ESP vs LHX vs NOC Stock Comparison

Espey Mfg & Electronics, L3Harris Technologies and Northrop Grumman Prices as of Oct 26, 2026 Peers: Industry group

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Espey Mfg & Electronics leads on 7 of the 12 questions below (Espey Mfg & Electronics 7, Northrop Grumman 4, L3Harris Technologies 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionESPLHXNOCLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $152.48M $48.23B $78.25B NOC
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 13.6x 25.9x 17.3x ESP
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 13.5x 22.7x 18.4x ESP
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +4.9% +83.2% +6.5% LHX
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 24.2% 4.8% 10.4% ESP
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital — 11.8% 12.2% NOC
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA — 1.8x 1.7x NOC
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.03% 0.02% 0.02% ESP
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +35.9% -11.2% -6.6% ESP
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +28.8%/yr +2.6%/yr +7.8%/yr ESP
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 46.5% 28.7% 28.6% NOC
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 71/100 67/100 57/100 ESP

Percentile Scorecard

ESPLHXNOC

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

AxisESPLHXNOC
Valuation 84 #17 of 100 93 #8 of 100 74 #27 of 100
Growth 69 #31 of 97 82 #18 of 97 39 #60 of 97
Profitability 82 #18 of 96 73 #27 of 96 77 #23 of 96
Financial Health 63 #40 of 105 36 #68 of 105 39 #65 of 105
Shareholder Returns 56 #29 of 64 51 #32 of 64 59 #27 of 64
Overall 71 67 57
  • ESP ranked among 107 companies in Aerospace and Defense
  • LHX ranked among 107 companies in Aerospace and Defense
  • NOC 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

PeriodESPLHXNOCSPY
1 month -19.4%+9.5%+10.8% -0.8%
3 months -9.3%-14.2%+3.3% +3.5%
6 months -25.2%-18.8%-1.7% +7.0%
Year to date +12.4%-11.4%-0.8% +12.2%
1 year +35.9%-11.2%-6.6% +13.0%
3 years +237.4%+52.2%+19.5% +86.3%
3 years, per year +50.0%+15.1%+6.1% +23.1%
5 years +254.3%+13.9%+45.7% +68.6%
5 years, per year +28.8%+2.6%+7.8% +11.0%
10 years +107.7%+184.8%+147.9% +258.0%
10 years, per year +7.6%+11.0%+9.5% +13.6%

Risk

MeasureESPLHXNOCSPY
Volatility, 1Y 46.5%28.7%28.6% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 50.5%29.1%28.3% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.860.190.00 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.77-0.39-0.23 1.02
Max drawdown, 5Y -34.6%-40.4%-38.4% -25.4%
From 52-week high -26.7%-31.2%-26.4% -1.8%
52-week high $72.22$378.48$768.02 $779.14
52-week low $37.20$233.68$473.40 $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.

MultipleESPLHXNOC
P/E now vs peer median 13.1xmedian 26.8x 26.1xmedian 26.8x 17.8xmedian 26.8x
P/S now vs peer median 3.5xmedian 2.9x 1.2xmedian 2.9x 1.8xmedian 2.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 9.5xmedian 15.2x 11.1xmedian 15.2x 14.8xmedian 15.2x
P/FCF now vs peer median 62.3xmedian 25.5x 17.3xmedian 25.5x 21.0xmedian 25.5x
P/B now vs peer median 2.7xmedian 2.5x 2.4xmedian 2.5x 4.3xmedian 2.5x
PEG now vs peer median 0.35median 0.94 0.79median 0.94 17.45median 0.94

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 monthsESPLHXNOC
Revenue $46.12M $39.15B $43.59B
Gross profit $16.28M $10.02B $8.73B
Operating income $11.59M $4.04B $4.63B
Net income $11.18M $1.87B $4.52B
Free cash flow $2.58M $2.81B $3.83B
EPS (diluted) $3.89 $9.93 $31.74
Cash & equivalents $19.44M $1.52B $3.74B
Total debt – $11.00B $58.43B
Shares (diluted) 2.87M 187.30M 142.40M
Enterprise value -$29.70M $44.71B $65.71B

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
MetricESPLHXNOC
P/E 13.1x 26.1x 17.8x
P/FCF 62.3x 17.3x 21.0x
P/Operating cash flow 28.3x 14.7x 15.3x
P/S 3.5x 1.2x 1.8x
P/B 2.7x 2.4x 4.3x
P/Tangible book -2.2x 3.6x 4.3x
EV/EBITDA 9.5x 11.1x 14.8x
EV/EBIT 10.0x 14.4x 19.7x
EV/Revenue 2.5x 1.5x 2.1x
EV/FCF 44.7x 20.6x 23.8x
EV/Operating cash flow 20.3x 17.6x 17.3x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.35 0.79 17.45

