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GD vs HII
Which Stock Would AI Choose? General Dynamics (GD) vs. Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) Stock Comparison
Key Takeaways
- GD is a diversified aerospace-and-defense giant spanning business jets, submarines, combat vehicles, and IT services, while HII is a more focused, pure-play military shipbuilder.
- General Dynamics carries a larger scale, higher operating margins, and record contract backlog, whereas Huntington Ingalls offers concentrated exposure to U.S. naval shipbuilding demand.
- Both stocks reached notable highs earlier in 2026 before pulling back in recent weeks, though HII has shown greater price volatility year to date.
- HII posted sharper earnings growth in its latest quarter, while GD delivered broader-based revenue and profit gains across four operating segments.
- The comparison largely comes down to diversification and profitability versus naval-specific growth and higher potential upside risk.
Introduction
Investors evaluating the defense sector often weigh diversified prime contractors against more specialized military suppliers. This stock comparison examines GD (General Dynamics) and HII (Huntington Ingalls Industries), two U.S. defense names with different business profiles and growth drivers. General Dynamics operates across aerospace, marine systems, combat systems, and technology services, while Huntington Ingalls focuses on nuclear and non-nuclear naval shipbuilding and related mission technology. Traders seeking stable, diversified cash flow may find GD appealing, whereas those targeting concentrated exposure to a long-running U.S. Navy shipbuilding cycle may look more closely at HII. Understanding their relative performance and market positioning helps clarify which name better fits a given portfolio objective.
GD Overview and Recent Performance
GD, General Dynamics, is a global aerospace and defense company operating through four segments: Aerospace (including Gulfstream business jets), Marine Systems (nuclear submarines and surface ships), Combat Systems (combat vehicles and munitions), and Technologies (IT and mission services). In its most recent reported quarter, the company delivered earnings of roughly $4.24 per share, up about 13% year over year, on revenue near $14.1 billion, with growth across all four segments. Management raised its full-year earnings-per-share (EPS) guidance following the strong start to the year, citing robust order activity, improved cash conversion, and reduced leverage.
GD's order backlog has climbed to approximately $136.5 billion, with total estimated contract value around $186.9 billion, providing multi-year revenue visibility. Shares rallied to a fresh 52-week high near $377 during the year before easing to roughly the mid-$340s in recent weeks, reflecting a pullback of about 10% over the past month despite otherwise solid fundamentals. Sentiment has been supported by broad-based demand, strong free cash flow, and continued shareholder returns through dividends and buybacks.
HII Overview and Recent Performance
HII, Huntington Ingalls Industries, is the largest U.S. military shipbuilder, structured around Newport News Shipbuilding (nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and submarines), Ingalls Shipbuilding (surface combatants and amphibious assault ships), and Mission Technologies (unmanned systems, cybersecurity, and related services). In its most recent quarter, HII reported net earnings of roughly $208 million, with diluted EPS near $5.27—up about 37% year over year—on revenue of approximately $3.4 billion. Management raised its full-year shipbuilding revenue and margin guidance, reflecting accelerating throughput across its shipyards.
HII also disclosed roughly $76.6 billion in Virginia-class and Columbia-class submarine contract modifications, a development that substantially strengthens long-term revenue visibility and lifts total backlog to approximately $57.3 billion. The stock surged more than 11% in a single session following these results before retracing, trading around the mid-$270s in recent weeks and down roughly 15% to 20% year to date. The pullback reflects a mix of profit-taking after the rally and ongoing investor scrutiny of execution risk across complex, long-cycle naval programs.
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Head-to-Head Comparison
The clearest contrast is business diversification. GD spreads its revenue across business aviation, land systems, submarines, and IT services, reducing dependence on any single program or customer. HII is far more concentrated, with the bulk of revenue tied to U.S. Navy nuclear and surface shipbuilding, making it highly sensitive to naval procurement budgets and shipyard execution. On profitability, GD holds a meaningful advantage, with consolidated operating margins near 10% or above compared with HII's mid-single-digit shipbuilding margins.
Growth profiles differ as well. HII has posted several consecutive quarters of double-digit shipbuilding revenue growth and a sharper year-over-year earnings increase, but from a smaller base and with greater margin volatility. GD's growth is steadier and more diversified, with recent momentum concentrated in Aerospace and Marine Systems. Risk factors also diverge: HII faces labor, supply-chain, and program-execution risks across long-cycle contracts, while GD's exposure is balanced across commercial aviation cycles and defense budgets. Market sentiment has favored GD's stability over recent weeks, even as HII's contract wins improved its long-term backlog visibility.
Tickeron AI Verdict
Based on observable trend consistency, margin quality, backlog depth, and diversification, Tickeron's AI would currently lean toward GD over HII. General Dynamics combines broader-based revenue growth, higher operating margins, record backlog, and stronger cash generation with a steadier price trend, traits that align with a more consistent, lower-volatility positioning. Huntington Ingalls offers compelling naval-specific growth and recently strengthened its contract visibility, but its narrower exposure and more pronounced price swings introduce greater execution and concentration risk. The favorable stance on GD reflects relative positioning rather than a prediction, and it could shift if HII sustains its margin improvements and shipyard throughput gains over successive quarters.
