RTX vs. General Dynamics: Which Defense Stock Offers More Upside?

Core Insights - Increasing defense spending by the United States and allied nations is driving demand for advanced military technology, benefiting major defense primes like RTX Corp. and General Dynamics [1][3] - Both companies are positioned to capitalize on the expanding U.S. defense budget, with significant allocations for missile defense and naval shipbuilding [8][9] - The commercial aerospace sector is also a growth driver for both companies, with improving air traffic trends supporting their revenue [10][12] Financial Stability & Growth Drivers - As of Q2 2025, RTX has cash and cash equivalents of $4.78 billion and a current debt of $3.72 billion, indicating a solid liquidity position [5] - RTX's cash flow from operating activities is $1.76 billion, allowing for shareholder-friendly actions such as share repurchases and dividends totaling $1.8 billion in H1 2025 [6] - General Dynamics has cash and cash equivalents of $1.52 billion, with long-term debt of $7.51 billion, reflecting a strong liquidity position [7] - GD's cash flow from operations improved by 170.5% year-over-year in H1 2025, enabling share repurchases and dividends of $785 million [7] - Both companies will benefit from a proposed 13% increase in the U.S. defense budget to $1.01 trillion for fiscal 2026, with specific allocations favoring their respective strengths [8][9] Stock Performance & Valuation - Over the past three months, RTX's stock has increased by 13.6%, while GD's has risen by 13% [18] - In the past year, RTX has outperformed GD with a 32.8% increase compared to GD's 7.1% [18] - General Dynamics has a more attractive forward earnings multiple of 19.51 compared to RTX's 24.94 [19] Efficiency & Profitability - General Dynamics exhibits a higher return on equity (ROE), indicating more efficient profit generation from equity compared to RTX [21][23] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for General Dynamics shows a projected sales increase of 7.2% and earnings growth of 11.5% for 2025, while RTX's estimates imply a 6.1% sales increase and 3.5% earnings growth [15][16]