MSI vs NOC vs RKLB Stock Comparison

Motorola Solutions, Northrop Grumman and Rocket Lab Prices as of Nov 4, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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RKLB Rocket Lab Corp
$52.37 -28.3% 1M -7.4% 1Y
Market cap
$31.33B
P/E
–
Revenue (TTM)
$769.15M
Div. yield
–
Space Industrials
2 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Motorola Solutions leads on 5 of the 12 questions below (Motorola Solutions 5, Northrop Grumman 5, Rocket Lab 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionMSINOCRKLBLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $82.27B $74.68B $31.33B MSI
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 39.5x 16.5x -199.3x NOC
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 27.0x 17.1x — NOC
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +11.4% +6.5% +52.5% RKLB
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 16.5% 10.4% -21.5% MSI
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 18.8% 12.2% -6.7% MSI
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 2.6x 1.7x 14.4x NOC
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.97% 1.82% — NOC
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +26.1% -8.9% -7.4% MSI
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +15.0%/yr +7.6%/yr +27.6%/yr RKLB
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 25.1% 29.0% 92.7% MSI
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 52/100 60/100 42/100 NOC

Percentile Scorecard

MSINOCRKLB

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

AxisMSINOCRKLB
Valuation 46 #55 of 101 81 #20 of 101 17 #84 of 101
Growth 37 #62 of 98 38 #61 of 98 52 #48 of 98
Profitability 98 #3 of 97 77 #23 of 97 31 #67 of 97
Financial Health 20 #86 of 107 39 #66 of 107 89 #13 of 107
Shareholder Returns 62 #26 of 66 63 #25 of 66 23 #51 of 66
Overall 52 60 42
  • MSI ranked among 108 companies in Aerospace and Defense
  • NOC ranked among 108 companies in Aerospace and Defense
  • RKLB ranked among 108 companies in Aerospace and Defense

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodMSINOCRKLBSPY
1 month +9.1%+10.4%-28.3% -1.0%
3 months +13.5%-5.7%-30.0% -0.4%
6 months +14.6%-6.1%-38.1% +4.5%
Year to date +29.7%-7.8%-24.9% +12.4%
1 year +26.1%-8.9%-7.4% +13.6%
3 years +66.0%+11.7%+1,036.0% +76.4%
3 years, per year +18.4%+3.8%+124.9% +20.8%
5 years +100.9%+44.3%+237.7% +63.7%
5 years, per year +15.0%+7.6%+27.6% +10.4%
10 years +554.9%+133.4%— +267.7%
10 years, per year +20.7%+8.8%— +13.9%

Risk

MeasureMSINOCRKLBSPY
Volatility, 1Y 25.1%29.0%92.7% 12.8%
Downside volatility, 1Y 25.1%29.0%90.0% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.15-0.063.78 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 1.04-0.31-0.08 1.06
Max drawdown, 5Y -27.9%-38.4%-78.3% -25.4%
From 52-week high 0.0%-31.6%-65.1% -1.6%
52-week high $497.09$768.02$150.23 $779.14
52-week low $363.83$473.40$39.48 $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.

MultipleMSINOCRKLB
P/E now vs peer median 39.5xmedian 25.9x 16.5xmedian 25.9x -199.3xmedian 25.9x
P/S now vs peer median 6.5xmedian 2.8x 1.7xmedian 2.8x 40.7xmedian 2.8x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 25.2xmedian 14.7x 13.9xmedian 14.7x -182.0xmedian 14.7x
P/FCF now vs peer median 32.5xmedian 26.9x 19.5xmedian 26.9x -84.4xmedian 26.9x
P/B now vs peer median 26.7xmedian 2.5x 4.0xmedian 2.5x 9.0xmedian 2.5x
PEG now vs peer median 5.00median 0.94 16.22median 0.94 -24.10median 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 monthsMSINOCRKLB
Revenue $12.60B $43.59B $769.15M
Gross profit $6.58B $8.73B $286.62M
Operating income $3.06B $4.63B -$223.49M
Net income $2.09B $4.52B -$165.46M
Free cash flow $2.53B $3.83B -$371.14M
R&D $1.06B – $312.42M
EPS (diluted) $12.45 $31.74 $-0.26
Cash & equivalents $774.00M $3.74B $2.13B
Total debt $10.11B $14.43B $1.72M
Shares (diluted) 167.40M 142.40M 629.68M
Enterprise value $78.75B $62.14B $25.65B

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
MetricMSINOCRKLB
P/E 39.5x 16.5x -199.3x
P/FCF 32.5x 19.5x -84.4x
P/Operating cash flow 29.0x 14.2x -140.8x
P/S 6.5x 1.7x 40.7x
P/B 26.7x 4.0x 9.0x
P/Tangible book -197.8x 4.0x 9.9x
EV/EBITDA 25.2x 13.9x -182.0x
EV/EBIT 30.0x 18.5x -129.9x
EV/Revenue 7.3x 2.0x 37.7x
EV/FCF 36.2x 22.3x -78.2x
EV/Operating cash flow 32.3x 16.2x -130.5x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 5.00 16.22 -24.10

