# How TransDigm Group (TDG) compares with the whole market and its popular alternatives

> Source: EasyCompare research, https://easycompare.io/research/tdg
> Data as of October 20, 2026. Total returns include reinvested dividends. Past performance does not predict future results; nothing here is investment advice.

Built by QuantCommons' quantitative engine, this page is about relative opportunity, not data on TDG alone. It places TDG (TransDigm Group Incorporated) against 19 popular alternatives, its neighboring categories and the entire market of over 10,000 U.S.-listed stocks and ETFs, and surfaces what has done better on consistent outperformance, return for the risk taken, behavior in real market crashes and diversification. The result is a clearer view of where TDG stands in the market, and of the alternatives worth a closer look.

Period covered: TDG's full trading record, from March 2006 through September 2026. The crash tests reach back to 2000 using older funds and the S&P 500. All returns include reinvested dividends. Data as of October 20, 2026.

## Key findings

- **Right now:** TDG has gone against the market, falling 10.3% over the past 6 months while the S&P 500 rose 9.1%. The slide is TDG's own: it is 24.6% below its high, against 1.3% for the S&P 500.
- **Stock or market?:** TDG's 5.1% fall over the past 3 months is part of a broader aerospace & defense sell-off: the aerospace & defense ETF ITA (iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF) fell 10.0%, with GE (GE Aerospace, down 12.0%) and HWM (Howmet Aerospace, down 22.1%). Its aerospace & defense peers did not move as one over the past 3 months: RTX fell 0.2%, while HWM fell 22.1%.
- **Past 1 to 3 years:** Over the past year, TDG fell 12.2% while the S&P 500 rose 15.8%. The same gap shows up over 3 years (62.5% against 89.3%). TDG led its aerospace & defense peers in 2023, then fell behind GE (GE Aerospace) and RTX in 2025.
- **Long term:** TDG turned $10,000 into $64,300 over the past decade, against $42,100 in the S&P 500. TDG's 10-year return of 543% puts it ahead of 88% of the stocks worth at least $300 million with that much history. The S&P 500 returned 321%.
- **In a crash:** Across six sell-offs, TDG has typically fallen 1.3 times as far as the S&P 500. The Covid crash took 61.7% off TDG, against 33.7% for the S&P 500. That was more than GE (GE Aerospace, 51.5%) but less than HWM (Howmet Aerospace, 64.8%).
- **Diversification:** Against the S&P 500, TDG has a correlation of 0.61 over 5 years, more closely than 91% of stocks worth at least $300 million. Next to an index fund it is more of the same, not a cushion.
- **Better options**
  - **Nearby categories and themes:** WAB (Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies, industrial machinery) earned more than TDG with less volatility over the past 5 years: 25.6% a year at 26.2% volatility, against 16.4% a year at 28.0%.
  - **Whole market:** 83 of the 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million earned more than TDG with less volatility over the past 5 years, among them WMT (Walmart), XOM (Exxonmobil) and ABBV (AbbVie).

## How much would $10,000 in TDG have grown?

This chart tracks a hypothetical $10,000 investment in TDG over the past 20 years, with dividends reinvested, alongside the same amount in the S&P 500, investments that ended ahead of TDG over the same span and TDG's popular alternatives, among those that traded for the entire period.

- $10,000 invested in TDG at the end of September 2006 would have grown to $1,220,481 by September 2026, more than the $82,294 it would have become in SPY, an S&P 500 fund.
- Five of the eight other investments on the chart ended ahead of TDG, and NVDA finished highest, at $5,084,012.

## TDG at a glance

This section summarizes the key facts about the stock, its returns over periods from one to ten years and the risk it has carried, with dividends reinvested throughout.

- TDG is still 24.6% below its all-time high.
- TDG's deepest decline since it began trading in 2006 was 62.6%, from January to March 2020. It took 15 months from the low to climb back to its old high.
- Over 19 full calendar years, TDG's best was 2019, when it returned 84.4%, and its worst was 2008, when it lost 25.7%. It lost money in one of those years.

