KBR vs ESLT vs NOC Stock Comparison

Kbr, Elbit Systems and Northrop Grumman Prices as of Oct 27, 2026 Peers: Industry group
KBR Kbr, Inc.
$40.22 +16.5% 1M -8.2% 1Y
Market cap
$5.07B
P/E
12.0x
Revenue (TTM)
$7.72B
Div. yield
1.68%
Defense Industrials
2 wins
ESLT Elbit Systems Ltd
$790.00 +7.5% 1M +62.2% 1Y
Market cap
$36.69B
P/E
56.8x
Revenue (TTM)
$8.55B
Div. yield
0.47%
Defense Industrials
6 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Elbit Systems leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Elbit Systems 6, Northrop Grumman 4, Kbr 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionKBRESLTNOCLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $5.07B $36.69B $78.32B NOC
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 12.0x 56.8x 17.3x KBR
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 9.7x 56.7x 17.9x KBR
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months -3.6% +13.7% +6.5% ESLT
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 5.5% 7.4% 10.4% NOC
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 13.0% 17.8% 12.2% ESLT
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 2.5x -0.9x 1.7x ESLT
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 1.68% 0.47% 1.73% NOC
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -8.2% +62.2% -7.5% ESLT
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -1.4%/yr +38.5%/yr +9.0%/yr ESLT
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 33.8% 44.7% 28.7% NOC
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 59/100 60/100 58/100 ESLT

Percentile Scorecard

KBRESLTNOC

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

AxisKBRESLTNOC
Valuation 99 #2 of 100 44 #56 of 100 78 #23 of 100
Growth 44 #55 of 97 88 #13 of 97 38 #61 of 97
Profitability 65 #34 of 96 73 #27 of 96 78 #22 of 96
Financial Health 16 #88 of 105 58 #45 of 105 40 #63 of 105
Shareholder Returns 70 #20 of 65 36 #42 of 65 58 #28 of 65
Overall 59 60 58
  • KBR ranked among 107 companies in Aerospace and Defense
  • ESLT 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

PeriodKBRESLTNOCSPY
1 month +16.5%+7.5%+8.0% -0.2%
3 months +7.5%-3.5%+0.4% +3.9%
6 months +11.7%-5.3%-4.6% +8.2%
Year to date +0.0%+36.7%-3.3% +12.9%
1 year -8.2%+62.2%-7.5% +12.3%
3 years -29.6%+324.9%+16.5% +87.4%
3 years, per year -11.1%+62.0%+5.2% +23.3%
5 years -6.8%+409.3%+53.7% +67.9%
5 years, per year -1.4%+38.5%+9.0% +10.9%
10 years +172.7%+705.8%+144.6% +261.1%
10 years, per year +10.6%+23.2%+9.4% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureKBRESLTNOCSPY
Volatility, 1Y 33.8%44.7%28.7% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 34.1%39.8%28.4% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.540.71-0.01 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.241.39-0.26 0.97
Max drawdown, 5Y -58.3%-35.5%-38.4% -25.4%
From 52-week high -10.6%-22.1%-28.2% -1.2%
52-week high $44.98$1,014.33$768.02 $779.14
52-week low $30.06$454.95$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.

MultipleKBRESLTNOC
P/E now vs peer median 12.0xmedian 26.5x 56.8xmedian 26.5x 17.3xmedian 26.5x
P/S now vs peer median 0.7xmedian 3.0x 4.3xmedian 3.0x 1.8xmedian 3.0x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 8.1xmedian 14.6x 37.0xmedian 14.6x 14.5xmedian 14.6x
P/FCF now vs peer median 14.3xmedian 26.4x 37.0xmedian 26.4x 20.5xmedian 26.4x
P/B now vs peer median 3.1xmedian 2.5x 8.3xmedian 2.5x 4.2xmedian 2.5x
PEG now vs peer median 0.14median 0.90 1.80median 0.90 17.01median 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 monthsKBRESLTNOC
Revenue $7.72B $8.55B $43.59B
Gross profit $1.12B $2.14B $8.73B
Operating income $734.00M $787.82M $4.63B
Net income $429.00M $636.61M $4.52B
Free cash flow $355.00M $992.19M $3.83B
R&D – $582.72M –
EPS (diluted) $3.34 $13.56 $31.74
Cash & equivalents $312.00M $255.34M $3.74B
Total debt $2.55B $92.13M $58.43B
Shares (diluted) 127.00M 46.92M 142.40M
Enterprise value $3.35B $33.25B $65.77B

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
MetricKBRESLTNOC
P/E 12.0x 56.8x 17.3x
P/FCF 14.3x 37.0x 20.5x
P/Operating cash flow 12.4x 37.0x 14.9x
P/S 0.7x 4.3x 1.8x
P/B 3.1x 8.3x 4.2x
P/Tangible book 5.3x 8.3x 4.2x
EV/EBITDA 8.1x 37.0x 14.5x
EV/EBIT 10.0x 45.5x 19.2x
EV/Revenue 0.9x 4.2x 2.0x
EV/FCF 20.6x 36.1x 23.2x
EV/Operating cash flow 17.9x 36.1x 16.9x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.14 1.80 17.01

