RKLB vs NOC vs FLY Stock Comparison

Rocket Lab, Northrop Grumman and Firefly Aerospace Prices as of Oct 26, 2026 Peers: Industry group
RKLB Rocket Lab Corp
$53.82 -27.2% 1M -16.6% 1Y
Market cap
$35.69B
P/E
–
Revenue (TTM)
$769.15M
Div. yield
–
Space Industrials
1 win

Head to Head

9 decided of 12

Northrop Grumman leads on 7 of the 12 questions below (Northrop Grumman 7, Firefly Aerospace 1, Rocket Lab 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionRKLBNOCFLYLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $35.69B $79.26B $3.17B NOC
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only -215.7x 17.5x -8.6x –
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS — 18.4x — –
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +52.5% +6.5% +179.2% FLY
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months -21.5% 10.4% -129.1% NOC
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital -6.7% 12.2% -25.8% NOC
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 14.4x 1.7x 2.1x NOC
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.02% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -16.6% -6.6% -32.2% NOC
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +33.2%/yr +7.8%/yr — RKLB
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 92.8% 28.6% 106.9% NOC
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 41/100 57/100 35/100 NOC

Percentile Scorecard

RKLBNOCFLY

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

AxisRKLBNOCFLY
Valuation 17 #83 of 100 74 #27 of 100 15 #85 of 100
Growth 50 #49 of 97 39 #60 of 97 60 #39 of 97
Profitability 31 #67 of 96 77 #23 of 96 22 #75 of 96
Financial Health 89 #13 of 105 39 #65 of 105 69 #33 of 105
Shareholder Returns 21 #51 of 64 59 #27 of 64 8 #59 of 64
Overall 41 57 35
  • RKLB ranked among 107 companies in Aerospace and Defense
  • NOC ranked among 107 companies in Aerospace and Defense
  • FLY 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

PeriodRKLBNOCFLYSPY
1 month -27.2%+10.8%-25.1% -0.8%
3 months -19.6%+3.3%-8.2% +3.5%
6 months -34.6%-1.7%-47.1% +7.0%
Year to date -22.8%-0.8%-18.4% +12.2%
1 year -16.6%-6.6%-32.2% +13.0%
3 years +1,193.8%+19.5%— +86.3%
3 years, per year +134.9%+6.1%— +23.1%
5 years +319.2%+45.7%— +68.6%
5 years, per year +33.2%+7.8%— +11.0%
10 years —+147.9%— +258.0%
10 years, per year —+9.5%— +13.6%

Risk

MeasureRKLBNOCFLYSPY
Volatility, 1Y 92.8%28.6%106.9% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 90.2%28.3%99.1% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 3.890.003.43 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.18-0.23-0.30 1.02
Max drawdown, 5Y -78.3%-38.4%-73.0% -25.4%
From 52-week high -64.2%-26.4%-69.0% -1.8%
52-week high $150.23$768.02$58.81 $779.14
52-week low $39.48$473.40$16.31 $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.

MultipleRKLBNOCFLY
P/E now vs peer median -204.8xmedian 26.8x 17.8xmedian 26.8x -8.0xmedian 26.8x
P/S now vs peer median 41.9xmedian 2.9x 1.8xmedian 2.9x 10.6xmedian 2.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median -187.5xmedian 15.2x 14.8xmedian 15.2x -8.3xmedian 15.2x
P/FCF now vs peer median -86.7xmedian 25.5x 21.0xmedian 25.5x -9.3xmedian 25.5x
P/B now vs peer median 9.2xmedian 2.5x 4.3xmedian 2.5x 2.5xmedian 2.5x
PEG now vs peer median -24.76median 0.94 17.45median 0.94 —median 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 monthsRKLBNOCFLY
Revenue $769.15M $43.59B $287.01M
Gross profit $286.62M $8.73B $65.79M
Operating income -$223.49M $4.63B -$338.66M
Net income -$165.46M $4.52B -$363.46M
Free cash flow -$371.14M $3.83B -$326.49M
R&D $312.42M – $245.37M
EPS (diluted) $-0.26 $31.74 $-2.29
Cash & equivalents $2.13B $3.74B $459.82M
Total debt $1.72M $58.43B $27.00M
Shares (diluted) 629.68M 142.40M 161.78M
Enterprise value $30.01B $66.72B $94.32M

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
MetricRKLBNOCFLY
P/E -204.8x 17.8x -8.0x
P/FCF -86.7x 21.0x -9.3x
P/Operating cash flow -144.7x 15.3x -11.5x
P/S 41.9x 1.8x 10.6x
P/B 9.2x 4.3x 2.5x
P/Tangible book 10.2x 4.3x 2.8x
EV/EBITDA -187.5x 14.8x -8.3x
EV/EBIT -133.8x 19.7x -7.2x
EV/Revenue 38.9x 2.1x 8.4x
EV/FCF -80.5x 23.8x -7.4x
EV/Operating cash flow -134.4x 17.3x -9.2x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) -24.76 17.45 –

