HII vs NOC vs ESP Stock Comparison

Huntington Ingalls Industries, Northrop Grumman and Espey Mfg & Electronics 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, Huntington Ingalls Industries 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionHIINOCESPLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $11.06B $78.58B $153.17M NOC
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 16.7x 17.4x 13.7x ESP
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 14.6x 18.4x 13.5x ESP
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +14.0% +6.5% +4.9% HII
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 5.0% 10.4% 24.2% ESP
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 6.9% 12.2% — NOC
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 2.6x 1.7x — NOC
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.02% 0.02% 0.03% ESP
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -6.3% -6.6% +35.9% ESP
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +6.8%/yr +7.8%/yr +28.8%/yr ESP
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 38.5% 28.6% 46.5% NOC
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 49/100 57/100 71/100 ESP

Percentile Scorecard

HIINOCESP

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

AxisHIINOCESP
Valuation 73 #28 of 100 74 #27 of 100 84 #17 of 100
Growth 27 #71 of 97 39 #60 of 97 69 #31 of 97
Profitability 62 #37 of 96 77 #23 of 96 82 #18 of 96
Financial Health 31 #73 of 105 39 #65 of 105 63 #40 of 105
Shareholder Returns 52 #31 of 64 59 #27 of 64 56 #29 of 64
Overall 49 57 71
  • HII ranked among 107 companies in Aerospace and Defense
  • NOC ranked among 107 companies in Aerospace and Defense
  • ESP 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

PeriodHIINOCESPSPY
1 month +6.5%+10.8%-19.4% -0.8%
3 months -2.5%+3.3%-9.3% +3.5%
6 months -21.6%-1.7%-25.2% +7.0%
Year to date -17.4%-0.8%+12.4% +12.2%
1 year -6.3%-6.6%+35.9% +13.0%
3 years +31.9%+19.5%+237.4% +86.3%
3 years, per year +9.7%+6.1%+50.0% +23.1%
5 years +38.7%+45.7%+254.3% +68.6%
5 years, per year +6.8%+7.8%+28.8% +11.0%
10 years +76.4%+147.9%+107.7% +258.0%
10 years, per year +5.8%+9.5%+7.6% +13.6%

Risk

MeasureHIINOCESPSPY
Volatility, 1Y 38.5%28.6%46.5% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 37.7%28.3%50.5% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.720.000.86 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.16-0.230.77 1.02
Max drawdown, 5Y -46.1%-38.4%-34.6% -25.4%
From 52-week high -38.1%-26.4%-26.7% -1.8%
52-week high $453.73$768.02$72.22 $779.14
52-week low $257.01$473.40$37.20 $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.

MultipleHIINOCESP
P/E now vs peer median 16.8xmedian 26.8x 17.8xmedian 26.8x 13.1xmedian 26.8x
P/S now vs peer median 0.8xmedian 2.9x 1.8xmedian 2.9x 3.5xmedian 2.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 13.5xmedian 15.2x 14.8xmedian 15.2x 9.5xmedian 15.2x
P/FCF now vs peer median -130.3xmedian 25.5x 21.0xmedian 25.5x 62.3xmedian 25.5x
P/B now vs peer median 2.1xmedian 2.5x 4.3xmedian 2.5x 2.7xmedian 2.5x
PEG now vs peer median 1.95median 0.94 17.45median 0.94 0.35median 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 monthsHIINOCESP
Revenue $13.19B $43.59B $46.12M
Gross profit $5.53B $8.73B $16.28M
Operating income $698.00M $4.63B $11.59M
Net income $661.00M $4.52B $11.18M
Free cash flow -$85.00M $3.83B $2.58M
EPS (diluted) $16.73 $31.74 $3.89
Cash & equivalents $12.00M $3.74B $19.44M
Total debt $10.67B $58.43B –
Shares (diluted) 39.50M 142.40M 2.87M
Enterprise value $9.75B $66.03B -$29.01M

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
MetricHIINOCESP
P/E 16.8x 17.8x 13.1x
P/FCF -130.3x 21.0x 62.3x
P/Operating cash flow 31.9x 15.3x 28.3x
P/S 0.8x 1.8x 3.5x
P/B 2.1x 4.3x 2.7x
P/Tangible book 2.4x 4.3x -2.2x
EV/EBITDA 13.5x 14.8x 9.5x
EV/EBIT 19.7x 19.7x 10.0x
EV/Revenue 1.0x 2.1x 2.5x
EV/FCF -161.9x 23.8x 44.7x
EV/Operating cash flow 39.7x 17.3x 20.3x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 1.95 17.45 0.35

