE N S-Sale 7,271.00 $383.85 $2.8M
2026-07-31 Gilliland Marguerite Amy M-OptionExercise 43,180.00 $0.00 $0
2026-07-31 Gilliland Marguerite Amy S-Sale 16,970.00 $377.44 $6.4M
2026-07-31 Gilliland Marguerite Amy S-Sale 26,210.00 $378.42 $9.9M
2026-07-31 NOVAKOVIC PHEBE N M-OptionExercise 166,660.00 $0.00 $0
2026-07-31 NOVAKOVIC PHEBE N F-InKind 115,092.00 $379.17 $43.6M
2026-06-17 Malcolm Mark M-OptionExercise 2,270.00 $0.00 $0
2026-06-17 Malcolm Mark M-OptionExercise 3,210.00 $0.00 $0
2026-06-17 Malcolm Mark S-Sale 2,270.00 $365.00 $828,550
2026-06-17 Malcolm Mark S-Sale 3,210.00 $365.00 $1.2M
2026-06-16 Stratton John G A-Award 104.00 $359.85 $37,424
2026-06-16 Schumacher Laura J A-Award 104.00 $359.85 $37,424
2026-06-16 Reynolds Catherine B A-Award 104.00 $359.85 $37,424
2026-06-16 Nye C Howard A-Award 52.00 $359.85 $18,712
2026-06-16 Mattis James N A-Award 58.00 $359.85 $20,871
2026-06-16 Hooper Charles W A-Award 20.00 $359.85 $7,197
2026-06-16 HANEY CECIL D A-Award 10.00 $359.85 $3,599
Deep Analysis
Last run: Aug 9, 2026 12:22:16 am

Pre-flight intelligence scans the company first, then routes to the right analytical methods.

0 Company Classification — What type of company is this?
1 Industry Landscape — Where is the industry headed?
2 Company Momentum — Where is this company trending?
3 Forward Projection — 1Y & 2Y projected metrics (requires Layer 1 + 2)
4a DCF Valuation — Present value of future cash flows
4b Earnings Power Value — Floor value — worth with zero growth
4c Anchored PE — Industry PE adjusted for growth differential
4d Reverse DCF — What growth is the market pricing in?
4e Revenue-Based DCF — For growth/narrative companies (skip if mature earner)
Not applicable for Mature Earner companies
4f Anchored P/S — Price-to-Sales peer comparison (skip if mature earner)
Not applicable for Mature Earner companies
4g Scenario Analysis — Bull / Base / Bear (skip if mature earner)
Not applicable for Mature Earner companies
4h Dividend Discount Model — For dividend/income stocks only
Not applicable for Mature Earner companies
4i Book Value Analysis — For deep value / turnaround stocks only
Not applicable for Mature Earner companies
4j Insider Activity — Are insiders buying or selling?
4f Cash Flow Quality — How trustworthy is the FCF?
4g Debt Maturity Risk — Can it handle its debt?
4h Macro Environment — Rates, market valuation, volatility
4i Sector Intelligence — How does this company compare within its sector?
4j Revenue Confidence — How reliable is the growth projection?
4k Sensitivity Analysis — How fragile is the fair value estimate?
4l Sector Demand Cycle — Is the sector in a boom, steady state, or contraction?
5 AI Investigation — Adaptive research engine (Claude)
5b Thesis Evaluation — What does the market believe? (narrative/platform stocks only)
Not applicable for Mature Earner companies
6 Valuation Synthesis — Weighted verdict from all methods (requires Layer 4)
Narrative Economics
The story the market is telling about this stock — the intangible X-factor (founder mythology, cult dynamics, TAM-of-imagination) that moves price beyond what cash flows alone explain. After Shiller, Narrative Economics.
No narrative profile yet for GD — it's generated by the pipeline (market-narrative step).
Claude Reading
Independent analyst synthesis · claude-opus-4-7 · generated 2026-08-09 00:24:18
Verdict Overvalued at $392 — fair value $310-330 on peer-multiple and DCF grounds; insider selling and Gulfstream cyclicality argue against paying up. Wait for $340 or a Q2/Q3 2026 miss.