Growth

14 metrics
MetricRKLBNOCFLY
Revenue growth (1Y) 52.5% 6.5% 179.2%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 49.2% 4.1% –
Gross profit growth (1Y) 95.7% 9.8% 1,165%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 109.3% 3.4% –
Operating income growth (1Y) -0.5% 6.8% -51.0%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) -11.7% 6.4% –
Net income growth (1Y) 28.5% 12.5% -46.1%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -0.4% -1.1% –
EPS growth (1Y) 41.5% 13.3% 89.5%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 8.3% 1.0% –
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -100.8% 53.2% -63.7%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) -44.7% 12.5% –
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -81.9% 108.8% -77.2%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -45.7% 22.3% –

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricRKLBNOCFLY
Gross margin 37.3% 20.0% 22.9%
EBITDA margin -20.7% 14.1% -102.3%
Operating margin -29.1% 10.6% -118.0%
Pretax margin -24.9% 12.0% -139.6%
Net margin -21.5% 10.4% -129.1%
FCF margin -48.3% 8.8% -113.8%
Operating cash flow margin -28.9% 12.1% -92.1%
Return on equity -5.7% 24.7% -31.2%
Return on assets -4.7% 8.8% -23.2%
Return on invested capital -6.7% 12.2% -25.8%
Return on capital employed -7.5% 12.2% -26.6%
Asset turnover 0.2x 0.8x 0.2x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.3x 1.2x 0.7x
Stock comp / revenue 10.6% 0.3% 16.1%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricRKLBNOCFLY
Debt / assets 0.0% 27.5% 1.6%
Debt / equity 0.0x 0.8x 0.0x
Net debt / EBITDA 14.4x 1.7x 2.1x
Debt / FCF 0.0x 3.8x -0.1x
Liabilities / assets 16.6% 64.4% 25.4%
Equity / assets 83.4% 35.6% 74.6%
Interest coverage -13.9x 7.1x -18.2x
Current ratio 5.5x 1.2x 2.7x
Quick ratio 4.8x 1.0x 2.4x
Cash ratio 4.4x 0.3x 2.2x
Altman Z-score 28.10 3.12 3.20

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricRKLBNOCFLY
Dividend yield – 1.7% –
Net buyback yield -7.1% 0.7% -39.2%
Shareholder yield -7.1% 2.3% -39.2%
Payout ratio (earnings) – 30.2% –
Payout ratio (FCF) – 35.6% –
Dividend growth (1Y) – 8.0% –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – 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.

ConsensusRKLBNOCFLY
Forward P/E – 18.4xFY2026 –
EPS, next fiscal year $-0.28FY2026 $30.81FY2026 $-1.90FY2026
EPS growth, next FY – +17.0%FY2026 –
EPS growth, the year after – +3.7% –
Revenue, next fiscal year $917.64MFY2026 $42.95BFY2026 $464.32MFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +52.5%FY2026 +2.4%FY2026 +190.5%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +52.8% +3.7% +41.1%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersRKLBNOCFLY
Held by institutions 51.2% 83.4% 57.0%
Institutions holding 1,128 1,809 267
Change in shares held, QoQ +10.9% +0.3% +46.3%
Institutions buying 810 840 211
Institutions selling 238 639 34
Buyers to sellers 3.40 1.31 6.21

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.

RKLBNOCFLY
RKLB 1.00 0.18 0.76
NOC 0.18 1.00 0.21
FLY 0.76 0.21 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, RKLB, NOC and FLY?

Northrop Grumman (NOC) is the largest by market capitalisation: Rocket Lab (RKLB) $35.69B, Northrop Grumman (NOC) $79.26B, Firefly Aerospace (FLY) $3.17B.

Which company is growing faster?

Firefly Aerospace (FLY) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Rocket Lab (RKLB) +52.5%, Northrop Grumman (NOC) +6.5%, Firefly Aerospace (FLY) +179.2%.

Which company is more profitable?

Northrop Grumman (NOC) has the highest net margin (Rocket Lab (RKLB) -21.5%, Northrop Grumman (NOC) 10.4%, Firefly Aerospace (FLY) -129.1%). On return on invested capital, Northrop Grumman (NOC) leads (Rocket Lab (RKLB) -6.7%, Northrop Grumman (NOC) 12.2%, Firefly Aerospace (FLY) -25.8%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Northrop Grumman (NOC) returned the most: Rocket Lab (RKLB) -16.6%, Northrop Grumman (NOC) -6.6%, Firefly Aerospace (FLY) -32.2%. Over five years, Rocket Lab (RKLB) compounded fastest (Rocket Lab (RKLB) +33.2%/yr, Northrop Grumman (NOC) +7.8%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Rocket Lab (RKLB) 0.00%, Northrop Grumman (NOC) 0.02%, Firefly Aerospace (FLY) 0.00%. Rocket Lab (RKLB) and Firefly Aerospace (FLY) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Northrop Grumman (NOC) has been the steadiest (Rocket Lab (RKLB) 92.8%, Northrop Grumman (NOC) 28.6%, Firefly Aerospace (FLY) 106.9%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

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

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