Growth

14 metrics
MetricHIINOCESP
Revenue growth (1Y) 14.0% 6.5% 4.9%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 6.6% 4.1% 9.0%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 8.6% 9.8% 28.4%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 7.5% 3.4% 26.5%
Operating income growth (1Y) 35.3% 6.8% 42.7%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 9.4% 6.4% 39.2%
Net income growth (1Y) 25.9% 12.5% 37.3%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 8.3% -1.1% 44.9%
EPS growth (1Y) 25.6% 13.3% 28.9%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 8.6% 1.0% 37.8%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -66.4% 53.2% -72.9%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) -19.1% 12.5% 13.4%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -112.7% 108.8% -84.5%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -30.7% 22.3% -8.7%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricHIINOCESP
Gross margin 41.9% 20.0% 35.3%
EBITDA margin 7.7% 14.1% 26.2%
Operating margin 5.3% 10.6% 25.1%
Pretax margin 6.4% 12.0% 28.9%
Net margin 5.0% 10.4% 24.2%
FCF margin -0.6% 8.8% 5.6%
Operating cash flow margin 2.6% 12.1% 12.3%
Return on equity 12.6% 24.7% 19.1%
Return on assets 5.2% 8.8% 11.6%
Return on invested capital 6.9% 12.2% –
Return on capital employed 7.0% 12.2% 19.3%
Asset turnover 1.0x 0.8x 0.5x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 0.5x 1.2x 0.5x
Stock comp / revenue 0.4% 0.3% 1.5%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricHIINOCESP
Debt / assets 21.3% 27.5% –
Debt / equity 0.5x 0.8x –
Net debt / EBITDA 2.6x 1.7x –
Debt / FCF -31.8x 3.8x –
Liabilities / assets 58.1% 64.4% 37.7%
Equity / assets 41.9% 35.6% 62.3%
Interest coverage 7.1x 7.1x –
Current ratio 1.2x 1.2x 2.5x
Quick ratio 0.2x 1.0x 1.5x
Cash ratio 0.0x 0.3x 1.2x
Altman Z-score 2.81 3.12 4.73

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricHIINOCESP
Dividend yield 2.0% 1.7% 2.8%
Net buyback yield – 0.7% -1.3%
Shareholder yield 2.0% 2.3% 1.5%
Payout ratio (earnings) 32.7% 30.2% 43.2%
Payout ratio (FCF) -254.1% 35.6% 187.2%
Dividend growth (1Y) 2.9% 8.0% 86.0%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 3.1% 7.4% 6.1%

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.

ConsensusHIINOCESP
Forward P/E 14.6xFY2026 18.4xFY2026 13.5xFY2027
EPS, next fiscal year $19.23FY2026 $30.81FY2026 $3.93FY2027
EPS growth, next FY +25.0%FY2026 +17.0%FY2026 +1.0%FY2027
EPS growth, the year after +16.1% +3.7% -2.0%
Revenue, next fiscal year $13.12BFY2026 $42.95BFY2026 $49.74MFY2027
Revenue growth, next FY +5.2%FY2026 +2.4%FY2026 +7.8%FY2027
Revenue growth, the year after +1.3% +3.7% +14.5%
HII estimates →NOC estimates →ESP estimates →

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersHIINOCESP
Held by institutions 88.5% 83.4% 35.4%
Institutions holding 806 1,809 78
Change in shares held, QoQ -1.2% +0.3% +15.0%
Institutions buying 354 840 50
Institutions selling 301 639 13
Buyers to sellers 1.18 1.31 3.85
HII holders →NOC holders →ESP 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.

HIINOCESP
HII 1.00 0.52 0.09
NOC 0.52 1.00 0.00
ESP 0.09 0.00 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry
HII · Defense
+LMTLockheed Martin +GDGeneral Dynamics +MSIMotorola Solutions +LHXL3Harris Technologies +ESLTElbit Systems +TDYTeledyne Technologies +CWCurtiss Wright +LDOSLeidos Holdings
Plot all 68 Defense stocks →

Related Comparisons

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

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, HII, NOC and ESP?

Northrop Grumman (NOC) is the largest by market capitalisation: Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) $11.06B, Northrop Grumman (NOC) $78.58B, Espey Mfg & Electronics (ESP) $153.17M.

Which stock is cheaper, HII, NOC and ESP?

Espey Mfg & Electronics (ESP) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) 16.7x, Northrop Grumman (NOC) 17.4x, Espey Mfg & Electronics (ESP) 13.7x). On next year's consensus earnings, Espey Mfg & Electronics (ESP) is cheapest (Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) 14.6x, Northrop Grumman (NOC) 18.4x, Espey Mfg & Electronics (ESP) 13.5x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) +14.0%, Northrop Grumman (NOC) +6.5%, Espey Mfg & Electronics (ESP) +4.9%.

Which company is more profitable?

Espey Mfg & Electronics (ESP) has the highest net margin (Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) 5.0%, Northrop Grumman (NOC) 10.4%, Espey Mfg & Electronics (ESP) 24.2%). On return on invested capital, Northrop Grumman (NOC) leads (Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) 6.9%, Northrop Grumman (NOC) 12.2%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Espey Mfg & Electronics (ESP) returned the most: Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) -6.3%, Northrop Grumman (NOC) -6.6%, Espey Mfg & Electronics (ESP) +35.9%. Over five years, Espey Mfg & Electronics (ESP) compounded fastest (Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) +6.8%/yr, Northrop Grumman (NOC) +7.8%/yr, Espey Mfg & Electronics (ESP) +28.8%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Espey Mfg & Electronics (ESP) has the highest dividend yield: Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) 0.02%, Northrop Grumman (NOC) 0.02%, Espey Mfg & Electronics (ESP) 0.03%.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Northrop Grumman (NOC) has been the steadiest (Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) 38.5%, Northrop Grumman (NOC) 28.6%, Espey Mfg & Electronics (ESP) 46.5%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

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

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.