ESP vs NOC vs LDOS Stock Comparison

Espey Mfg & Electronics, Northrop Grumman and Leidos Holdings Prices as of Oct 27, 2026 Peers: Industry group
LDOS Leidos Holdings, Inc.
$139.65 +12.9% 1M -26.2% 1Y
Market cap
$17.49B
P/E
12.7x
Revenue (TTM)
$17.63B
Div. yield
0.01%
Defense Industrials
3 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Espey Mfg & Electronics leads on 5 of the 12 questions below (Espey Mfg & Electronics 5, Northrop Grumman 4, Leidos Holdings 3). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionESPNOCLDOSLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $152.86M $78.70B $17.49B NOC
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 13.7x 17.4x 12.7x LDOS
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 14.0x 17.9x 11.0x LDOS
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +4.9% +6.5% +3.4% NOC
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 24.2% 10.4% 7.8% ESP
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital — 12.2% 13.9% LDOS
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA — 1.7x 2.3x NOC
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.03% 0.02% 0.01% ESP
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +42.5% -7.5% -26.2% ESP
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +29.5%/yr +9.0%/yr +7.2%/yr ESP
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 46.6% 28.7% 35.6% NOC
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 71/100 58/100 70/100 ESP

Percentile Scorecard

ESPNOCLDOS

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

AxisESPNOCLDOS
Valuation 83 #18 of 100 78 #23 of 100 98 #3 of 100
Growth 69 #31 of 97 38 #61 of 97 58 #41 of 97
Profitability 84 #16 of 96 78 #22 of 96 86 #14 of 96
Financial Health 64 #38 of 105 40 #63 of 105 33 #71 of 105
Shareholder Returns 56 #29 of 65 58 #28 of 65 75 #17 of 65
Overall 71 58 70
  • ESP ranked among 107 companies in Aerospace and Defense
  • NOC ranked among 107 companies in Aerospace and Defense
  • LDOS 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

PeriodESPNOCLDOSSPY
1 month -16.1%+8.0%+12.9% -0.2%
3 months -6.1%+0.4%+18.0% +3.9%
6 months -20.9%-4.6%-4.4% +8.2%
Year to date +16.9%-3.3%-22.6% +12.9%
1 year +42.5%-7.5%-26.2% +12.3%
3 years +251.0%+16.5%+54.3% +87.4%
3 years, per year +52.0%+5.2%+15.6% +23.3%
5 years +264.1%+53.7%+41.7% +67.9%
5 years, per year +29.5%+9.0%+7.2% +10.9%
10 years +116.1%+144.6%+239.1% +261.1%
10 years, per year +8.0%+9.4%+13.0% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureESPNOCLDOSSPY
Volatility, 1Y 46.6%28.7%35.6% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 50.5%28.4%37.2% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.87-0.010.26 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.91-0.26-0.74 0.97
Max drawdown, 5Y -34.6%-38.4%-50.3% -25.4%
From 52-week high -23.7%-28.2%-30.0% -1.2%
52-week high $72.22$768.02$199.55 $779.14
52-week low $37.20$473.40$100.00 $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.

MultipleESPNOCLDOS
P/E now vs peer median 13.7xmedian 26.5x 17.3xmedian 26.5x 12.8xmedian 26.5x
P/S now vs peer median 3.6xmedian 3.0x 1.8xmedian 3.0x 1.0xmedian 3.0x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 10.1xmedian 14.6x 14.5xmedian 14.6x 9.8xmedian 14.6x
P/FCF now vs peer median 64.8xmedian 26.4x 20.5xmedian 26.4x 8.1xmedian 26.4x
P/B now vs peer median 2.8xmedian 2.5x 4.2xmedian 2.5x 3.3xmedian 2.5x
PEG now vs peer median 0.36median 0.90 17.01median 0.90 0.45median 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 monthsESPNOCLDOS
Revenue $46.12M $43.59B $17.63B
Gross profit $16.28M $8.73B $3.14B
Operating income $11.59M $4.63B $2.03B
Net income $11.18M $4.52B $1.40B
Free cash flow $2.58M $3.83B $2.16B
EPS (diluted) $3.89 $31.74 $10.92
Cash & equivalents $19.44M $3.74B $748.00M
Total debt – $58.43B $21.66B
Shares (diluted) 2.87M 142.40M 126.00M
Enterprise value -$29.32M $66.16B $14.20B

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
MetricESPNOCLDOS
P/E 13.7x 17.3x 12.8x
P/FCF 64.8x 20.5x 8.1x
P/Operating cash flow 29.4x 14.9x 7.6x
P/S 3.6x 1.8x 1.0x
P/B 2.8x 4.2x 3.3x
P/Tangible book -2.3x 4.2x 4.0x
EV/EBITDA 10.1x 14.5x 9.8x
EV/EBIT 10.5x 19.2x 11.2x
EV/Revenue 2.6x 2.0x 1.3x
EV/FCF 47.2x 23.2x 10.5x
EV/Operating cash flow 21.4x 16.9x 9.9x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.36 17.01 0.45