- Type: Stock, Industrials (Aerospace & Defense)
- Trading since: March 15, 2006
- Market value: $63B
- Volatility (5 years): 28.0%; Sharpe ratio: 0.69
- Worst decline ever: −62.6%, from January 23, 2020 to March 18, 2020; back at its high by June 1, 2021

| Period | TDG total return |
| --- | --- |
| 1 month | +3.0% |
| 3 months | −5.1% |
| 6 months | −10.3% |
| year to date | −15.9% |
| 1 year | −12.2% |
| 3 years | +62.5% |
| 5 years | +114% |
| 10 years | +543% |

## TDG against the whole market

Where TDG ranks among every stock and fund, and what across the market has done better.

### How does TDG rank among all stocks?

This section ranks TDG on return, volatility, risk-adjusted return and worst decline against every stock worth at least $300 million with enough history.

- TDG's 10-year return ranks in the top 12% of the 2,202 stocks worth at least $300 million with 10 years of history.

| Measure | TDG | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1-year return | −12.2% | 2,410 of 3,287 (top 74%) |
| 3-year return | +62.5% | 1,365 of 3,017 (top 46%) |
| 5-year return | +114% | 611 of 2,893 (top 22%) |
| 10-year return | +543% | 269 of 2,202 (top 13%) |
| Volatility, 5 years | 28.0% | 555 of 2,893 (top 20%) |
| Sharpe ratio, 5 years | 0.69 | 487 of 2,893 (top 17%) |
| Worst decline, past 10 years | −62.6% | 990 of 2,187 (top 46%) |

### What has beaten TDG on both return and risk?

Each dot is an investment, placed by how much it earned a year over the past 5 years (higher is better) and how much its price swung, its volatility (further left is calmer).

- 47 stocks and 36 ETFs worth at least $500 million sit in the green region: each earned more than TDG over the past 5 years with smaller price swings. That is 2% of the 3,633 screened.
- Among those with at least half TDG's swings, CAH has the best return for its risk: 42.1% a year at 24.7% volatility, 12% less than TDG's 28.0%, and a Sharpe ratio (return above cash per unit of volatility) of 1.55 against 0.69 for TDG.
- Among TDG's popular alternatives, RTX is in the region. RTX earned 18.6% a year against 16.4% a year for TDG, at 24.3% volatility, 13% less than TDG's 28.0%.

### Is there a better investment than TDG?

The table below lists investments that beat TDG over the past 5 years on at least one of these measures: a higher annual return with lower volatility, a higher annual return at similar volatility, a similar return with lower volatility, a higher Sharpe ratio with a smaller worst decline, a higher total return in most periods from 3 months to 10 years, or smaller losses in recent market crashes.

- Among TDG's popular alternatives, RTX earned more than TDG with less volatility over the past 5 years: 18.6% a year at 24.3% volatility, against 16.4% a year at 28.0%.
- Looking beyond its popular alternatives, WAB (industrial machinery) earned more than TDG with less volatility over the past 5 years: 25.6% a year at 26.2% volatility, against 16.4% a year at 28.0%.
- Across the whole market, 83 of the 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million earned more than TDG with less volatility over the past 5 years, among them WMT, XOM and ABBV.

The 15 strongest of 83 investments that beat TDG over the past 5 years, out of 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million.

