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

Northrop Grumman holds the cleaner structural position, with valuation as the main driver and stability adding further support. Woodward does not offset that deficit through any equally strong structural edge elsewhere. 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 2026-05-17

This is not just a one-metric split: both valuation and stability materially support the lead. Northrop Grumman Corporation leads by 16 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
73
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: Russell 1000
vs
WWD
Woodward, Inc.
57
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: Russell 1000

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

Score differences across key dimensions.

Dimension spread: NOC vs WWD Profitability 53 57 Stability 80 56 Valuation 88 50 Growth 73 71 NOC WWD
Gap Ranking
#1 Valuation +38
#2 Stability +24
#3 Profitability +4
#4 Growth +2
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 11 pct gap WWD Elevated · above norm 0th 50th 100th 84th 95th
NOC (84th percentile) and WWD (95th 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
Valuation
Both rank well on valuation, but Northrop Grumman Corporation still holds a clear edge.
Stability
On stability, the same pattern holds: both are strong, but Northrop Grumman Corporation still leads clearly.
Valuation — Dominant Gap
NOC
88
WWD
50
Gap+38in favour of NOC

The multiple-based pricing edge comes from a forward P/E that is 14.6 turns lower.

What keeps the gap from being one-sided

Woodward, Inc. still shows lower market-fundamental divergence, which keeps the wider picture mixed rather than completely one-sided.

What this means for the comparison

Valuation is the clearest driver, and stability also supports Northrop Grumman Corporation's broader structural position.

Explore full peer positioning in AssetNext

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

Explore full breakdown →
Similar valuation-and-stability comparisons

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.