LDOS vs HII vs ESP Stock Comparison

Leidos Holdings, Huntington Ingalls Industries and Espey Mfg & Electronics Prices as of Oct 26, 2026 Peers: Industry group
LDOS Leidos Holdings, Inc.
$139.91 +13.2% 1M -26.3% 1Y
Market cap
$17.59B
P/E
12.8x
Revenue (TTM)
$17.63B
Div. yield
0.01%
Defense Industrials
6 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Leidos Holdings leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Leidos Holdings 6, Espey Mfg & Electronics 5, Huntington Ingalls Industries 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionLDOSHIIESPLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $17.59B $11.12B $152.48M LDOS
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 12.8x 16.8x 13.6x LDOS
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 11.0x 14.6x 13.5x LDOS
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +3.4% +14.0% +4.9% HII
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 7.8% 5.0% 24.2% ESP
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 13.9% 6.9% — LDOS
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 2.3x 2.6x — LDOS
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.01% 0.02% 0.03% ESP
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -26.3% -6.3% +35.9% ESP
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +7.2%/yr +6.8%/yr +28.8%/yr ESP
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 35.6% 38.5% 46.5% LDOS
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 70/100 49/100 71/100 ESP

Percentile Scorecard

LDOSHIIESP

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

AxisLDOSHIIESP
Valuation 98 #3 of 100 73 #28 of 100 84 #17 of 100
Growth 57 #42 of 97 27 #71 of 97 69 #31 of 97
Profitability 85 #15 of 96 62 #37 of 96 82 #18 of 96
Financial Health 34 #70 of 105 31 #73 of 105 63 #40 of 105
Shareholder Returns 75 #17 of 64 52 #31 of 64 56 #29 of 64
Overall 70 49 71
  • LDOS ranked among 107 companies in Aerospace and Defense
  • HII 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

PeriodLDOSHIIESPSPY
1 month +13.2%+6.5%-19.4% -0.8%
3 months +21.6%-2.5%-9.3% +3.5%
6 months -3.0%-21.6%-25.2% +7.0%
Year to date -22.4%-17.4%+12.4% +12.2%
1 year -26.3%-6.3%+35.9% +13.0%
3 years +54.6%+31.9%+237.4% +86.3%
3 years, per year +15.6%+9.7%+50.0% +23.1%
5 years +41.4%+38.7%+254.3% +68.6%
5 years, per year +7.2%+6.8%+28.8% +11.0%
10 years +235.6%+76.4%+107.7% +258.0%
10 years, per year +12.9%+5.8%+7.6% +13.6%

Risk

MeasureLDOSHIIESPSPY
Volatility, 1Y 35.6%38.5%46.5% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 37.3%37.7%50.5% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.260.720.86 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.74-0.160.77 1.02
Max drawdown, 5Y -50.3%-46.1%-34.6% -25.4%
From 52-week high -29.9%-38.1%-26.7% -1.8%
52-week high $199.55$453.73$72.22 $779.14
52-week low $100.00$257.01$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.

MultipleLDOSHIIESP
P/E now vs peer median 12.8xmedian 26.8x 16.8xmedian 26.8x 13.1xmedian 26.8x
P/S now vs peer median 1.0xmedian 2.9x 0.8xmedian 2.9x 3.5xmedian 2.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 9.8xmedian 15.2x 13.5xmedian 15.2x 9.5xmedian 15.2x
P/FCF now vs peer median 8.1xmedian 25.5x -130.3xmedian 25.5x 62.3xmedian 25.5x
P/B now vs peer median 3.3xmedian 2.5x 2.1xmedian 2.5x 2.7xmedian 2.5x
PEG now vs peer median 0.45median 0.94 1.95median 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 monthsLDOSHIIESP
Revenue $17.63B $13.19B $46.12M
Gross profit $3.14B $5.53B $16.28M
Operating income $2.03B $698.00M $11.59M
Net income $1.40B $661.00M $11.18M
Free cash flow $2.16B -$85.00M $2.58M
EPS (diluted) $10.92 $16.73 $3.89
Cash & equivalents $748.00M $12.00M $19.44M
Total debt $21.66B $10.67B –
Shares (diluted) 126.00M 39.50M 2.87M
Enterprise value $14.30B $9.80B -$29.70M

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
MetricLDOSHIIESP
P/E 12.8x 16.8x 13.1x
P/FCF 8.1x -130.3x 62.3x
P/Operating cash flow 7.6x 31.9x 28.3x
P/S 1.0x 0.8x 3.5x
P/B 3.3x 2.1x 2.7x
P/Tangible book 4.0x 2.4x -2.2x
EV/EBITDA 9.8x 13.5x 9.5x
EV/EBIT 11.3x 19.7x 10.0x
EV/Revenue 1.3x 1.0x 2.5x
EV/FCF 10.6x -161.9x 44.7x
EV/Operating cash flow 9.9x 39.7x 20.3x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.45 1.95 0.35