Looking at the raw trajectory first: revenue went from $38.5B (2021) to $52.6B (2025), a 7.9% CAGR — not the 11.5% the momentum table shows (that number is contaminated by pulling from a shorter window). Net income grew from $3.26B to $4.21B, 6.6% CAGR. Q1 2026 revenue of $13.48B vs $12.22B in Q1 2025 is +10.3% YoY, and net margin actually ticked up to 8.3% from 8.1%. But this is a business earning 8% net and 10.2% operating margins — thin for a company trading at 25x earnings and 2.1x sales. ROIC of 14.1% is decent but not exceptional, and it's being compared against a cost of equity that has risen materially. FCF of $3.96B against a $106B market cap is a 3.7% yield — you're paying growth-stock multiples for GDP-plus growth.

The synthesis pegs fair value at ~$319 versus $392, an 18.7% overvaluation. I think that's directionally right but the composite may actually be generous. At a defense-peer-appropriate 18x earnings ($16.60 TTM EPS approximately, backing out the ~$4.2B NI on ~253M shares), you'd get roughly $300. LMT at ~18x and NOC at ~17x are the right anchors — GD's Gulfstream exposure justifies some premium, but Gulfstream is also the most cyclical piece and business jet demand is a coincident indicator of high-end wealth cycles, not a defensive one. The bull case that Aerospace is "counter-cyclical" is historically wrong; Gulfstream orders collapsed in 2008-09 and 2015-16. So paying a premium for that segment during what may be a cycle peak is exactly backwards.

The contrarian argument for staying long here isn't crazy though: submarine backlog through the 2030s (Columbia-class + Virginia Block V/VI) is genuinely locked in, the Marine Systems segment has pricing leverage as the Navy is desperate for boats, and combat systems (European rearmament) has a multi-year tailwind that isn't in the 2021-2025 numbers yet. If you believe European defense spending doubles by 2030 and GD captures its share via Abrams/Piranha/artillery, then 2027-2028 earnings could be $20+ and today's $392 is 19x forward-forward — reasonable. But that's a lot of "ifs" priced in already. The insider activity — six sales clustered on July 31 and August 3, 2026, including large option-exercise-and-sell patterns — is not neutral in my read; it's insiders monetizing at what they perceive as full value. The "neutral" tag from the secondary signals is too charitable when you see this concentration.

I agree with the synthesis verdict but with sharper conviction on the downside asymmetry. Fair value in the $310-330 range, current $392 embeds either (a) a defense supercycle that materializes on schedule, or (b) multiple expansion from here — neither has margin of safety. The narrative layer correctly identifies this as "anchored" with moderate intensity, which is exactly the setup where disappointment causes a re-rating rather than a crash: one missed Gulfstream delivery quarter or one CR-driven Pentagon delay and the stock is $340 quickly. The 1.58% dividend yield doesn't pay you to wait. I'd want $340 or lower to start a position, and I'd note that the FCF CAGR of 2% versus earnings CAGR of ~12% is a quiet red flag — either working capital is consuming cash or capex is running ahead of the P&L, and neither supports paying 25x. Dissent from the models is minor; if anything I'm slightly more bearish than the synthesis's -18.7% gap suggests, because I don't think Gulfstream deserves the premium being ascribed to it.

GPT Reading
Independent reading · gpt-5.4 · generated 2026-08-09 00:24:33
Verdict Overvalued at $392 — excellent defense franchise, but fair value looks closer to $320-$335 unless free cash flow steps up sharply.

The numbers say General Dynamics is a very good business being valued like a great growth business. Operationally, the company is doing almost everything you would want from a mature defense prime: revenue has stepped up from $38.5B in 2021 to $52.6B in 2025, a 36% increase in four years, while operating income rose from $4.16B to $5.36B and net income from $3.26B to $4.21B. Quarterly performance is similarly clean: the last four quarters sum to roughly $52.8B of revenue and about $4.35B of net income, with net margins holding in a tight 7.8%-8.3% band except for a stronger 8.6% quarter at year-end 2024. That consistency matters in defense. But valuation matters too, and at $392, investors are paying about 25.4x earnings, 17.8x EV/EBITDA, 2.0x sales, and only getting a 1.6% dividend yield and roughly a 3.7%-3.9% FCF yield on 2025 free cash flow of $3.96B. For a company with 8% net margins, 10.2% operating margins, and low-double-digit top-line growth that is at least partly cyclical and program-driven, that is rich.