Growth

14 metrics
MetricMSINOCRKLB
Revenue growth (1Y) 11.4% 6.5% 52.5%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 8.6% 4.1% 49.2%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 13.1% 9.8% 95.7%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 10.6% 3.4% 109.3%
Operating income growth (1Y) 6.9% 6.8% -0.5%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 10.8% 6.4% -11.7%
Net income growth (1Y) -1.6% 12.5% 28.5%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 7.0% -1.1% -0.4%
EPS growth (1Y) -0.6% 13.3% 41.5%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 7.9% 1.0% 8.3%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 7.1% 53.2% -100.8%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 11.1% 12.5% -44.7%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 5.0% 108.8% -81.9%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 11.5% 22.3% -45.7%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricMSINOCRKLB
Gross margin 52.2% 20.0% 37.3%
EBITDA margin 28.9% 14.1% -20.7%
Operating margin 24.2% 10.6% -29.1%
Pretax margin 21.6% 12.0% -24.9%
Net margin 16.5% 10.4% -21.5%
FCF margin 20.1% 8.8% -48.3%
Operating cash flow margin 22.5% 12.1% -28.9%
Return on equity 72.4% 24.7% -5.7%
Return on assets 10.4% 8.8% -4.7%
Return on invested capital 18.8% 12.2% -6.7%
Return on capital employed 21.7% 12.2% -7.5%
Asset turnover 0.6x 0.8x 0.2x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.4x 1.2x 1.3x
Stock comp / revenue 3.1% 0.3% 10.6%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricMSINOCRKLB
Debt / assets 47.8% 27.5% 0.0%
Debt / equity 3.3x 0.8x 0.0x
Net debt / EBITDA 2.6x 1.7x 14.4x
Debt / FCF 4.0x 3.8x 0.0x
Liabilities / assets 85.4% 64.4% 16.6%
Equity / assets 14.6% 35.6% 83.4%
Interest coverage 6.7x 7.1x -13.9x
Current ratio 1.1x 1.2x 5.5x
Quick ratio 0.8x 1.0x 4.8x
Cash ratio 0.1x 0.3x 4.4x
Altman Z-score 4.03 3.02 27.35

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricMSINOCRKLB
Dividend yield 1.0% 1.8% –
Net buyback yield 1.1% 0.7% -7.3%
Shareholder yield 2.1% 2.5% -7.3%
Payout ratio (earnings) 37.5% 30.2% –
Payout ratio (FCF) 30.9% 35.6% –
Dividend growth (1Y) 10.4% 8.0% –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 10.9% 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.

ConsensusMSINOCRKLB
Forward P/E 27.0xFY2026 17.1xFY2026 –
EPS, next fiscal year $18.41FY2026 $30.81FY2026 $-0.28FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +19.7%FY2026 +17.0%FY2026 –
EPS growth, the year after +10.4% +3.7% –
Revenue, next fiscal year $12.12BFY2026 $42.95BFY2026 $918.00MFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +3.8%FY2026 +2.4%FY2026 +52.5%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +8.2% +3.7% +51.6%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersMSINOCRKLB
Held by institutions 88.3% 83.4% 51.2%
Institutions holding 1,469 1,813 1,131
Change in shares held, QoQ +3.4% +0.3% +10.9%
Institutions buying 640 841 811
Institutions selling 596 642 240
Buyers to sellers 1.07 1.31 3.38

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.

MSINOCRKLB
MSI 1.00 0.22 -0.14
NOC 0.22 1.00 0.17
RKLB -0.14 0.17 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, MSI, NOC and RKLB?

Motorola Solutions (MSI) is the largest by market capitalisation: Motorola Solutions (MSI) $82.27B, Northrop Grumman (NOC) $74.68B, Rocket Lab (RKLB) $31.33B.

Which stock is cheaper, MSI, NOC and RKLB?

Northrop Grumman (NOC) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Motorola Solutions (MSI) 39.5x, Northrop Grumman (NOC) 16.5x, Rocket Lab (RKLB) -199.3x). On next year's consensus earnings, Northrop Grumman (NOC) is cheapest (Motorola Solutions (MSI) 27.0x, Northrop Grumman (NOC) 17.1x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Rocket Lab (RKLB) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Motorola Solutions (MSI) +11.4%, Northrop Grumman (NOC) +6.5%, Rocket Lab (RKLB) +52.5%.

Which company is more profitable?

Motorola Solutions (MSI) has the highest net margin (Motorola Solutions (MSI) 16.5%, Northrop Grumman (NOC) 10.4%, Rocket Lab (RKLB) -21.5%). On return on invested capital, Motorola Solutions (MSI) leads (Motorola Solutions (MSI) 18.8%, Northrop Grumman (NOC) 12.2%, Rocket Lab (RKLB) -6.7%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Motorola Solutions (MSI) returned the most: Motorola Solutions (MSI) +26.1%, Northrop Grumman (NOC) -8.9%, Rocket Lab (RKLB) -7.4%. Over five years, Rocket Lab (RKLB) compounded fastest (Motorola Solutions (MSI) +15.0%/yr, Northrop Grumman (NOC) +7.6%/yr, Rocket Lab (RKLB) +27.6%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Northrop Grumman (NOC) has the highest dividend yield: Motorola Solutions (MSI) 0.97%, Northrop Grumman (NOC) 1.82%. Rocket Lab (RKLB) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Motorola Solutions (MSI) has been the steadiest (Motorola Solutions (MSI) 25.1%, Northrop Grumman (NOC) 29.0%, Rocket Lab (RKLB) 92.7%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

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

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 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.