NOC vs BA Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
Compare Northrop Grumman and Boeing by revenue stability, defense contract backlog, 737 MAX recovery risk, space systems exposure, margin outlook, and which aerospace giant offers better risk-adjusted returns.
Use this Northrop Grumman vs Boeing comparison to evaluate the key differences across valuation, growth, profitability, and risk before making an investment decision.
NOC holds the edge across 5 of 5 key metrics in this comparison. NOC leads on both 1-year return (-4.62%) and forward P/E quality (17.29x vs 52.67x for BA), a relatively favorable combination of momentum and valuation. On fundamentals, BA is growing revenue faster (14.00%), while NOC maintains the higher operating margin (11.69%) — a classic growth-versus-profitability split. Analyst consensus implies similar upside for both: +28.55% for NOC and +26.19% for BA.
| Metric | NOC | BA |
|---|---|---|
| AI score | 50.8 | 41.5 |
| AI rank | #459 | #1001 |
| Latest close | $542.24 | $209.52 |
| 1M return | +7.80% | -4.87% |
| 6M return | -19.42% | -16.91% |
| 1Y return | -4.62% | -9.40% |
How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?
| Period | NOC | BA |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | $9.52K (-4.8%) started 2025-07-25 | $8.99K (-10.1%) started 2025-07-25 |
| 5Y ago | $17.11K (+71.1%) started 2021-07-26 | $9.28K (-7.2%) started 2021-07-26 |
| 10Y ago | $33.07K (+230.7%) started 2016-07-25 | $19.01K (+90.1%) started 2016-07-25 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
| Metric | NOC | BA |
|---|---|---|
| Market cap | $74.08B | $168.72B |
| Trailing P/E | 16.34 | 84.60 |
| Forward P/E | 17.29 | 52.67 |
| Price/Sales | 1.74 | 2.29 |
| EV/Revenue | 2.11 | 2.15 |
| Analyst target | $670.48 | $270.08 |
| Target upside | +28.55% | +26.19% |
| Metric | NOC | BA |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growth | 4.40% | 14.00% |
| Earnings growth | 84.90% | N/A |
| EPS growth | +84.90% | N/A |
| FCF margin | +4.89% | +2.77% |
| Operating margin | 11.69% | 1.71% |
| Profit margin | 10.80% | 2.46% |
| ROIC proxy | 28.51% | 169.95% |
| Return on equity | 28.51% | 169.95% |
| Dividend yield | 1.80% | N/A |
| Beta | -0.10 | 1.21 |
| Debt/equity | 102.68 | 828.70 |
| Current ratio | 1.15 | 1.18 |
| Quick ratio | 0.98 | 0.32 |
Lower drawdown and smaller single-period drops generally indicate a smoother ride, though they do not guarantee lower future risk.
| Period | Metric | NOC | BA |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growth | -4.83% | -10.10% |
| CAGR | -4.84% | -10.13% | |
| Sharpe ratio | -0.23 | -0.31 | |
| Max drawdown | 35.42% | 24.96% | |
| Max daily drop | 6.98% | 6.32% | |
| Max wkly drop | 13.55% | 11.32% | |
| 5Y | Growth | +60.81% | -7.23% |
| CAGR | +9.97% | -1.49% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.33 | 0.02 | |
| Max drawdown | 35.42% | 51.62% | |
| Max daily drop | 12.66% | 10.47% | |
| Max wkly drop | 13.85% | 21.19% | |
| 10Y | Growth | +184.64% | +72.71% |
| CAGR | +11.03% | +5.62% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.36 | 0.23 | |
| Max drawdown | 36.38% | 77.92% | |
| Max daily drop | 12.66% | 23.85% | |
| Max wkly drop | 16.45% | 46.26% |
| Category | NOC | BA |
|---|---|---|
| Company | NOC | BA |
| Sector | Industrials | Industrials |
| Industry | Aerospace & Defense | Aerospace & Defense |
| Core business | N/A | N/A |
| Investor focus | N/A | N/A |
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