KBR vs NOC vs MSI Stock Comparison

Kbr, Northrop Grumman and Motorola Solutions 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
0.02%
Defense Industrials
3 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Motorola Solutions leads on 7 of the 12 questions below (Motorola Solutions 7, Kbr 3, Northrop Grumman 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionKBRNOCMSILeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $5.07B $78.63B $79.88B MSI
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 12.0x 17.4x 37.4x KBR
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 9.7x 17.9x 26.3x KBR
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months -3.6% +6.5% +10.3% MSI
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 5.5% 10.4% 17.4% MSI
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 13.0% 12.2% 20.3% MSI
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 2.5x 1.7x 2.3x NOC
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.02% 0.02% 0.01% NOC
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -8.2% -7.5% +9.0% MSI
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -1.4%/yr +9.0%/yr +14.3%/yr MSI
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 33.8% 28.7% 26.1% MSI
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 59/100 58/100 55/100 KBR

Percentile Scorecard

KBRNOCMSI

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

AxisKBRNOCMSI
Valuation 99 #2 of 100 78 #23 of 100 48 #53 of 100
Growth 44 #55 of 97 38 #61 of 97 48 #51 of 97
Profitability 65 #34 of 96 78 #22 of 96 99 #2 of 96
Financial Health 16 #88 of 105 40 #63 of 105 19 #85 of 105
Shareholder Returns 70 #20 of 65 58 #28 of 65 63 #25 of 65
Overall 59 58 55
  • KBR ranked among 107 companies in Aerospace and Defense
  • NOC ranked among 107 companies in Aerospace and Defense
  • MSI 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

PeriodKBRNOCMSISPY
1 month +16.5%+8.0%+5.9% -0.2%
3 months +7.5%+0.4%+9.9% +3.9%
6 months +11.7%-4.6%+11.3% +8.2%
Year to date +0.0%-3.3%+26.2% +12.9%
1 year -8.2%-7.5%+9.0% +12.3%
3 years -29.6%+16.5%+77.6% +87.4%
3 years, per year -11.1%+5.2%+21.1% +23.3%
5 years -6.8%+53.7%+95.0% +67.9%
5 years, per year -1.4%+9.0%+14.3% +10.9%
10 years +172.7%+144.6%+558.4% +261.1%
10 years, per year +10.6%+9.4%+20.7% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureKBRNOCMSISPY
Volatility, 1Y 33.8%28.7%26.1% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 34.1%28.4%27.0% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.54-0.010.12 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.24-0.260.34 0.97
Max drawdown, 5Y -58.3%-38.4%-27.9% -25.4%
From 52-week high -10.6%-28.2%-1.5% -1.2%
52-week high $44.98$768.02$491.32 $779.14
52-week low $30.06$473.40$363.83 $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.

MultipleKBRNOCMSI
P/E now vs peer median 12.0xmedian 26.5x 17.3xmedian 26.5x 37.6xmedian 26.5x
P/S now vs peer median 0.7xmedian 3.0x 1.8xmedian 3.0x 6.5xmedian 3.0x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 8.1xmedian 14.6x 14.5xmedian 14.6x 24.6xmedian 14.6x
P/FCF now vs peer median 14.3xmedian 26.4x 20.5xmedian 26.4x 29.9xmedian 26.4x
P/B now vs peer median 3.1xmedian 2.5x 4.2xmedian 2.5x 29.8xmedian 2.5x
PEG now vs peer median 0.14median 0.90 17.01median 0.90 2.84median 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 monthsKBRNOCMSI
Revenue $7.72B $43.59B $12.24B
Gross profit $1.12B $8.73B $6.36B
Operating income $734.00M $4.63B $3.05B
Net income $429.00M $4.52B $2.14B
Free cash flow $355.00M $3.83B $2.68B
R&D – – $1.02B
EPS (diluted) $3.34 $31.74 $12.76
Cash & equivalents $312.00M $3.74B $710.00M
Total debt $2.55B $58.43B $9.03B
Shares (diluted) 127.00M 142.40M 167.20M
Enterprise value $3.34B $66.09B $76.23B

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
MetricKBRNOCMSI
P/E 12.0x 17.3x 37.6x
P/FCF 14.3x 20.5x 29.9x
P/Operating cash flow 12.4x 14.9x 26.9x
P/S 0.7x 1.8x 6.5x
P/B 3.1x 4.2x 29.8x
P/Tangible book 5.3x 4.2x -304.4x
EV/EBITDA 8.1x 14.5x 24.6x
EV/EBIT 10.0x 19.2x 29.0x
EV/Revenue 0.9x 2.0x 7.2x
EV/FCF 20.6x 23.2x 33.0x
EV/Operating cash flow 17.9x 16.9x 29.7x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.14 17.01 2.84