| Investment | Group | Annual return (5 years) | Volatility | Sharpe | Worst decline (10 years) | 10Y return | Correlation with TDG | Better on |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| TDG: TransDigm Group Incorporated (this page) |  | +16.4% | 28.0% | 0.69 | −62.6% | +543% |  |  |
| [CAH](https://easycompare.io/research/cah): Cardinal Health, Inc. | Health Care Distribution | +42.1% | 24.7% | 1.55 | −46.1% | +349% | 0.47 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [WMT](https://easycompare.io/research/wmt): Walmart Inc. | Discount Retail | +20.8% | 22.6% | 0.96 | −25.7% | +508% | 0.23 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [ABBV](https://easycompare.io/research/abbv): AbbVie Inc. | Pharmaceuticals | +26.1% | 23.4% | 1.11 | −45.1% | +603% | 0.09 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| DXJ: WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund | International Equity | +26.6% | 19.1% | 1.34 | −39.1% | +428% | 0.46 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [COST](https://easycompare.io/research/cost): Costco Wholesale Corporation | Discount Retail | +17.4% | 22.9% | 0.82 | −31.4% | +685% | 0.34 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [PM](https://easycompare.io/research/pm): Philip Morris International Inc. | Tobacco | +21.0% | 23.4% | 0.94 | −42.9% | +242% | 0.35 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [MCK](https://easycompare.io/research/mck): McKesson Corporation | Health Care Distribution | +38.7% | 25.0% | 1.44 | −38.1% | +586% | 0.08 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [AMGN](https://easycompare.io/research/amgn): Amgen Inc. | Biotechnology | +19.6% | 24.9% | 0.85 | −24.9% | +266% | 0.25 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [GILD](https://easycompare.io/research/gild): Gilead Sciences, Inc. | Biotechnology | +22.8% | 24.9% | 0.95 | −30.5% | +200% | 0.03 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [TJX](https://easycompare.io/research/tjx): The TJX Companies, Inc. | Specialty Retail | +19.9% | 22.3% | 0.93 | −42.5% | +361% | 0.28 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [GLD](https://easycompare.io/research/gld): SPDR Gold Shares | Gold | +17.7% | 18.9% | 0.96 | −26.4% | +213% | 0.14 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [BTI](https://easycompare.io/research/bti): British American Tobacco p.l.c. | Tobacco | +18.7% | 22.0% | 0.90 | −56.1% | +98.2% | 0.32 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [PGR](https://easycompare.io/research/pgr): The Progressive Corporation | Property & Casualty Insurance | +21.3% | 25.6% | 0.89 | −30.3% | +816% | 0.25 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [MO](https://easycompare.io/research/mo): Altria Group, Inc. | Tobacco | +17.8% | 21.4% | 0.88 | −53.7% | +140% | 0.29 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [BNY](https://easycompare.io/research/bny): Bank of New York Mellon Corp | Banks | +22.7% | 24.4% | 0.97 | −50.5% | +341% | 0.51 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |

## TDG against its popular alternatives

The investments people most often weigh against TDG, compared period by period and year by year.

### How do TDG's risk and return compare with its alternatives?

This map plots each investment's annual return over the past 5 years against its volatility, the size of its typical price swings.

- Only RTX and HEI were both more rewarding and calmer than TDG over the past 5 years, earning a higher annual return with lower volatility.
- Over the past 5 years, TDG returned 16.4% a year, more than the S&P 500's 12.7%, with higher volatility (28.0% against 17.1%).

### Has TDG consistently beaten its popular alternatives?

This section compares TDG with the investments people most often weigh against it, checking each one over eight periods from one month to ten years.

- Seven of the 19 popular alternatives, led by DCO, HEI and MOG-A, outperformed TDG in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes.
- DCO outperformed TDG in every long-term period and in all but one short-term period, the most consistent record in the group.
- CW, RTX and WWD earned more for the risk they took than TDG (a higher Sharpe ratio) and fell less in their worst decline of the past 10 years.

| Investment | 1Y return | 3Y return | 5Y return | 10Y return | Periods ahead of TDG | Verdict | Sharpe |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| TDG: TransDigm Group Incorporated (this page) | −12.2% | +62.5% | +114% | +543% |  |  | 0.69 |
| DCO: Ducommun Incorporated | +74.1% | +261% | +236% | +706% | 4/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 0.88 |
| [HEI](https://easycompare.io/research/hei): HEICO Corporation | −2.4% | +93.4% | +122% | +809% | 3/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | consistent | 0.71 |
| MOG-A: Moog Inc. | +77.4% | +228% | +375% | +595% | 3/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | consistent | 1.14 |
| [RTX](https://easycompare.io/research/rtx): RTX Corporation | +22.1% | +183% | +135% | +317% | 4/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.83 |
| CR: Crane Company | +7.9% | +143% | +125% | +283% | 3/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.65 |
| ATRO: Astronics Corporation | +55.4% | +396% | +453% | +147% | 3/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.89 |
| [GE](https://easycompare.io/research/ge): GE Aerospace | −0.4% | +261% | +366% | +139% | 3/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 1.15 |
| [HWM](https://easycompare.io/research/hwm): Howmet Aerospace Inc. | +10.2% | +391% | +594% | +1,028% | 2/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term |  | 1.36 |
| CW: Curtiss-Wright Corporation | −11.6% | +148% | +283% | +512% | 2/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term |  | 1.08 |
| WWD: Woodward, Inc. | +29.1% | +165% | +191% | +488% | 2/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term |  | 0.82 |
| AIR: AAR Corp. | +18.8% | +71.7% | +196% | +224% | 2/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term |  | 0.78 |
| [DAL](https://easycompare.io/research/dal): Delta Air Lines, Inc. | +25.5% | +146% | +97.6% | +109% | 3/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.54 |
| UAL: United Airlines Holdings, Inc. | −3.5% | +179% | +113% | +72.8% | 3/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.55 |
| [LMT](https://easycompare.io/research/lmt): Lockheed Martin Corporation | +11.3% | +33.8% | +69.0% | +204% | 4/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.56 |
| HXL: Hexcel Corporation | +45.6% | +44.9% | +62.4% | +122% | 4/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.46 |
| [GD](https://easycompare.io/research/gd): General Dynamics Corporation | +4.0% | +55.4% | +83.3% | +184% | 3/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.69 |
| [HON](https://easycompare.io/research/hon): Honeywell International Inc. | +6.8% | +27.0% | +7.5% | +160% | 2/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.18 |
| TXT: Textron Inc. | −6.3% | +1.9% | +4.1% | +97.9% | 2/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.17 |
| [BA](https://easycompare.io/research/ba): The Boeing Company | −12.2% | +5.8% | −11.9% | +52.4% | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.12 |

