ESLT vs NOC vs RKLB Stock Comparison

Elbit Systems, Northrop Grumman and Rocket Lab Prices as of Oct 28, 2026 Peers: Industry group
ESLT Elbit Systems Ltd
$779.28 +10.7% 1M +64.2% 1Y
Market cap
$36.19B
P/E
56.0x
Revenue (TTM)
$8.55B
Div. yield
0.48%
Defense Industrials
5 wins
RKLB Rocket Lab Corp
$58.60 -18.8% 1M -8.1% 1Y
Market cap
$35.05B
P/E
–
Revenue (TTM)
$769.15M
Div. yield
–
Space Industrials
1 win

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Northrop Grumman leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Northrop Grumman 6, Elbit Systems 5, Rocket Lab 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionESLTNOCRKLBLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $36.19B $78.53B $35.05B NOC
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 56.0x 17.4x -223.0x NOC
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 55.9x 17.9x — NOC
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +13.7% +6.5% +52.5% RKLB
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 7.4% 10.4% -21.5% NOC
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 17.8% 12.2% -6.7% ESLT
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA -0.9x 1.7x 14.4x ESLT
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.48% 1.73% — NOC
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +64.2% -7.1% -8.1% ESLT
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +37.5%/yr +9.1%/yr +33.1%/yr ESLT
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 44.7% 28.7% 92.9% NOC
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 60/100 57/100 43/100 ESLT

Percentile Scorecard

ESLTNOCRKLB

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisESLTNOCRKLB
Valuation 47 #54 of 100 74 #27 of 100 18 #82 of 100
Growth 88 #13 of 97 39 #60 of 97 52 #47 of 97
Profitability 74 #26 of 96 78 #22 of 96 31 #67 of 96
Financial Health 58 #45 of 105 39 #65 of 105 89 #13 of 105
Shareholder Returns 36 #42 of 65 58 #28 of 65 23 #50 of 65
Overall 60 57 43
  • ESLT ranked among 107 companies in Aerospace and Defense
  • NOC ranked among 107 companies in Aerospace and Defense
  • RKLB ranked among 107 companies in Aerospace and Defense

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodESLTNOCRKLBSPY
1 month +10.7%+9.3%-18.8% +0.9%
3 months +1.3%+3.3%0.0% +5.9%
6 months -4.9%-3.4%-23.9% +8.5%
Year to date +34.9%-3.1%-16.0% +13.3%
1 year +64.2%-7.1%-8.1% +12.4%
3 years +319.1%+16.8%+1,308.7% +88.1%
3 years, per year +61.3%+5.3%+141.7% +23.5%
5 years +390.7%+54.7%+317.1% +68.2%
5 years, per year +37.5%+9.1%+33.1% +11.0%
10 years +694.1%+142.0%— +263.4%
10 years, per year +23.0%+9.2%— +13.8%

Risk

MeasureESLTNOCRKLBSPY
Volatility, 1Y 44.7%28.7%92.9% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 39.6%28.5%90.5% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.71-0.013.92 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 1.44-0.25-0.09 0.98
Max drawdown, 5Y -35.5%-38.4%-78.3% -25.4%
From 52-week high -23.2%-28.0%-61.0% -0.9%
52-week high $1,014.33$768.02$150.23 $779.14
52-week low $454.95$473.40$39.48 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleESLTNOCRKLB
P/E now vs peer median 56.0xmedian 26.4x 17.4xmedian 26.4x -223.0xmedian 26.4x
P/S now vs peer median 4.2xmedian 3.0x 1.8xmedian 3.0x 45.6xmedian 3.0x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 36.5xmedian 14.5x 14.5xmedian 14.5x -205.4xmedian 14.5x
P/FCF now vs peer median 36.5xmedian 26.1x 20.5xmedian 26.1x -94.4xmedian 26.1x
P/B now vs peer median 8.2xmedian 2.5x 4.2xmedian 2.5x 10.0xmedian 2.5x
PEG now vs peer median 1.78median 0.90 17.06median 0.90 -26.96median 0.90

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsESLTNOCRKLB
Revenue $8.55B $43.59B $769.15M
Gross profit $2.14B $8.73B $286.62M
Operating income $787.82M $4.63B -$223.49M
Net income $636.61M $4.52B -$165.46M
Free cash flow $992.19M $3.83B -$371.14M
R&D $582.72M – $312.42M
EPS (diluted) $13.56 $31.74 $-0.26
Cash & equivalents $255.34M $3.74B $2.13B
Total debt $92.13M $58.43B $1.72M
Shares (diluted) 46.92M 142.40M 629.68M
Enterprise value $32.75B $65.99B $29.37B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricESLTNOCRKLB
P/E 56.0x 17.4x -223.0x
P/FCF 36.5x 20.5x -94.4x
P/Operating cash flow 36.5x 14.9x -157.6x
P/S 4.2x 1.8x 45.6x
P/B 8.2x 4.2x 10.0x
P/Tangible book 8.2x 4.2x 11.1x
EV/EBITDA 36.5x 14.5x -205.4x
EV/EBIT 44.8x 19.3x -146.5x
EV/Revenue 4.1x 2.0x 42.6x
EV/FCF 35.6x 23.3x -88.2x
EV/Operating cash flow 35.6x 16.9x -147.2x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 1.78 17.06 -26.96