Growth

14 metrics
MetricESPLHXNOC
Revenue growth (1Y) 4.9% 83.2% 6.5%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 9.0% 29.6% 4.1%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 28.4% 82.2% 9.8%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 26.5% 27.7% 3.4%
Operating income growth (1Y) 42.7% 86.9% 6.8%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 39.2% 32.2% 6.4%
Net income growth (1Y) 37.3% 10.0% 12.5%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 44.9% 32.5% -1.1%
EPS growth (1Y) 28.9% 9.9% 13.3%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 37.8% 33.0% 1.0%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -72.9% 31.3% 53.2%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 13.4% 15.5% 12.5%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -84.5% 29.8% 108.8%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -8.7% 15.2% 22.3%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricESPLHXNOC
Gross margin 35.3% 25.6% 20.0%
EBITDA margin 26.2% 13.4% 14.1%
Operating margin 25.1% 10.3% 10.6%
Pretax margin 28.9% 9.7% 12.0%
Net margin 24.2% 4.8% 10.4%
FCF margin 5.6% 7.2% 8.8%
Operating cash flow margin 12.3% 8.4% 12.1%
Return on equity 19.1% 9.5% 24.7%
Return on assets 11.6% 4.4% 8.8%
Return on invested capital – 11.8% 12.2%
Return on capital employed 19.3% 12.0% 12.2%
Asset turnover 0.5x 0.9x 0.8x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 0.5x 1.8x 1.2x
Stock comp / revenue 1.5% 0.3% 0.3%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricESPLHXNOC
Debt / assets – 25.6% 27.5%
Debt / equity – 0.6x 0.8x
Net debt / EBITDA – 1.8x 1.7x
Debt / FCF – 3.9x 3.8x
Liabilities / assets 37.7% 53.7% 64.4%
Equity / assets 62.3% 46.3% 35.6%
Interest coverage – – 7.1x
Current ratio 2.5x 1.2x 1.2x
Quick ratio 1.5x 0.8x 1.0x
Cash ratio 1.2x 0.2x 0.3x
Altman Z-score 4.73 2.68 3.12

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricESPLHXNOC
Dividend yield 2.8% 1.9% 1.7%
Net buyback yield -1.3% 1.9% 0.7%
Shareholder yield 1.5% 3.8% 2.3%
Payout ratio (earnings) 43.2% 49.1% 30.2%
Payout ratio (FCF) 187.2% 32.8% 35.6%
Dividend growth (1Y) 86.0% 2.9% 8.0%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 6.1% 2.1% 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.

ConsensusESPLHXNOC
Forward P/E 13.5xFY2027 22.7xFY2026 18.4xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $3.93FY2027 $11.44FY2026 $30.81FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +1.0%FY2027 +6.6%FY2026 +17.0%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after -2.0% +10.6% +3.7%
Revenue, next fiscal year $49.74MFY2027 $24.16BFY2026 $42.95BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +7.8%FY2027 +10.5%FY2026 +2.4%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +14.5% +0.3% +3.7%
ESP estimates →LHX estimates →NOC estimates →

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersESPLHXNOC
Held by institutions 35.4% 87.5% 83.4%
Institutions holding 78 1,691 1,809
Change in shares held, QoQ +15.0% -0.5% +0.3%
Institutions buying 50 847 840
Institutions selling 13 570 639
Buyers to sellers 3.85 1.49 1.31
ESP holders →LHX holders →NOC holders →

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.

ESPLHXNOC
ESP 1.00 0.07 0.00
LHX 0.07 1.00 0.65
NOC 0.00 0.65 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry
ESP · Defense
+LMTLockheed Martin +GDGeneral Dynamics +MSIMotorola Solutions +ESLTElbit Systems +TDYTeledyne Technologies +CWCurtiss Wright +LDOSLeidos Holdings +CACICaci International
Plot all 68 Defense stocks →

Related Comparisons

ESP vs LMTLockheed Martin ESP vs GDGeneral Dynamics ESP vs MSIMotorola Solutions ESP vs ESLTElbit Systems

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, ESP, LHX and NOC?

Northrop Grumman (NOC) is the largest by market capitalisation: Espey Mfg & Electronics (ESP) $152.48M, L3Harris Technologies (LHX) $48.23B, Northrop Grumman (NOC) $78.25B.

Which stock is cheaper, ESP, LHX and NOC?

Espey Mfg & Electronics (ESP) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Espey Mfg & Electronics (ESP) 13.6x, L3Harris Technologies (LHX) 25.9x, Northrop Grumman (NOC) 17.3x). On next year's consensus earnings, Espey Mfg & Electronics (ESP) is cheapest (Espey Mfg & Electronics (ESP) 13.5x, L3Harris Technologies (LHX) 22.7x, Northrop Grumman (NOC) 18.4x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

L3Harris Technologies (LHX) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Espey Mfg & Electronics (ESP) +4.9%, L3Harris Technologies (LHX) +83.2%, Northrop Grumman (NOC) +6.5%.

Which company is more profitable?

Espey Mfg & Electronics (ESP) has the highest net margin (Espey Mfg & Electronics (ESP) 24.2%, L3Harris Technologies (LHX) 4.8%, Northrop Grumman (NOC) 10.4%). On return on invested capital, Northrop Grumman (NOC) leads (L3Harris Technologies (LHX) 11.8%, Northrop Grumman (NOC) 12.2%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Espey Mfg & Electronics (ESP) returned the most: Espey Mfg & Electronics (ESP) +35.9%, L3Harris Technologies (LHX) -11.2%, Northrop Grumman (NOC) -6.6%. Over five years, Espey Mfg & Electronics (ESP) compounded fastest (Espey Mfg & Electronics (ESP) +28.8%/yr, L3Harris Technologies (LHX) +2.6%/yr, Northrop Grumman (NOC) +7.8%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Espey Mfg & Electronics (ESP) has the highest dividend yield: Espey Mfg & Electronics (ESP) 0.03%, L3Harris Technologies (LHX) 0.02%, Northrop Grumman (NOC) 0.02%.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Northrop Grumman (NOC) has been the steadiest (Espey Mfg & Electronics (ESP) 46.5%, L3Harris Technologies (LHX) 28.7%, Northrop Grumman (NOC) 28.6%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, ESP, LHX and NOC?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Espey Mfg & Electronics (ESP) leads on 7. 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.