### How did TDG do year by year?

This table shows each investment's total return in every full calendar year since 2007, along with where TDG ranked among its popular alternatives each year.

- Ranked against its popular alternatives each year, TDG finished in the top quarter in 12 of 19 years and in the bottom quarter in two. In 2025, it ranked 18 of 20.
- None of the 19 popular alternatives came out ahead of TDG in most of the years they have in common.
- TDG finished ahead of the S&P 500 in 15 of its 19 full calendar years.

| Year | TDG | SPY |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2025 | +12.2% | +17.7% |
| 2024 | +32.3% | +24.9% |
| 2023 | +66.6% | +26.2% |
| 2022 | +1.8% | −18.2% |
| 2021 | +2.8% | +28.7% |
| 2020 | +10.5% | +18.3% |
| 2019 | +84.4% | +31.2% |
| 2018 | +23.8% | −4.6% |
| 2017 | +19.8% | +21.7% |
| 2016 | +19.1% | +12.0% |

## Risk and diversification

How TDG has fallen, how it held up in crashes beside the S&P 500 and its popular alternatives, and what moves independently of it.

### What were TDG's worst declines?

A drawdown is the decline from a peak to the lowest point before a new high.

- In all five of TDG's worst declines, the S&P 500 held up better over the same dates.
- Not every decline was the market's doing: TDG fell 29.0% from July 2025 to September 2026, while the S&P 500 rose 21.5%.
- The longest climb back to a previous high took 15 months, after TDG fell 62.6% from January to March 2020.

| Decline | Peak | Low | Back at the high | SPY over the same dates | Market event |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| −62.6% | January 23, 2020 | March 18, 2020 | June 1, 2021 | −27.7% | Covid crash |
| −51.7% | November 26, 2007 | November 20, 2008 | October 14, 2009 | −45.3% | 2008 financial crisis |
| −29.0% | July 30, 2025 | September 17, 2026 | not yet | +21.5% |  |
| −25.0% | November 9, 2021 | June 16, 2022 | January 11, 2023 | −21.0% | 2022 bear market |
| −23.4% | August 17, 2015 | February 9, 2016 | May 10, 2016 | −11.0% | 2015 China and oil sell-off |

### How did TDG do in stock market crashes?

This section measures how far TDG, the S&P 500 and each alternative fell from peak to trough during every major market crash since 2000.