Growth

14 metrics
MetricESLTNOCRKLB
Revenue growth (1Y) 13.7% 6.5% 52.5%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 14.4% 4.1% 49.2%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 18.5% 9.8% 95.7%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 14.1% 3.4% 109.3%
Operating income growth (1Y) 37.1% 6.8% -0.5%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 26.5% 6.4% -11.7%
Net income growth (1Y) 58.0% 12.5% 28.5%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 33.7% -1.1% -0.4%
EPS growth (1Y) 50.8% 13.3% 41.5%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 31.5% 1.0% 8.3%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 22.1% 53.2% -100.8%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 82.7% 12.5% -44.7%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 105.8% 108.8% -81.9%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 175.7% 22.3% -45.7%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricESLTNOCRKLB
Gross margin 25.0% 20.0% 37.3%
EBITDA margin 11.3% 14.1% -20.7%
Operating margin 9.2% 10.6% -29.1%
Pretax margin 8.1% 12.0% -24.9%
Net margin 7.4% 10.4% -21.5%
FCF margin 11.6% 8.8% -48.3%
Operating cash flow margin 11.6% 12.1% -28.9%
Return on equity 14.7% 24.7% -5.7%
Return on assets 4.7% 8.8% -4.7%
Return on invested capital 17.8% 12.2% -6.7%
Return on capital employed 11.0% 12.2% -7.5%
Asset turnover 0.6x 0.8x 0.2x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.6x 1.2x 1.3x
Stock comp / revenue 0.3% 0.3% 10.6%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricESLTNOCRKLB
Debt / assets 0.7% 27.5% 0.0%
Debt / equity 0.0x 0.8x 0.0x
Net debt / EBITDA -0.9x 1.7x 14.4x
Debt / FCF 0.1x 3.8x 0.0x
Liabilities / assets 68.2% 64.4% 16.6%
Equity / assets 31.8% 35.6% 83.4%
Interest coverage – 7.1x -13.9x
Current ratio 1.4x 1.2x 5.5x
Quick ratio 0.8x 1.0x 4.8x
Cash ratio 0.2x 0.3x 4.4x
Altman Z-score – 3.08 30.57

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricESLTNOCRKLB
Dividend yield 0.5% 1.7% –
Net buyback yield 0.0% 0.7% -6.6%
Shareholder yield 0.5% 2.4% -6.6%
Payout ratio (earnings) 22.7% 30.2% –
Payout ratio (FCF) 14.5% 35.6% –
Dividend growth (1Y) -54.3% 8.0% –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) -17.4% 7.4% –

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusESLTNOCRKLB
Forward P/E 55.9xFY2026 17.9xFY2026 –
EPS, next fiscal year $13.93FY2026 $30.81FY2026 $-0.28FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +22.3%FY2026 +17.0%FY2026 –
EPS growth, the year after +21.8% +3.7% –
Revenue, next fiscal year $8.84BFY2026 $42.95BFY2026 $918.00MFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +11.3%FY2026 +2.4%FY2026 +52.5%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +21.1% +3.7% +51.6%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersESLTNOCRKLB
Held by institutions 19.9% 83.4% 51.2%
Institutions holding 384 1,809 1,128
Change in shares held, QoQ -7.1% +0.3% +10.9%
Institutions buying 202 840 810
Institutions selling 106 639 238
Buyers to sellers 1.91 1.31 3.40

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

ESLTNOCRKLB
ESLT 1.00 0.40 0.37
NOC 0.40 1.00 0.17
RKLB 0.37 0.17 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, ESLT, NOC and RKLB?

Northrop Grumman (NOC) is the largest by market capitalisation: Elbit Systems (ESLT) $36.19B, Northrop Grumman (NOC) $78.53B, Rocket Lab (RKLB) $35.05B.

Which stock is cheaper, ESLT, NOC and RKLB?

Northrop Grumman (NOC) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Elbit Systems (ESLT) 56.0x, Northrop Grumman (NOC) 17.4x, Rocket Lab (RKLB) -223.0x). On next year's consensus earnings, Northrop Grumman (NOC) is cheapest (Elbit Systems (ESLT) 55.9x, Northrop Grumman (NOC) 17.9x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Rocket Lab (RKLB) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Elbit Systems (ESLT) +13.7%, Northrop Grumman (NOC) +6.5%, Rocket Lab (RKLB) +52.5%.

Which company is more profitable?

Northrop Grumman (NOC) has the highest net margin (Elbit Systems (ESLT) 7.4%, Northrop Grumman (NOC) 10.4%, Rocket Lab (RKLB) -21.5%). On return on invested capital, Elbit Systems (ESLT) leads (Elbit Systems (ESLT) 17.8%, Northrop Grumman (NOC) 12.2%, Rocket Lab (RKLB) -6.7%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Elbit Systems (ESLT) returned the most: Elbit Systems (ESLT) +64.2%, Northrop Grumman (NOC) -7.1%, Rocket Lab (RKLB) -8.1%. Over five years, Elbit Systems (ESLT) compounded fastest (Elbit Systems (ESLT) +37.5%/yr, Northrop Grumman (NOC) +9.1%/yr, Rocket Lab (RKLB) +33.1%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Northrop Grumman (NOC) has the highest dividend yield: Elbit Systems (ESLT) 0.48%, Northrop Grumman (NOC) 1.73%. Rocket Lab (RKLB) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Northrop Grumman (NOC) has been the steadiest (Elbit Systems (ESLT) 44.7%, Northrop Grumman (NOC) 28.7%, Rocket Lab (RKLB) 92.9%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, ESLT, NOC and RKLB?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Northrop Grumman (NOC) leads on 6. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.