What stands out most is the mismatch between profit growth and cash growth. Earnings CAGR of 12.7% and revenue CAGR of 11.5% look strong, but free cash flow CAGR of just 2% is the more important tell for a contractor/manufacturer with real capital needs. In 2025, operating cash flow was $5.12B and capex was a meaningful $1.16B, leaving $3.96B of FCF; against a $106B market cap, that is not cheap. If this were a software business with expanding margins, maybe 25x earnings would make sense. Here, margins are steady rather than expanding, and that steadiness is a virtue operationally but not a reason to pay a premium multiple. Balance sheet risk is not the issue — net debt is only about $5.7B, debt/equity is 0.31, current ratio is 1.44, ROIC of 14.1% is solid — so this is not a balance-sheet short. It is simply a case where quality and durability have been capitalized too aggressively.

The quarterly pattern also argues against the market paying for accelerating upside. Revenue moved from $11.98B and $11.67B in mid/late 2024 to $12.22B, $13.04B, $12.91B, $14.38B, and $13.48B across the next five quarters; that's healthy growth, but not evidence of a step-function change in earning power. Net income similarly climbed from $905M/$930M to a roughly $1.0B-$1.15B run rate. This looks like a better version of the same company, not a transformed one. At today’s price, the market seems to be underwriting not just dependable defense demand, but a sustained premium multiple despite peer-like margins and only moderate cash conversion improvement. I think that is too generous. On the data given, fair value is materially below the current quote, closer to the low-$300s than to $400.

The best pushback is obvious and respectable: GD may deserve a premium because it has multiple durable franchises, high revenue visibility, and very little financial strain. If you believe the recent growth is not a temporary catch-up but the front end of a multi-year defense and aerospace upcycle, then 2025’s $4.21B of earnings understates normalized power. On that view, the latest quarterly annualized net income run rate of about $4.5B, plus ROE of 16.4% and ROIC of 14.1%, makes the current multiple less extreme. You could also argue that a 25x P/E is less offensive if earnings keep compounding at 10%+ and if Gulfstream or other segments lift mix over time. I weigh that less heavily because the reported margins do not show meaningful operational leverage yet, and the FCF profile still looks like that of an industrial, not a compounding asset-light franchise. The insider tape is not a major red flag given option exercises, but clustered sales near current levels also do not support a heroic upside case.

What would change my mind is evidence that cash flow is about to catch up decisively with earnings and that margins can move structurally higher. If annual free cash flow can move from $3.96B toward $5.0B-$5.5B without balance-sheet stretch, or if operating margin can hold above 11% on revenue north of $55B, the present valuation would look much more defensible. I would also revisit the bear view if upcoming quarters show revenue still growing 9%-10% while net margin expands from the current ~8% band toward 9%, because that would indicate the business is not just stable but gaining quality. Absent that, the current price already discounts the good news.

Grok Reading
Grok (xAI) reads the identical raw briefing blind — one of the Big-3 independent readings — and commits to its own verdict.
No Grok reading yet for GD — it's generated by the pipeline (grok-critique step) alongside the other Big-3 seats, when a report is run on this ticker.
Big-3 Panel — where each AI stands
Each AI above independently stated a direction (undervalued, fairly valued, or overvalued) and how strongly it believes it (conviction, 0–5). We combine those into a Bull-Bear Index on a 0–10 scale: 5 is neutral, 10 is maximum bullish (undervalued at full conviction), 0 is maximum bearish. We compute the score ourselves with the same arithmetic for every seat — the models never grade their own bullishness — so the three are directly comparable. Δ shows how far each seat sits from the panel average of 1.0; a large Δ marks the dissenting voice, usually the one worth reading.
Claude claude-opus-4-7 1.0
overvalued · conviction 4/5 · Δ +0.0 vs panel · self: 3.0
GPT gpt-5.4 1.0
overvalued · conviction 4/5 · Δ +0.0 vs panel · self: 3.0
No second round needed — Panel agreed within band (spread 0: Claude: overvalued · GPT: overvalued) — second round not warranted
Advanced Analysis Forensic deep-dive · three lenses
Three separate reads — Company Quality (is it a great business?), Valuation (is it mispriced?), and General Sentiment (how macro + narrative are pushing it), kept deliberately apart · 2026-08-09 00:47:34
Delvantic - Cairn AI
Quality — wait for a dip 8/10
Great defense compounder trading ~19% above deserved value — a hold-if-owned, wait-for-dip if not.
The cruxWhether the tape hands you a pullback into the low $320s, because the business is fine but the price already pays for the good news.
Forensic checks Derived mechanically from GD's filed financials — not from the AI lenses
Liquidity & RunwaySelf-Funding
DilutionShare Count Shrinking
Earnings QualityHigh Earnings Quality
The three lensesswitch a tab for its full read — score + evidence
Company Quality
+64
Strong
edge √Σ 119 · risk √Σ 44 · conf 8/10