Growth

14 metrics
MetricKBRESLTNOC
Revenue growth (1Y) -3.6% 13.7% 6.5%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 4.9% 14.4% 4.1%
Gross profit growth (1Y) -4.5% 18.5% 9.8%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 6.4% 14.1% 3.4%
Operating income growth (1Y) 3.5% 37.1% 6.8%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 22.3% 26.5% 6.4%
Net income growth (1Y) 16.3% 58.0% 12.5%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 86.3% 33.7% -1.1%
EPS growth (1Y) 18.0% 50.8% 13.3%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 87.6% 31.5% 1.0%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -18.5% 22.1% 53.2%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) -4.5% 82.7% 12.5%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -22.5% 105.8% 108.8%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -2.2% 175.7% 22.3%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricKBRESLTNOC
Gross margin 14.5% 25.0% 20.0%
EBITDA margin 11.7% 11.3% 14.1%
Operating margin 9.5% 9.2% 10.6%
Pretax margin 7.5% 8.1% 12.0%
Net margin 5.5% 7.4% 10.4%
FCF margin 4.6% 11.6% 8.8%
Operating cash flow margin 5.3% 11.6% 12.1%
Return on equity 26.6% 14.7% 24.7%
Return on assets 6.5% 4.7% 8.8%
Return on invested capital 13.0% 17.8% 12.2%
Return on capital employed 14.9% 11.0% 12.2%
Asset turnover 1.2x 0.6x 0.8x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.0x 1.6x 1.2x
Stock comp / revenue – 0.3% 0.3%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricKBRESLTNOC
Debt / assets 38.3% 0.7% 27.5%
Debt / equity 1.6x 0.0x 0.8x
Net debt / EBITDA 2.5x -0.9x 1.7x
Debt / FCF 7.2x 0.1x 3.8x
Liabilities / assets 75.4% 68.2% 64.4%
Equity / assets 24.6% 31.8% 35.6%
Interest coverage 5.0x – 7.1x
Current ratio 1.1x 1.4x 1.2x
Quick ratio 0.8x 0.8x 1.0x
Cash ratio 0.2x 0.2x 0.3x
Altman Z-score 2.56 – 3.08

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricKBRESLTNOC
Dividend yield 1.7% 0.5% 1.7%
Net buyback yield 3.0% 0.0% 0.7%
Shareholder yield 4.7% 0.5% 2.4%
Payout ratio (earnings) 19.8% 22.7% 30.2%
Payout ratio (FCF) 23.9% 14.5% 35.6%
Dividend growth (1Y) 4.9% -54.3% 8.0%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 7.2% -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.

ConsensusKBRESLTNOC
Forward P/E 9.7xFY2026 56.7xFY2026 17.9xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $4.13FY2026 $13.93FY2026 $30.81FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +5.1%FY2026 +22.3%FY2026 +17.0%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after -6.8% +21.8% +3.7%
Revenue, next fiscal year $8.58BFY2026 $8.84BFY2026 $42.95BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +10.2%FY2026 +11.3%FY2026 +2.4%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after -3.3% +21.1% +3.7%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersKBRESLTNOC
Held by institutions 100.0% 19.9% 83.4%
Institutions holding 363 384 1,809
Change in shares held, QoQ +7.4% -7.1% +0.3%
Institutions buying 206 202 840
Institutions selling 115 106 639
Buyers to sellers 1.79 1.91 1.31

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.

KBRESLTNOC
KBR 1.00 0.29 0.31
ESLT 0.29 1.00 0.40
NOC 0.31 0.40 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, KBR, ESLT and NOC?

Northrop Grumman (NOC) is the largest by market capitalisation: Kbr (KBR) $5.07B, Elbit Systems (ESLT) $36.69B, Northrop Grumman (NOC) $78.32B.

Which stock is cheaper, KBR, ESLT and NOC?

Kbr (KBR) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Kbr (KBR) 12.0x, Elbit Systems (ESLT) 56.8x, Northrop Grumman (NOC) 17.3x). On next year's consensus earnings, Kbr (KBR) is cheapest (Kbr (KBR) 9.7x, Elbit Systems (ESLT) 56.7x, 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?

Elbit Systems (ESLT) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Kbr (KBR) -3.6%, Elbit Systems (ESLT) +13.7%, Northrop Grumman (NOC) +6.5%.

Which company is more profitable?

Northrop Grumman (NOC) has the highest net margin (Kbr (KBR) 5.5%, Elbit Systems (ESLT) 7.4%, Northrop Grumman (NOC) 10.4%). On return on invested capital, Elbit Systems (ESLT) leads (Kbr (KBR) 13.0%, Elbit Systems (ESLT) 17.8%, Northrop Grumman (NOC) 12.2%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Elbit Systems (ESLT) returned the most: Kbr (KBR) -8.2%, Elbit Systems (ESLT) +62.2%, Northrop Grumman (NOC) -7.5%. Over five years, Elbit Systems (ESLT) compounded fastest (Kbr (KBR) -1.4%/yr, Elbit Systems (ESLT) +38.5%/yr, Northrop Grumman (NOC) +9.0%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Northrop Grumman (NOC) has the highest dividend yield: Kbr (KBR) 1.68%, Elbit Systems (ESLT) 0.47%, Northrop Grumman (NOC) 1.73%.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Northrop Grumman (NOC) has been the steadiest (Kbr (KBR) 33.8%, Elbit Systems (ESLT) 44.7%, Northrop Grumman (NOC) 28.7%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, KBR, ESLT 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, Elbit Systems (ESLT) 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.