Growth

14 metrics
MetricKBRNOCMSI
Revenue growth (1Y) -3.6% 6.5% 10.3%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 4.9% 4.1% 8.2%
Gross profit growth (1Y) -4.5% 9.8% 11.7%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 6.4% 3.4% 11.3%
Operating income growth (1Y) 3.5% 6.8% 8.9%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 22.3% 6.4% 15.4%
Net income growth (1Y) 16.3% 12.5% 0.8%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 86.3% -1.1% 12.0%
EPS growth (1Y) 18.0% 13.3% 1.8%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 87.6% 1.0% 13.2%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -18.5% 53.2% 13.9%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) -4.5% 12.5% 19.4%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -22.5% 108.8% 12.3%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -2.2% 22.3% 21.4%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricKBRNOCMSI
Gross margin 14.5% 20.0% 52.0%
EBITDA margin 11.7% 14.1% 29.4%
Operating margin 9.5% 10.6% 24.9%
Pretax margin 7.5% 12.0% 22.6%
Net margin 5.5% 10.4% 17.4%
FCF margin 4.6% 8.8% 21.9%
Operating cash flow margin 5.3% 12.1% 24.3%
Return on equity 26.6% 24.7% 81.5%
Return on assets 6.5% 8.8% 11.2%
Return on invested capital 13.0% 12.2% 20.3%
Return on capital employed 14.9% 12.2% 22.4%
Asset turnover 1.2x 0.8x 0.6x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.0x 1.2x 1.4x
Stock comp / revenue – 0.3% 2.9%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricKBRNOCMSI
Debt / assets 38.3% 27.5% 46.9%
Debt / equity 1.6x 0.8x 3.4x
Net debt / EBITDA 2.5x 1.7x 2.3x
Debt / FCF 7.2x 3.8x 3.4x
Liabilities / assets 75.4% 64.4% 86.0%
Equity / assets 24.6% 35.6% 14.0%
Interest coverage 5.0x 7.1x 6.9x
Current ratio 1.1x 1.2x 1.1x
Quick ratio 0.8x 1.0x 0.8x
Cash ratio 0.2x 0.3x 0.1x
Altman Z-score 2.56 3.08 4.29

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricKBRNOCMSI
Dividend yield 1.7% 1.7% 1.0%
Net buyback yield 3.0% 0.7% 1.3%
Shareholder yield 4.7% 2.4% 2.3%
Payout ratio (earnings) 19.8% 30.2% 35.8%
Payout ratio (FCF) 23.9% 35.6% 28.6%
Dividend growth (1Y) 4.9% 8.0% 10.7%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 7.2% 7.4% 11.0%

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.

ConsensusKBRNOCMSI
Forward P/E 9.7xFY2026 17.9xFY2026 26.3xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $4.13FY2026 $30.81FY2026 $18.41FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +5.1%FY2026 +17.0%FY2026 +19.7%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after -6.8% +3.7% +10.4%
Revenue, next fiscal year $8.58BFY2026 $42.95BFY2026 $12.12BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +10.2%FY2026 +2.4%FY2026 +3.8%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after -3.3% +3.7% +8.2%
KBR estimates →NOC estimates →MSI estimates →

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersKBRNOCMSI
Held by institutions 100.0% 83.4% 88.3%
Institutions holding 363 1,809 1,466
Change in shares held, QoQ +7.4% +0.3% +3.4%
Institutions buying 206 840 639
Institutions selling 115 639 596
Buyers to sellers 1.79 1.31 1.07
KBR holders →NOC holders →MSI 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.

KBRNOCMSI
KBR 1.00 0.31 0.29
NOC 0.31 1.00 0.23
MSI 0.29 0.23 1.00

Add a Peer

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

Related Comparisons

KBR vs LMTLockheed Martin KBR vs GDGeneral Dynamics KBR vs LHXL3Harris Technologies KBR vs ESLTElbit Systems

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, KBR, NOC and MSI?

Motorola Solutions (MSI) is the largest by market capitalisation: Kbr (KBR) $5.07B, Northrop Grumman (NOC) $78.63B, Motorola Solutions (MSI) $79.88B.

Which stock is cheaper, KBR, NOC and MSI?

Kbr (KBR) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Kbr (KBR) 12.0x, Northrop Grumman (NOC) 17.4x, Motorola Solutions (MSI) 37.4x). On next year's consensus earnings, Kbr (KBR) is cheapest (Kbr (KBR) 9.7x, Northrop Grumman (NOC) 17.9x, Motorola Solutions (MSI) 26.3x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Motorola Solutions (MSI) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Kbr (KBR) -3.6%, Northrop Grumman (NOC) +6.5%, Motorola Solutions (MSI) +10.3%.

Which company is more profitable?

Motorola Solutions (MSI) has the highest net margin (Kbr (KBR) 5.5%, Northrop Grumman (NOC) 10.4%, Motorola Solutions (MSI) 17.4%). On return on invested capital, Motorola Solutions (MSI) leads (Kbr (KBR) 13.0%, Northrop Grumman (NOC) 12.2%, Motorola Solutions (MSI) 20.3%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Motorola Solutions (MSI) returned the most: Kbr (KBR) -8.2%, Northrop Grumman (NOC) -7.5%, Motorola Solutions (MSI) +9.0%. Over five years, Motorola Solutions (MSI) compounded fastest (Kbr (KBR) -1.4%/yr, Northrop Grumman (NOC) +9.0%/yr, Motorola Solutions (MSI) +14.3%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Northrop Grumman (NOC) has the highest dividend yield: Kbr (KBR) 0.02%, Northrop Grumman (NOC) 0.02%, Motorola Solutions (MSI) 0.01%.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Motorola Solutions (MSI) has been the steadiest (Kbr (KBR) 33.8%, Northrop Grumman (NOC) 28.7%, Motorola Solutions (MSI) 26.1%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, KBR, NOC and MSI?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Motorola Solutions (MSI) 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.