Home Compare HII vs NOC
Stock Comparison · Industry comparison · Aerospace & Defense

Huntington Ingalls Industries vs Northrop Grumman: Which Stock Looks Stronger in 2026?

The structural profiles are close, with Huntington Ingalls Industries carrying a narrow edge on growth. Northrop Grumman still leads on profitability and stability, 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. Both peer scores are relative to the S&P 500 universe, making them directly comparable.

Updated 2026-08-16

The comparison is mainly decided in growth, with the rest of the profile carrying less weight.

INDUSTRY COMPARISON

Both operate in: Aerospace & Defense

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

For a similarity-based comparison, see how HII and Northrop Grumman each position within their functional peer groups in AssetNext.

Peer-Relative Score
HII
Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc.
60
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500
vs
NOC
Northrop Grumman Corporation
57
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500

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

The clearest separation appears in growth.

Dimension spread: HII vs NOC Profitability 30 42 Stability 48 69 Valuation 82 85 Growth 82 27 HII NOC
Gap Ranking
#1 Growth +55
#2 Stability +21
#3 Profitability +12
#4 Valuation +3
Price Setup

Left means cheaper relative valuation. Higher means stronger structure.

Price setup map for HII and NOC Stronger + cheaper Stronger + richer Weaker + cheaper Weaker + richer HIINOC Relative valuation Structural strength

The setup stays mixed because structure and the price setup do not align cleanly in one direction.

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

Entry today — historical context

Where HII and NOC each sit in their own 5-year price and valuation history.

BASED ON 5-YEAR HISTORY HII Elevated · above norm 0th 50th 100th 0 pct gap NOC Elevated · near norm 0th 50th 100th 92nd 92nd
HII (92nd percentile) and NOC (92nd percentile) both sit in the upper portion of their own 5-year ranges. The historical entry context is broadly similar for both. This reflects entry timing, not which company is structurally stronger.

Describes historical entry positioning only. Descriptive — not investment advice.

Relative Position vs Comparable Companies
Growth
On growth, Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. ranks near the top of the group; Northrop Grumman Corporation sits in the weaker half.
Stability
On stability, the edge is clear — both rank well, but Northrop Grumman Corporation sits noticeably higher.
Growth — Dominant Gap
HII
82
NOC
27
Gap+55in favour of HII

Earnings growth is one contributing factor within the growth lead.

What else supports the lead

Stability also supports the lead, so the result is broader than one isolated gap.

What this means for the comparison

The main read on growth is clearer than the broader score gap.

Explore full peer positioning in AssetNext

Break down the HII vs NOC comparison across all dimensions with the full interactive tool.

Explore full breakdown →
Other comparisons with conflicting dimension signals

Explore how HII and NOC 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.

Because scores are peer-relative, the same company can have slightly different scores in different index universes. On comparison pages, both companies are shown within their shared peer universe wherever possible — so the scores are directly comparable. The peer basis is stated on each score card.

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.