GD is a mature aerospace and defense earner running with predictable execution: revenue has climbed from $38.5B (2021) to $52.6B (2025), a ~8% CAGR, while operating margin held tight in a 10.0-10.8% band and net income grew from $3.26B to $4.21B. Free cash flow of $3.96B in 2025 slightly exceeds net income, and OCF/NI of 1.28x with accruals at -1.8% of assets points to high earnings integrity — reported profits are cash-backed. Altman Z of 4.47 puts the balance sheet in the safe zone despite $5.68B net debt, which is easily serviced by ~$4B of annual FCF.

Strengths 4
m70
Consistent top-line growth with margin stability
Revenue compounded from $38.47B to $52.55B (2021-2025) while operating margin stayed in a narrow 10.0-10.8% band — durable execution across the portfolio.
m65
High earnings quality
OCF/NI 1.28x, accruals -1.8% of assets, Altman Z 4.47 — no mechanical red flags; earnings translate to cash.
m55
Per-share value being concentrated
Diluted share count fell from 282.0M to 272.4M (~-0.9% CAGR); buyback is 661% of SBC, and SBC is only 0.4% of revenue — capital returns are net accretive, not dilutive.
m45
Self-funding with room to spare
$3.96B FCF against $5.68B net debt implies ~1.4 years of FCF to fully retire net debt — leverage is a modest constraint, not a risk.
Concerns 3
m30
Net debt position, not net cash
Only $2.33B liquid cash (2.2% of market cap) against $5.68B net debt — balance sheet is adequate but not a cushion for a shock.
m20
Insider selling with zero buys
17 sells totaling ~$81M and 0 open-market buys in the last 12 months, including CEO Novakovic exercising options and selling. Typical for a mature large-cap comp plan, but no insider is putting new money in.
m25
FCF dipped in 2024
FCF fell from $3.81B (2023) to $3.20B (2024) before recovering to $3.96B (2025) — worth understanding whether working capital swings (Gulfstream deliveries, program milestones) are a recurring lumpiness.
This is a textbook mature-earner defense prime doing the boring things right: growing revenue mid-to-high single digits, defending a 10% operating margin, converting earnings to cash at >1x, and quietly shrinking the share count. Nothing here suggests aggressive accounting or capital-structure games. The only reasons I do not push higher are structural — margins are respectable but not elite, and the balance sheet carries net debt so there is no fortress cushion. Insider tape is neutral: option-exercise-and-sell behavior is normal, but I would prefer to see at least occasional open-market buys. Overall a solidly strong business with visible operating discipline.
Verify before trusting this (5)
  • Segment mix and backlog trajectory (Aerospace/Gulfstream vs. Combat Systems, Marine, Technologies) to gauge revenue durability
  • Program concentration risk (Columbia-class submarine, Abrams, Gulfstream G700/G800 ramp)
  • Working capital / contract asset movements explaining the 2024 FCF dip
  • Pension and OPEB obligations behind the net debt figure
  • Whether recent CEO/insider sales are 10b5-1 scheduled dispositions
Valuation / Mispricing
-63
Rich
edge √Σ 25 · risk √Σ 98 · conf 7/10
Price $392 vs deserved ~$320 (quality-adjusted): roughly 18-20% overpaid, no margin of safety. attractive below $320.00

The e2e synthesis pegs composite fair value at $316.09 and signal-adjusted at $318.75 against a $392.05 price - about a 19% overpayment. The DCF ($329.86) and EPV floor ($189.98) both sit well below spot; only the anchored-PE ($414.67) supports today's tape, and that method is essentially saying 'the market's multiple is the right multiple,' which is circular when we are judging whether the market is right. Strip that out and the honest deserved range is roughly $260-$330.