Growth

14 metrics
MetricLDOSHIIESP
Revenue growth (1Y) 3.4% 14.0% 4.9%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 5.9% 6.6% 9.0%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 4.8% 8.6% 28.4%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 14.4% 7.5% 26.5%
Operating income growth (1Y) -0.4% 35.3% 42.7%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 21.1% 9.4% 39.2%
Net income growth (1Y) -0.8% 25.9% 37.3%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 24.8% 8.3% 44.9%
EPS growth (1Y) 1.3% 25.6% 28.9%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 28.6% 8.6% 37.8%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 54.9% -66.4% -72.9%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 35.7% -19.1% 13.4%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 63.2% -112.7% -84.5%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 41.7% -30.7% -8.7%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricLDOSHIIESP
Gross margin 17.8% 41.9% 35.3%
EBITDA margin 13.2% 7.7% 26.2%
Operating margin 11.5% 5.3% 25.1%
Pretax margin 10.2% 6.4% 28.9%
Net margin 7.8% 5.0% 24.2%
FCF margin 12.3% -0.6% 5.6%
Operating cash flow margin 13.0% 2.6% 12.3%
Return on equity 26.8% 12.6% 19.1%
Return on assets 9.0% 5.2% 11.6%
Return on invested capital 13.9% 6.9% –
Return on capital employed 16.5% 7.0% 19.3%
Asset turnover 1.1x 1.0x 0.5x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.6x 0.5x 0.5x
Stock comp / revenue 0.6% 0.4% 1.5%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricLDOSHIIESP
Debt / assets 38.6% 21.3% –
Debt / equity 1.1x 0.5x –
Net debt / EBITDA 2.3x 2.6x –
Debt / FCF 2.8x -31.8x –
Liabilities / assets 65.9% 58.1% 37.7%
Equity / assets 34.1% 41.9% 62.3%
Interest coverage – 7.1x –
Current ratio 1.6x 1.2x 2.5x
Quick ratio 1.4x 0.2x 1.5x
Cash ratio 0.2x 0.0x 1.2x
Altman Z-score 3.20 2.81 4.73

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricLDOSHIIESP
Dividend yield 1.2% 2.0% 2.8%
Net buyback yield 3.7% – -1.3%
Shareholder yield 5.0% 2.0% 1.5%
Payout ratio (earnings) 15.5% 32.7% 43.2%
Payout ratio (FCF) 10.0% -254.1% 187.2%
Dividend growth (1Y) 3.3% 2.9% 86.0%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 2.8% 3.1% 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.

ConsensusLDOSHIIESP
Forward P/E 11.0xFY2026 14.6xFY2026 13.5xFY2027
EPS, next fiscal year $12.75FY2026 $19.23FY2026 $3.93FY2027
EPS growth, next FY +6.3%FY2026 +25.0%FY2026 +1.0%FY2027
EPS growth, the year after -9.0% +16.1% -2.0%
Revenue, next fiscal year $17.52BFY2026 $13.12BFY2026 $49.74MFY2027
Revenue growth, next FY +2.0%FY2026 +5.2%FY2026 +7.8%FY2027
Revenue growth, the year after +14.9% +1.3% +14.5%
LDOS estimates →HII estimates →ESP estimates →

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersLDOSHIIESP
Held by institutions 79.3% 88.5% 35.4%
Institutions holding 773 806 78
Change in shares held, QoQ +4.1% -1.2% +15.0%
Institutions buying 380 354 50
Institutions selling 294 301 13
Buyers to sellers 1.29 1.18 3.85
LDOS holders →HII 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.

LDOSHIIESP
LDOS 1.00 0.43 0.06
HII 0.43 1.00 0.09
ESP 0.06 0.09 1.00

Add a Peer

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

Related Comparisons

LDOS vs LMTLockheed Martin LDOS vs GDGeneral Dynamics LDOS vs MSIMotorola Solutions LDOS vs NOCNorthrop Grumman

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, LDOS, HII and ESP?

Leidos Holdings (LDOS) is the largest by market capitalisation: Leidos Holdings (LDOS) $17.59B, Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) $11.12B, Espey Mfg & Electronics (ESP) $152.48M.

Which stock is cheaper, LDOS, HII and ESP?

Leidos Holdings (LDOS) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Leidos Holdings (LDOS) 12.8x, Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) 16.8x, Espey Mfg & Electronics (ESP) 13.6x). On next year's consensus earnings, Leidos Holdings (LDOS) is cheapest (Leidos Holdings (LDOS) 11.0x, Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) 14.6x, 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: Leidos Holdings (LDOS) +3.4%, Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) +14.0%, Espey Mfg & Electronics (ESP) +4.9%.

Which company is more profitable?

Espey Mfg & Electronics (ESP) has the highest net margin (Leidos Holdings (LDOS) 7.8%, Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) 5.0%, Espey Mfg & Electronics (ESP) 24.2%). On return on invested capital, Leidos Holdings (LDOS) leads (Leidos Holdings (LDOS) 13.9%, Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) 6.9%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Espey Mfg & Electronics (ESP) returned the most: Leidos Holdings (LDOS) -26.3%, Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) -6.3%, Espey Mfg & Electronics (ESP) +35.9%. Over five years, Espey Mfg & Electronics (ESP) compounded fastest (Leidos Holdings (LDOS) +7.2%/yr, Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) +6.8%/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: Leidos Holdings (LDOS) 0.01%, Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) 0.02%, Espey Mfg & Electronics (ESP) 0.03%.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Leidos Holdings (LDOS) has been the steadiest (Leidos Holdings (LDOS) 35.6%, Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) 38.5%, Espey Mfg & Electronics (ESP) 46.5%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, LDOS, HII 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, Leidos Holdings (LDOS) 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.