- TDG fell further than the S&P 500 in six of the nine crashes it has traded through. The clearest case was the Covid crash, when TDG fell 61.7% and the S&P 500 fell 33.7%.
- Among its popular alternatives, LMT held up best, falling less than TDG in eight of the nine crashes they both traded through.
- TDG began trading after the dot-com bust, but 17 of its popular alternatives lived through it. The mildest fall among them was LMT's 24.5%, against 47.5% for the S&P 500.

| Crash | Dates | TDG fall | SPY fall |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Dot-com bust | March 10, 2000 to October 9, 2002 | not trading | −47.5% |
| Global financial crisis | October 9, 2007 to March 9, 2009 | −51.7% | −55.2% |
| Flash crash | May 6, 2010 to May 7, 2010 | −3.2% | −1.5% |
| Euro debt crisis | July 22, 2011 to October 3, 2011 | −20.6% | −17.9% |
| China devaluation & oil rout | August 10, 2015 to February 11, 2016 | −23.4% | −12.8% |
| Volmageddon | February 2, 2018 to February 9, 2018 | −8.1% | −6.5% |
| Q4 2018 selloff | September 21, 2018 to December 24, 2018 | −16.3% | −19.3% |
| COVID crash | February 19, 2020 to March 23, 2020 | −61.7% | −33.7% |
| 2022 bear market | January 4, 2022 to October 12, 2022 | −24.9% | −24.5% |
| SVB / regional bank stress | March 8, 2023 to March 13, 2023 | −8.1% | −3.4% |

### How closely does TDG move with the S&P 500?

Upside capture measures how much of the S&P 500's gains an investment kept in the months the market rose, and downside capture how much of its losses it took in the months the market fell.

- Over the past 10 years, TDG captured 112% of the S&P 500's gains in rising months and 97% of its losses in falling months, with a beta of 1.25. Its share of the market's gains was larger than its share of the losses.
- CW took just 77% of the S&P 500's losses, against 97% for TDG, while still keeping 103% of its gains.
- Five of the 19 popular alternatives had a higher capture ratio (upside capture divided by downside capture) than TDG's 1.15, led by HEI, CW and HWM.

Measured over the past 10 years of monthly returns against SPY.

| Investment | Upside capture | Downside capture | Beta |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| TDG: TransDigm Group Incorporated (this page) | 112% | 97.0% | 1.25 |
| DCO: Ducommun Incorporated | 128% | 112% | 1.32 |
| [HEI](https://easycompare.io/research/hei): HEICO Corporation | 118% | 85.0% | 1.15 |
| MOG-A: Moog Inc. | 119% | 101% | 1.20 |
| [RTX](https://easycompare.io/research/rtx): RTX Corporation | 94.0% | 91.0% | 0.89 |
| CR: Crane Company | 104% | 115% | 1.34 |
| ATRO: Astronics Corporation | 134% | 194% | 1.59 |
| [GE](https://easycompare.io/research/ge): GE Aerospace | 85.0% | 106% | 1.21 |
| [HWM](https://easycompare.io/research/hwm): Howmet Aerospace Inc. | 142% | 115% | 1.41 |
| CW: Curtiss-Wright Corporation | 103% | 77.0% | 1.20 |
| WWD: Woodward, Inc. | 111% | 100% | 1.27 |
| AIR: AAR Corp. | 105% | 124% | 1.43 |
| [DAL](https://easycompare.io/research/dal): Delta Air Lines, Inc. | 107% | 149% | 1.34 |
| UAL: United Airlines Holdings, Inc. | 107% | 158% | 1.41 |
| [LMT](https://easycompare.io/research/lmt): Lockheed Martin Corporation | 58.0% | 48.0% | 0.52 |
| HXL: Hexcel Corporation | 94.0% | 135% | 1.27 |
| [GD](https://easycompare.io/research/gd): General Dynamics Corporation | 68.0% | 68.0% | 0.71 |
| [HON](https://easycompare.io/research/hon): Honeywell International Inc. | 90.0% | 118% | 1.00 |
| TXT: Textron Inc. | 103% | 155% | 1.33 |
| [BA](https://easycompare.io/research/ba): The Boeing Company | 93.0% | 152% | 1.42 |

### What diversifies TDG?

Correlation measures how closely two investments move together, on a scale from 1 (in lockstep) through 0 (unrelated) to -1 (in opposite directions).

