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Stock Comparison · Industry comparison · Aerospace & Defense

Northrop Grumman vs Woodward: Which Stock Looks Stronger in 2026?

Northrop Grumman leads structurally, with valuation as the clearest single gap between the two profiles. Woodward still leads on growth and profitability, which keeps the comparison from looking entirely one-sided. In the market, Woodward 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. Both peer scores are relative to the Russell 1000 universe, making them directly comparable.

Updated 2026-07-05

Most of the separation is still concentrated in valuation. Northrop Grumman Corporation leads by 8 points on the overall comparison score.

INDUSTRY COMPARISON

Both operate in: Aerospace & Defense

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

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

Peer-Relative Score
NOC
Northrop Grumman Corporation
72
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: Russell 1000
vs
WWD
Woodward, Inc.
64
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: Russell 1000

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

Pricing shapes this comparison more than a broad operating gap.

Dimension spread: NOC vs WWD Profitability 57 67 Stability 72 63 Valuation 88 43 Growth 71 91 NOC WWD
Gap Ranking
#1 Valuation +45
#2 Growth +20
#3 Profitability +10
#4 Stability +9
Price Setup

Left means cheaper relative valuation. Higher means stronger structure.

Price setup map for NOC and WWD Stronger + cheaper Stronger + richer Weaker + cheaper Weaker + richer NOCWWD Relative valuation Structural strength

Northrop Grumman Corporation and Woodward, Inc. look relatively close on structure, but the price setup still leans toward Northrop Grumman Corporation.

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

Entry today — historical context

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

BASED ON 5-YEAR HISTORY NOC Elevated · near norm 0th 50th 100th 16 pct gap WWD Elevated · above norm 0th 50th 100th 83rd 99th
Today NOC sits in the upper portion of its own 5-year history (83rd percentile), while WWD sits higher in its own history (99th). Within each stock's own 5-year context, NOC is at a historically more favourable entry position than WWD. This reflects entry timing, not which company is structurally stronger — peer-relative analysis is a separate question addressed above.

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

Relative Position vs Comparable Companies
Valuation
Both profiles are strong on valuation, but Northrop Grumman Corporation leads clearly.
Growth
On growth, the edge still sits with Woodward, Inc., even though both profiles look solid.
Valuation — Dominant Gap
NOC
88
WWD
43
Gap+45in favour of NOC

The multiple-based pricing edge comes from a forward P/E that is 20.6 turns lower.

What keeps the gap from being one-sided

A meaningful counterforce remains in growth, which keeps the comparison from looking completely one-sided.

What this means for the comparison

Valuation settles the comparison, while pricing and growth keep the broader setup from looking fully aligned.

Explore full peer positioning in AssetNext

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

Explore full breakdown →
Other comparisons with conflicting dimension signals

Explore how NOC and WWD 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.