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Northrop Grumman vs Rolls-Royce Holdings: Which Stock Looks Stronger in 2026?

Northrop Grumman holds the cleaner structural position, with the lead spread across profitability and growth. Rolls-Royce still has the edge on profitability, which keeps the comparison from looking entirely one-sided. In the market, Rolls-Royce carries the stronger setup — intact trend against Northrop Grumman's broken trend. That leaves a split case: the structural lead stays with Northrop Grumman, but the market is not currently confirming it.

The comparison is based on similar long-term financial trajectories, not sector labels. Peer scores are normalised within each company's primary universe (NOC: S&P 500, RR.L: STOXX 600).

Updated 2026-07-05

On profitability, the clearer edge sits with Rolls-Royce Holdings plc, while the overall score remains tighter and points the other way.

INDUSTRY COMPARISON

Both operate in: Aerospace & Defense

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

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

Peer-Relative Score
NOC
Northrop Grumman Corporation
72
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500
vs
RR.L
Rolls-Royce Holdings plc
64
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: STOXX 600

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: NOC vs RR.L Profitability 57 86 Stability 72 46 Valuation 88 67 Growth 71 43 NOC RR.L
Gap Ranking
#1 Profitability +29
#2 Growth +28
#3 Stability +26
#4 Valuation +21
Price Setup

Left means cheaper relative valuation. Higher means stronger structure.

Price setup map for NOC and RR.L Stronger + cheaper Stronger + richer Weaker + cheaper Weaker + richer NOCRR.L Relative valuation Structural strength

Northrop Grumman Corporation still looks stronger, and the price setup does not materially undermine that lead.

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

Relative Position vs Comparable Companies
Profitability
Both profiles are strong on profitability, but Rolls-Royce Holdings plc leads clearly.
Growth
On growth, the edge is clear — both rank well, but Northrop Grumman Corporation sits noticeably higher.
Profitability — Dominant Gap
NOC
57
RR.L
86
Gap+29in favour of RR.L

The profitability gap is wide, with the stronger side earning materially better operating marks.

What keeps the gap from being one-sided

On the market side, Rolls-Royce carries the stronger trend while Northrop Grumman's trend has broken — the market setup does not confirm the structural advantage.

What this means for the comparison

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

Explore full peer positioning in AssetNext

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

Explore full breakdown →
Other comparisons with conflicting dimension signals

Explore how NOC and RR.L 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.