- Moving a fifth of the money in TDG into GLD would have cut the portfolio's volatility by 17% over the past 5 years and raised its annual return (+15.8% for TDG alone, +17.0% for the mix).
- Among large ETFs, LVHI, DXJ and EMLP have moved largely independently of TDG over the past 5 years, with correlations of 0.46 or lower, and each still earned a positive 5-year return.
- In 2008, the one year TDG lost money (-25.7%), GLD returned +4.9%.

| Investment | Correlation with TDG | 5Y return | Volatility | Sharpe | Rose in TDG's 1 down years |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| LVHI: Franklin International Low Volatility High Dividend Index ETF | 0.43 | +119% | 11.1% | 1.48 | 0 of 1 |
| DXJ: WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund | 0.46 | +225% | 19.1% | 1.34 | 0 of 1 |
| EMLP: First Trust North American Energy Infrastructure Fund | 0.45 | +101% | 14.5% | 1.04 | 0 of 1 |
| [SMH](https://easycompare.io/research/smh): VanEck Semiconductor ETF | 0.49 | +323% | 36.9% | 0.97 | 0 of 1 |
| [GLD](https://easycompare.io/research/gld): SPDR Gold Shares | 0.14 | +126% | 18.9% | 0.96 | 1 of 1 |
| [XLE](https://easycompare.io/research/xle): State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF | 0.15 | +177% | 25.5% | 0.93 | 0 of 1 |
| EWT: iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF | 0.37 | +153% | 24.2% | 0.89 | 0 of 1 |
| AMLP: Alerian MLP ETF | 0.40 | +111% | 18.9% | 0.89 | 0 of 1 |

## Common questions

### What was TDG's worst drawdown?

TDG's deepest decline since it began trading in 2006 was 62.6%, from January to March 2020. It took 15 months from the low to climb back to its old high. Because TDG launched in March 2006, that record does not include the dot-com bust.

### What were TDG's best and worst years?

Over 19 full calendar years, TDG's best year was 2019, when it returned 84.4%. Its worst was 2008, with a return of -25.7%.

### Is there a better investment than TDG?

Among TDG's popular alternatives, RTX earned more than TDG with less volatility over the past 5 years: 18.6% a year at 24.3% volatility, against 16.4% a year at 28.0%. Looking beyond its popular alternatives, WAB (industrial machinery) earned more than TDG with less volatility over the past 5 years: 25.6% a year at 26.2% volatility, against 16.4% a year at 28.0%.

### Is TDG more volatile than the S&P 500?

Yes. TDG's volatility over the past 5 years was 28.0%, 1.6 times the S&P 500's 17.1%. Volatility measures how widely returns swing around their average: in roughly two years out of three, TDG's return lands within 28.0% of its average, either way. The higher it is, the rougher the ride and the harder it is to hold through a slump.

### What is TDG's Sharpe ratio?

TDG's Sharpe ratio over the past 5 years was 0.69, against 0.79 for the S&P 500, so TDG earned less for each unit of risk than an index fund did. The Sharpe ratio is the return earned above cash for each unit of volatility: two investments with the same return are not equal if one got there with far bigger swings.

### How correlated is TDG with the S&P 500?

Over the past 5 years, TDG's monthly returns had a correlation of 0.61 with the S&P 500. Correlation runs from 1 (moving in lockstep) through 0 (unrelated) to −1 (moving in opposite directions). They often move together: some diversification next to an index fund, but not a cushion. In the table, the correlation column measures each option against TDG instead: the lower it is, the more that option would diversify a TDG holding.

### What are the best alternatives to TDG?

Of the 19 popular alternatives we compared, seven outperformed TDG in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes, with dividends reinvested: DCO, HEI and MOG-A.

### Did TDG outperform the S&P 500?

TDG finished ahead of the S&P 500 (SPY) in 15 of 19 full calendar years. In 2025, it returned +12.2%, against +17.7% for the index.

### How did TDG do in stock market crashes?

TDG fell less than the S&P 500 (SPY) in two of the nine major crashes it has traded through, and further in six. The clearest case was the Covid crash, when TDG fell 61.7% and the S&P 500 fell 33.7%.

### What diversifies TDG?

These had a low correlation with TDG over the past 5 years and still earned a positive 5-year return: among large ETFs, LVHI (correlation 0.43), DXJ (correlation 0.46) and EMLP (correlation 0.45); among large stocks, CAH (correlation 0.47), CLS (correlation 0.25) and FIX (correlation 0.33). A correlation near zero means the two have moved largely independently.

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## Explore further

- Full page with charts: https://easycompare.io/research/tdg
- All research pages: https://easycompare.io/llms.txt
- Compare the entire market against TDG live: https://betterthanspy.com/?b=TDG&utm_source=easycompare&utm_medium=research