Home Compare HWM vs LHX
Stock Comparison · Industry comparison · Aerospace & Defense

Howmet Aerospace vs L3Harris Technologies: Which Stock Looks Stronger in 2026?

Howmet Aerospace holds the cleaner structural position, with the lead spread across profitability and growth. L3Harris Technologies still has the edge on valuation, which keeps the comparison from looking entirely one-sided. The market setup is broadly comparable for both — no clear directional signal from price behavior. The market is not adding a decisive signal either way — the structural read carries the weight.

The comparison is based on similar long-term financial trajectories, not sector labels.

Updated 2026-04-05

This is not just a one-metric split: both profitability and growth materially support the lead. The overall score gap is 21 points in favour of Howmet Aerospace Inc..

INDUSTRY COMPARISON

Both operate in: Aerospace & Defense

This comparison is based on industry proximity, not on functional trajectory similarity. HWM and LHX share the same industry classification.

For a similarity-based comparison, see how Howmet Aerospace and L3Harris Technologies each position within their functional peer groups in AssetNext.

Peer-Relative Score
HWM
Howmet Aerospace Inc.
58
Peer-Score
Signal qualityHigh
vs
LHX
L3Harris Technologies, Inc.
37
Peer-Score
Signal qualityHigh

Scores reflect position relative to comparable companies with similar long-term financial trajectories.

The largest gaps do not all point in the same direction.

Dimension spread: HWM vs LHX Profitability 87 28 Stability 60 60 Valuation 34 53 Growth 50 3 HWM LHX
Gap Ranking
#1 Profitability +59
#2 Growth +47
#3 Valuation +19
#4 Stability
Price Setup

Left means cheaper relative valuation. Higher means stronger structure.

Price setup map for HWM and LHX Stronger + cheaper Stronger + richer Weaker + cheaper Weaker + richer HWMLHX Relative valuation Structural strength

Structure clearly favours Howmet Aerospace Inc., even though current pricing leans the other way.

Valuation position uses peer-relative PE percentile (idx_pct_pe) where available.

Relative Position vs Comparable Companies
Profitability
On profitability, Howmet Aerospace Inc. ranks near the top of the group; L3Harris Technologies, Inc. sits in the weaker half.
Growth
Howmet Aerospace Inc. sits in the stronger part of the group on growth, while L3Harris Technologies, Inc. is closer to mid-pack.
Profitability — Dominant Gap
HWM
87
LHX
28
Gap+59in favour of HWM

The profitability lead is mainly driven by a 13.5-point operating margin advantage.

What keeps the gap from being one-sided

Absolute pricing still looks more supportive for L3Harris Technologies, with a forward P/E that is 15.2 turns lower there.

What this means for the comparison

The lead is built on both profitability and growth — though valuation still provides a counterweight.

Explore full peer positioning in AssetNext

Break down the HWM vs LHX comparison across all dimensions with the full interactive tool.

Explore full breakdown →
Similar profitability-and-growth comparisons

Explore how HWM and LHX each compare against other companies in their peer groups.

Rule-based, descriptive analysis only. Derived from peer percentile dimensions. Not investment advice. Peer groups are determined algorithmically based on structural similarity — not by sector classification alone.

How AssetNext Peer Scores Work

AssetNext scores reflect each company's structural position within its functional peer group — not a ranking against all stocks simultaneously. Peers are identified by similarity across eight financial dimensions, including revenue growth trajectory, margin structure, capital intensity, and earnings stability. A score of 75 means the company ranks in the top quartile within its own peer group, not the entire market.

Four dimension scores drive the overall peer score: Growth (revenue trajectory and expansion dynamics), Quality (margin structure and capital efficiency), Valuation (peer-relative pricing on standard multiples), and Stability (earnings consistency and financial predictability). Each dimension is scored 0–100 relative to the peer group, then combined into an overall peer score using equal weighting.

Scores are recalculated periodically as underlying financial data is updated. All analysis is descriptive and rule-based — AssetNext describes structural realities and never issues buy, sell or hold recommendations.