Disclaimer
The information on this webpage is provided for general informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as investment advice, a recommendation to purchase or sell any security, or an offer or solicitation related to investments. It does not consider your personal financial situation, goals, or risk profile, and all investing carries inherent risks, including the possibility of losing your entire investment. For more details, please review our full disclaimer.
To compare these two companies we present long-term analysis, their fundamental ratings and make comparative short-term technical analysis which are presented below. The conclusion is GD is a Hold and HII is a Hold.
GD | HII | ||
|---|---|---|---|
OUTLOOK RATING 1..100 | 15 | 55 | |
VALUATION overvalued / fair valued / undervalued 1..100 | 49 Fair valued | 28 Undervalued | |
PROFIT vs RISK RATING 1..100 | 17 | 72 | |
SMR RATING 1..100 | 50 | 61 | |
PRICE GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 58 | 62 | |
P/E GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 48 | 75 | |
SEASONALITY SCORE 1..100 | 50 | 85 |
Tickeron ratings are formulated such that a rating of 1 designates the most successful stocks in a given industry, while a rating of 100 points to the least successful stocks for that industry.
HII's Valuation (28) in the Aerospace And Defense industry is in the same range as GD (49). This means that HII’s stock grew similarly to GD’s over the last 12 months.
GD's Profit vs Risk Rating (17) in the Aerospace And Defense industry is somewhat better than the same rating for HII (72). This means that GD’s stock grew somewhat faster than HII’s over the last 12 months.
GD's SMR Rating (50) in the Aerospace And Defense industry is in the same range as HII (61). This means that GD’s stock grew similarly to HII’s over the last 12 months.
GD's Price Growth Rating (58) in the Aerospace And Defense industry is in the same range as HII (62). This means that GD’s stock grew similarly to HII’s over the last 12 months.
GD's P/E Growth Rating (48) in the Aerospace And Defense industry is in the same range as HII (75). This means that GD’s stock grew similarly to HII’s over the last 12 months.
| GD | HII | |
|---|---|---|
| RSI ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 60% | 1 day ago 76% |
| Stochastic ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 42% | 1 day ago 66% |
| Momentum ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 53% | 1 day ago 60% |
| MACD ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 50% | 1 day ago 60% |
| TrendWeek ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 47% | 1 day ago 60% |
| TrendMonth ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 51% | 1 day ago 61% |
| Advances ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 44% | 13 days ago 61% |
| Declines ODDS (%) | 7 days ago 38% | 1 day ago 60% |
| BollingerBands ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 66% | 1 day ago 62% |
| Aroon ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 37% | 1 day ago 67% |
Long-Term Analysis
It is best to consider a long-term outlook for a ticker by using Fundamental Analysis (FA) ratings. The rating of 1 to 100, where 1 is best and 100 is worst, is divided into thirds. The first third (a green rating of 1-33) indicates that the ticker is undervalued; the second third (a grey number between 34 and 66) means that the ticker is valued fairly; and the last third (red number of 67 to 100) reflects that the ticker is overvalued. We use an FA Score to show how many ratings show the ticker to be undervalued (green) or overvalued (red).
GD’s FA Score shows that 1 FA rating(s) are green while HII’s FA Score has 1 green FA rating(s).
- GD’s FA Score: 1 green, 4 red.
- HII’s FA Score: 1 green, 4 red.
Short-Term Analysis
It is best to consider a short-term outlook for a ticker by using Technical Analysis (TA) indicators. We use Odds of Success as the percentage of outcomes which confirm successful trade signals in the past.
If the Odds of Success (the likelihood of the continuation of a trend) for each indicator are greater than 50%, then the generated signal is confirmed. A green percentage from 90% to 51% indicates that the ticker is in a bullish trend. A red percentage from 90% - 51% indicates that the ticker is in a bearish trend. All grey percentages are below 50% and are considered not to confirm the trend signal.
GD’s TA Score shows that 5 TA indicator(s) are bullish while HII’s TA Score has 5 bullish TA indicator(s).
- GD’s TA Score: 5 bullish, 3 bearish.
- HII’s TA Score: 5 bullish, 3 bearish.
Price Growth
GD (@Aerospace & Defense) experienced а +0.81% price change this week, while HII (@Aerospace & Defense) price change was -2.24% for the same time period.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Aerospace & Defense industry was -7.64%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was -12.28%, and the average quarterly price growth was -19.41%.
Reported Earning Dates
GD is expected to report earnings on Oct 28, 2026.
HII is expected to report earnings on Oct 29, 2026.
Industries' Descriptions
@Aerospace & Defense (-7.64% weekly)Aerospace & Defense is one of largest industries in the U.S., mainly comprising the following areas: commercial airliners, military aircraft, missiles, space, and general aviation. Focused heavily on research & development, it is also one of the fastest growing industries. Military aircraft has the largest market share in the industry’s sales, followed by space systems, civil aircraft, and missiles. Aerospace exports, directly and indirectly, support more jobs than the export of any other commodity, according to a study by the U.S. Department of Commerce. Boeing Company, Lockheed Martin Corporation and General Electric Company are some of the most prominent players in this space.
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GD and
Correlation & Price change
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, GD has been loosely correlated with LHX. These tickers have moved in lockstep 60% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is some statistical probability that if GD jumps, then LHX could also see price increases.
HII and
Correlation & Price change
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, HII has been loosely correlated with KTOS. These tickers have moved in lockstep 54% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is some statistical probability that if HII jumps, then KTOS could also see price increases.