Growth

14 metrics
MetricESPNOCLDOS
Revenue growth (1Y) 4.9% 6.5% 3.4%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 9.0% 4.1% 5.9%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 28.4% 9.8% 4.8%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 26.5% 3.4% 14.4%
Operating income growth (1Y) 42.7% 6.8% -0.4%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 39.2% 6.4% 21.1%
Net income growth (1Y) 37.3% 12.5% -0.8%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 44.9% -1.1% 24.8%
EPS growth (1Y) 28.9% 13.3% 1.3%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 37.8% 1.0% 28.6%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -72.9% 53.2% 54.9%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 13.4% 12.5% 35.7%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -84.5% 108.8% 63.2%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -8.7% 22.3% 41.7%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricESPNOCLDOS
Gross margin 35.3% 20.0% 17.8%
EBITDA margin 26.2% 14.1% 13.2%
Operating margin 25.1% 10.6% 11.5%
Pretax margin 28.9% 12.0% 10.2%
Net margin 24.2% 10.4% 7.8%
FCF margin 5.6% 8.8% 12.3%
Operating cash flow margin 12.3% 12.1% 13.0%
Return on equity 19.1% 24.7% 26.8%
Return on assets 11.6% 8.8% 9.0%
Return on invested capital – 12.2% 13.9%
Return on capital employed 19.3% 12.2% 16.5%
Asset turnover 0.5x 0.8x 1.1x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 0.5x 1.2x 1.6x
Stock comp / revenue 1.5% 0.3% 0.6%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricESPNOCLDOS
Debt / assets – 27.5% 38.6%
Debt / equity – 0.8x 1.1x
Net debt / EBITDA – 1.7x 2.3x
Debt / FCF – 3.8x 2.8x
Liabilities / assets 37.7% 64.4% 65.9%
Equity / assets 62.3% 35.6% 34.1%
Interest coverage – 7.1x –
Current ratio 2.5x 1.2x 1.6x
Quick ratio 1.5x 1.0x 1.4x
Cash ratio 1.2x 0.3x 0.2x
Altman Z-score 4.84 3.08 3.20

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricESPNOCLDOS
Dividend yield 2.7% 1.7% 1.2%
Net buyback yield -1.2% 0.7% 3.8%
Shareholder yield 1.5% 2.4% 5.0%
Payout ratio (earnings) 43.2% 30.2% 15.5%
Payout ratio (FCF) 187.2% 35.6% 10.0%
Dividend growth (1Y) 86.0% 8.0% 3.3%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 6.1% 7.4% 2.8%

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.

ConsensusESPNOCLDOS
Forward P/E 14.0xFY2027 17.9xFY2026 11.0xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $3.93FY2027 $30.81FY2026 $12.75FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +1.0%FY2027 +17.0%FY2026 +6.3%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after -2.0% +3.7% -9.0%
Revenue, next fiscal year $49.74MFY2027 $42.95BFY2026 $17.52BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +7.8%FY2027 +2.4%FY2026 +2.0%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +14.5% +3.7% +14.9%
ESP estimates →NOC estimates →LDOS estimates →

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersESPNOCLDOS
Held by institutions 35.4% 83.4% 79.3%
Institutions holding 78 1,809 773
Change in shares held, QoQ +15.0% +0.3% +4.1%
Institutions buying 50 840 380
Institutions selling 13 639 294
Buyers to sellers 3.85 1.31 1.29
ESP holders →NOC holders →LDOS 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.

ESPNOCLDOS
ESP 1.00 -0.01 0.06
NOC -0.01 1.00 0.42
LDOS 0.06 0.42 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry
ESP · Defense
+LMTLockheed Martin +GDGeneral Dynamics +MSIMotorola Solutions +LHXL3Harris Technologies +ESLTElbit Systems +TDYTeledyne Technologies +CWCurtiss Wright +CACICaci International
Plot all 204 Defense stocks →

Related Comparisons

ESP vs LMTLockheed Martin ESP vs GDGeneral Dynamics ESP vs MSIMotorola Solutions ESP vs LHXL3Harris Technologies

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, ESP, NOC and LDOS?

Northrop Grumman (NOC) is the largest by market capitalisation: Espey Mfg & Electronics (ESP) $152.86M, Northrop Grumman (NOC) $78.70B, Leidos Holdings (LDOS) $17.49B.

Which stock is cheaper, ESP, NOC and LDOS?

Leidos Holdings (LDOS) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Espey Mfg & Electronics (ESP) 13.7x, Northrop Grumman (NOC) 17.4x, Leidos Holdings (LDOS) 12.7x). On next year's consensus earnings, Leidos Holdings (LDOS) is cheapest (Espey Mfg & Electronics (ESP) 14.0x, Northrop Grumman (NOC) 17.9x, Leidos Holdings (LDOS) 11.0x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Northrop Grumman (NOC) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Espey Mfg & Electronics (ESP) +4.9%, Northrop Grumman (NOC) +6.5%, Leidos Holdings (LDOS) +3.4%.

Which company is more profitable?

Espey Mfg & Electronics (ESP) has the highest net margin (Espey Mfg & Electronics (ESP) 24.2%, Northrop Grumman (NOC) 10.4%, Leidos Holdings (LDOS) 7.8%). On return on invested capital, Leidos Holdings (LDOS) leads (Northrop Grumman (NOC) 12.2%, Leidos Holdings (LDOS) 13.9%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Espey Mfg & Electronics (ESP) returned the most: Espey Mfg & Electronics (ESP) +42.5%, Northrop Grumman (NOC) -7.5%, Leidos Holdings (LDOS) -26.2%. Over five years, Espey Mfg & Electronics (ESP) compounded fastest (Espey Mfg & Electronics (ESP) +29.5%/yr, Northrop Grumman (NOC) +9.0%/yr, Leidos Holdings (LDOS) +7.2%/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%, Northrop Grumman (NOC) 0.02%, Leidos Holdings (LDOS) 0.01%.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Northrop Grumman (NOC) has been the steadiest (Espey Mfg & Electronics (ESP) 46.6%, Northrop Grumman (NOC) 28.7%, Leidos Holdings (LDOS) 35.6%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

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

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 5. 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.