Cheap signals 1
m25
Quality warrants a premium to composite
Clean earnings, >1x cash conversion, shrinking share count and defensible franchises argue for deserved value at the upper end of the FV range, maybe $325-$335 - still below $392 but narrows the gap.
Rich / priced-in 4
m62
19% premium to composite fair value
$392.05 price vs $316.09 composite FV and $318.75 signal-adjusted FV implies the market is paying about 1.23x deserved value.
m55
DCF also below price
The DCF - the most forward-looking method - lands at $329.86, still ~16% below spot, so it is not just the EPV floor pulling the composite down.
m40
Only anchored-PE supports the price and it is circular
Anchored-PE of $414.67 essentially reflects the current multiple; using it to justify the current price is question-begging when the question is whether the multiple is stretched.
m35
Priced-in geopolitical tailwind
The bull case (peer-competition-driven secular demand) appears to already be embedded; any slippage in defense budget growth or program timing would compress the multiple back toward the mid-$300s.
This is a fine business at a full price - the classic 'wonderful company you are paying too much for.' Composite fair value in the $316-$330 zone, quality bump gets me to maybe $335 deserved, and I am being asked $392. That is not a mispricing I can act on; it is the market correctly recognizing a good defense prime and then some. I would want it in the low $320s before I would call it interesting, and closer to $290 before I would consider it a real bargain. Today it is a hold-if-owned, pass-if-not.
Verify before trusting this (4)
  • Marine Systems (submarine) backlog conversion and margin trajectory in next 10-Q
  • Gulfstream G700/G800 delivery cadence and aerospace margin recovery
  • FY guidance vs analyst consensus - any tempering would puncture the priced-for-perfection setup
  • Buyback pace and net debt trend given elevated capex
General Sentiment
+27
Tailwind
tail √Σ 85 · head √Σ 58 · conf 6/10

Sentiment pressure on GD is modestly positive but muted by its own low-beta character. The macro tape is risk-on with VIX at 14.9 and the S&P near highs, but with beta 0.33 that tailwind barely grazes this name - GD does not rip on risk appetite the way high-beta stories do. What actually matters here is the narrative flow, and it is running the right way: a durable steady-compounder story reinforced this week by a Q2 beat across all four segments, a raised guide, a record $136.5B backlog, and a $1.3B GDIT cyber award. That is exactly the kind of drumbeat that hardens a defense-compounder narrative rather than sparking euphoria. Offsetting that, the 7/29 tape reaction was telling - beat, raise, and a record $76.6B submarine award, and the stock still fell. That suggests good news is largely priced and analyst tone is closer to 'fairly valued' than chasing (one write-up frames it as only ~5% undervalued after the beat). Political noise around defense budgets is a low-grade overhang but not acute. Net: a real but ordinary tailwind, not a dominant force.

Tailwinds 4
m55
Beat-and-raise reinforces compounder story
Q2 growth across all four segments, raised guide, and record $136.5B backlog feed directly into the durable steady-compounder narrative and give analysts cover to hold constructive targets.
m45
Fresh $1.3B GDIT cyber contract
The Army National Guard ENOCS award is a clean positive headline that extends GD beyond legacy platforms into cyber/IT - it directly rebuts the 'legacy hardware only' bear framing.
m40
Peer-competition geopolitical backdrop
Submarine and combat-vehicle demand tied to China/Russia posture remains a durable structural narrative that keeps defense primes in favor with institutional flows.
m25
Risk-on tape, but muted by low beta
VIX 14.9 and indices at highs are supportive, but with beta 0.33 GD captures little of the market's risk appetite - the tailwind is real but thin for this specific name.
Headwinds 3
m45
Good news already in the tape
The 7/29 reaction - stock down on a beat, raise, and record sub contract - shows the compounder narrative is largely priced. Analyst framing at only ~5% undervalued limits upside pressure from further good prints.
m30
Political/budget overhang on defense
Chatter about defense-spending discipline is a low-grade, persistent crosswind on the whole cohort, capping multiple expansion even when execution is clean.
m20
Rates/valuation macro drag
10y at 4.69% and market PE 26 are a background headwind for all equities; for a low-beta defensive name it is minor but not zero.
Net leans tailwind, but a mild one. The narrative is durable and freshly validated by a beat-raise, record backlog, and a clean cyber contract win, and the tape is calm and risk-on. But this is a beta-0.33 compounder where good news is already largely in the price - you can see it in the 7/29 sell-the-news reaction. So I read it as an ordinary, persistent positive press rather than a decisive force. Sentiment is a helper here, not the driver.
Verify before trusting this (4)
  • Whether sell-side raises price targets meaningfully after the Q2 beat or holds pat (tone divergence)
  • Any FY27 defense budget headlines that could crack the peer-competition narrative
  • Follow-through in share price on the GDIT/ENOCS award and next submarine milestone
  • Sector rotation signals - defense primes relative to broader industrials
The market-wide tape + this name's exposure to it (beta / sector / narrative durability). Context on the non-fundamental pressure — not a call on the business or the price. processId: detail-general-sentiment
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Three lenses kept deliberately separate — Company Quality (price-agnostic), Valuation (price-conditional), and General Sentiment (non-fundamental macro/narrative pressure). The scores are not blended. Filing-level items (convertibles, lock-ups, customer concentration) are v2 — see each lens's "verify."
Character & Durability Scorecard
Ten long-horizon business-character traits the Quality / Value / Sentiment lenses don’t break out, scored 1–10.
Scored Aug 9, 2026 12:49am
Survivability 9/10

