NOC vs BA Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
Compare Northrop Grumman and Boeing by revenue stability, defense contract backlog, 737 MAX recovery risk, space systems exposure, margin outlook, and which aerospace giant offers better risk-adjusted returns.
Use this Northrop Grumman vs Boeing comparison to evaluate the key differences across valuation, growth, profitability, and risk before making an investment decision.
NOC holds the edge across 3 of 5 key metrics in this comparison. BA has delivered stronger 1-year price return (+5.22% vs -6.47%), though NOC has the better forward P/E setup (17.86x vs 52.21x for BA). On fundamentals, BA is growing revenue faster (8.00%), while NOC maintains the higher operating margin (11.60%) — a classic growth-versus-profitability split. Analyst consensus implies meaningfully more upside for BA (+25.22%) than for NOC (+18.64%).
| Metric | NOC | BA |
|---|---|---|
| AI score | 50.3 | 41.4 |
| AI rank | #460 | #927 |
| Latest close | $548.47 | $233.49 |
| 1M return | -0.10% | +3.09% |
| 6M return | -19.93% | +0.20% |
| 1Y return | -6.47% | +5.22% |
How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?
| Period | NOC | BA |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | $9.3K (-7.0%) started 2025-08-04 | $10.5K (+5.0%) started 2025-08-04 |
| 5Y ago | $17.28K (+72.8%) started 2021-08-05 | $10.15K (+1.5%) started 2021-08-05 |
| 10Y ago | $33.48K (+234.8%) started 2016-08-05 | $21.38K (+113.8%) started 2016-08-05 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
| Metric | NOC | BA |
|---|---|---|
| Market cap | $77.07B | $170.83B |
| Trailing P/E | 17.24 | 77.47 |
| Forward P/E | 17.86 | 52.21 |
| Price/Sales | 1.74 | 2.29 |
| EV/Revenue | 2.14 | 2.13 |
| Analyst target | $643.62 | $270.65 |
| Target upside | +18.64% | +25.22% |
| Metric | NOC | BA |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growth | 5.10% | 8.00% |
| Earnings growth | -5.80% | N/A |
| EPS growth | -5.80% | N/A |
| FCF margin | +5.78% | +5.98% |
| Operating margin | 11.60% | 0.00% |
| Profit margin | 10.48% | 2.59% |
| ROIC proxy | 26.96% | 173.54% |
| Return on equity | 26.96% | 173.54% |
| Dividend yield | 1.73% | N/A |
| Beta | -0.10 | 1.21 |
| Debt/equity | 95.35 | 790.88 |
| Current ratio | 1.17 | 1.14 |
| Quick ratio | 1.01 | 0.30 |
Lower drawdown and smaller single-period drops generally indicate a smoother ride, though they do not guarantee lower future risk.
| Period | Metric | NOC | BA |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growth | -7.00% | +5.01% |
| CAGR | -7.02% | +5.03% | |
| Sharpe ratio | -0.32 | 0.18 | |
| Max drawdown | 35.42% | 24.96% | |
| Max daily drop | 6.98% | 6.32% | |
| Max wkly drop | 13.55% | 11.32% | |
| 5Y | Growth | +62.44% | +1.54% |
| CAGR | +10.20% | +0.31% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.33 | 0.07 | |
| Max drawdown | 35.42% | 51.62% | |
| Max daily drop | 12.66% | 10.47% | |
| Max wkly drop | 13.85% | 21.19% | |
| 10Y | Growth | +188.15% | +94.24% |
| CAGR | +11.17% | +6.87% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.37 | 0.26 | |
| Max drawdown | 36.38% | 77.92% | |
| Max daily drop | 12.66% | 23.85% | |
| Max wkly drop | 16.45% | 46.26% |
| Category | NOC | BA |
|---|---|---|
| Company | NOC | BA |
| Sector | Industrials | Industrials |
| Industry | Aerospace & Defense | Aerospace & Defense |
| Core business | N/A | N/A |
| Investor focus | N/A | N/A |
Want deeper AI forecasts?
This comparison page is public and free forever. Subscribers can unlock saved watchlists, full AI rankings, detailed forecasts, and interactive analysis tools.