Northrop Grumman (NOC) Competitors

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) and Boeing (NYSE:BA) are both large-cap aerospace companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, valuation, analyst recommendations, risk, media sentiment, earnings, dividends and institutional ownership.

Which has more volatility and risk, NOC or BA?

Northrop Grumman has a beta of 0.15, indicating that its share price is 85% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Boeing has a beta of 1.48, indicating that its share price is 48% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Which has preferable earnings and valuation, NOC or BA?

Northrop Grumman has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Boeing. Boeing is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Northrop Grumman, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Northrop Grumman	$41.03B	2.05	$4.17B	$27.13	21.60
Boeing	$75.33B	2.26	-$11.82B	-$16.51	-13.65

Does the media prefer NOC or BA?

In the previous week, Boeing had 16 more articles in the media than Northrop Grumman. MarketBeat recorded 55 mentions for Boeing and 39 mentions for Northrop Grumman. Northrop Grumman's average media sentiment score of 1.26 beat Boeing's score of 1.03 indicating that Northrop Grumman is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Northrop Grumman	28 Very Positive mention(s)	2 Positive mention(s)	2 Neutral mention(s)	1 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Boeing	35 Very Positive mention(s)	9 Positive mention(s)	6 Neutral mention(s)	2 Negative mention(s)	2 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Do insiders and institutionals hold more shares of NOC or BA?

83.4% of Northrop Grumman shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 64.8% of Boeing shares are held by institutional investors. 0.2% of Northrop Grumman shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.1% of Boeing shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Is NOC or BA more profitable?

Northrop Grumman has a net margin of 9.74% compared to Boeing's net margin of -14.18%. Northrop Grumman's return on equity of 25.52% beat Boeing's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Northrop Grumman	9.74%	25.52%	7.89%
Boeing	-14.18%	N/A	-7.78%

Is NOC or BA a better dividend stock?

Northrop Grumman pays an annual dividend of $9.24 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.6%. Boeing pays an annual dividend of $8.22 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.6%. Northrop Grumman pays out 34.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Boeing pays out -49.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Northrop Grumman has raised its dividend for 22 consecutive years. Boeing is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Do analysts prefer NOC or BA?

Northrop Grumman presently has a consensus target price of $586.79, suggesting a potential upside of 0.11%. Boeing has a consensus target price of $228.90, suggesting a potential upside of 1.55%. Given Boeing's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Boeing is more favorable than Northrop Grumman.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Northrop Grumman	0 Sell rating(s)	9 Hold rating(s)	8 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.56
Boeing	2 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	17 Buy rating(s)	3 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.84

Summary

Northrop Grumman and Boeing tied by winning 10 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.