Defense primes with diversified government contracts have proven highly recession-resistant, and GD maintained profitability and positive FCF through COVID and prior downturns with minimal revenue volatility.

  • Defense prime contractor with multi-decade track record through multiple recessions including 2008-09 and 2020
  • Altman Z-score 4.47 indicates safe financial health with consistent FCF generation through cycles
confidence: high · general knowledge
Adaptability 7/10

GD has demonstrated ability to navigate major defense budget cycles and technology shifts, though pace of change is measured rather than rapid given long procurement cycles.

  • Successfully navigated post-Cold War defense downturn and pivoted portfolio through Gulfstream acquisition
  • Adapted to shift from heavy ground vehicles to technology-intensive platforms and cybersecurity
confidence: medium · general knowledge
Moat Trajectory 8/10

Defense prime moat remains durable and arguably widening as complexity increases, though competitive set is stable rather than shrinking.

  • Oligopoly structure in defense with high barriers to entry from security clearances and decades-long platform relationships
  • Strengthening switching costs as platforms become more integrated and software-intensive
confidence: high · general knowledge
Capital Allocation 8/10

Consistent share repurchases funded by strong cash generation with disciplined M&A focused on adjacent capabilities rather than empire-building.

  • Buyback/SBC ratio of 661.5% indicates disciplined capital return
  • Share count reduced 0.9% annually while generating strong FCF averaging $3.56B over five years
confidence: high · from our data
Pricing Power 7/10

Contract structures and competitive position provide solid pricing power, though margins are constrained by negotiated government contracts rather than fully market-driven.

  • Operating margin stable 10-10.8% despite revenue growth from $38.5B to $52.6B over 2021-2025
  • Cost-plus and fixed-price contracts with escalation clauses provide some inflation protection
confidence: medium · from our data
Management Alignment 6/10

Low SBC is positive but meaningful insider selling without offsetting purchases and lack of detailed ownership data suggests adequate but not exceptional alignment.

  • Insider selling of $81M with zero buys over 12 months shows mixed alignment
  • SBC at only 0.4% of revenue indicates reasonable compensation structure
confidence: medium · from our data
Demand Durability 9/10

Strong secular tailwinds from elevated threat environment and sustained defense budget growth across Western allies create durable multi-year demand.

  • Global defense spending accelerating due to geopolitical tensions including Ukraine, Taiwan, and NATO rearmament
  • Bipartisan US political support for defense spending with multi-year budget visibility
confidence: high · general knowledge
Growth Consistency 8/10

Consistent upward trajectory in both revenue and earnings with low volatility demonstrates reliable compounding execution.

  • Revenue grew steadily from $38.5B (2021) to $52.6B (2025), a 36.5% cumulative increase with no down years
  • Net income rose from $3.26B to $4.21B over same period despite one modest dip in 2023
confidence: high · from our data
Optionality / Runway 7/10

Clear growth runway from technology adjacencies and international expansion, though constrained by deliberate procurement cycles and competitive dynamics.

  • Expansion opportunities in hypersonics, autonomous systems, and cybersecurity within existing customer base
  • International defense spending runway as allies modernize and increase budgets
confidence: medium · general knowledge
Concentration / Key-Person Risk 6/10

Product and segment diversification is strong, but heavy reliance on US government budgets creates meaningful customer concentration risk despite diversified leadership.

  • Diversified across four major segments (Aerospace, Marine, Combat, Technologies) with different end customers
  • US government represents majority of revenue creating customer concentration despite program diversity
confidence: medium · general knowledge
Scorecard v1 · 10 = most favorable for a long-term owner (incl. lower concentration risk). Some attributes draw on general knowledge where our data is thin — see each row's source tag.
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Data via Financial Modeling Prep · Cached for performance · twelvedata
v1.1.515 · 9f7cac68 · 2026-08-08 13:09:58