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BWXT vs MRCY
Which Stock Would AI Choose? BWX Technologies, Inc. (BWXT) vs. Mercury Systems, Inc. (MRCY) Stock Comparison
Key Takeaways
- BWXT delivered Q1 2026 revenue growth of 26% year-over-year to $860 million, beating estimates, with a massive $8.65 billion backlog providing exceptional revenue visibility.
- MRCY reported Q3 fiscal 2026 revenue up 11.5% organically to $236 million, with record bookings of $348 million and $1.6 billion backlog, also topping expectations.
- Both stocks operate in defense-related sectors, with BWXT focused on nuclear components showing stronger YTD returns (19.44%) versus MRCY (13.63%), amid rising nuclear demand.
- BWXT trades at a trailing P/E of 60.53 and forward P/E of 49, while MRCY has no trailing P/E due to losses but a forward P/E of 52, reflecting growth expectations.
- Recent acquisitions bolster manufacturing capacity for both: BWXT with Precision Components Group and MRCY with SolderMask, supporting higher production rates.
- Market caps differ significantly: BWXT at ~$19B versus MRCY at ~$5B, influencing relative risk and liquidity profiles.
Introduction
This stock comparison examines BWXT and MRCY, two defense-oriented companies benefiting from elevated geopolitical tensions and U.S. military spending priorities. BWXT, a leader in nuclear components, and MRCY, a provider of secure processing subsystems, offer exposure to aerospace, defense, and emerging nuclear technologies. Traders seeking momentum in high-growth defense subsectors or investors eyeing long-term backlog conversion will find value in analyzing their recent performance, valuations, and catalysts amid broader market volatility.
BWXT Overview and Recent Performance
BWXT (BWX Technologies, Inc.) manufactures nuclear components, reactors, and fuel primarily for U.S. government naval programs, alongside commercial nuclear steam generators and medical radioisotopes. In recent market activity, the stock has shown resilience, trading around $206 after a 52-week range of $105-$242. Year-to-date returns stand at 19.44%, outperforming the S&P 500's 6% amid nuclear energy enthusiasm.
Recent weeks featured strong Q1 2026 results with revenues of $860 million (up 26% year-over-year), adjusted EBITDA of $148 million, and non-GAAP EPS of $1.12, surpassing estimates. Backlog reached $8.65 billion, up significantly, driven by government contracts. Key developments include the acquisition of Precision Components Group for U.S. commercial nuclear expansion and NRC engagement for a new uranium enrichment facility. Sentiment remains positive on defense nuclear demand, though shares dipped post-earnings on profit-taking.
MRCY Overview and Recent Performance
MRCY (Mercury Systems, Inc.) designs secure processing modules, subsystems, and components for defense primes, focusing on electronic warfare, radar, and space applications. Shares recently traded near $83 within a 52-week range of $44-$104, with YTD returns of 13.63% and 1-year gains of 62%.
In recent quarters, MRCY posted Q3 fiscal 2026 revenues of $236 million (up 11.5% organically), adjusted EBITDA of $36 million (margin 15.3%), and record bookings of $348 million, yielding a 1.48 book-to-bill ratio. Backlog hit $1.6 billion, up 18% year-over-year. Highlights include L3Harris contract for satellite data recorders and SolderMask acquisition to ramp microelectronics production. Performance reflects robust demand in missile and C4I programs, boosting sentiment despite historical profitability challenges.
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Head-to-Head Comparison
BWXT and MRCY both thrive in aerospace and defense, but diverge in focus: BWXT’s nuclear propulsion for naval vessels offers stable, sole-source government revenue, while MRCY targets modular electronics for broader platforms like missiles and satellites.
Growth drivers contrast: BWXT leverages uranium demand and commercial SMRs (small modular reactors), with 26% recent revenue growth; MRCY rides C4I (command, control, communications, computers, intelligence) and space contracts, at 11.5% organic growth. Backlogs underscore visibility—$8.65B for BWXT versus $1.6B for MRCY—but MRCY’s higher book-to-bill signals accelerating demand.
Risk profiles differ: BWXT’s beta of 0.78 and dividend (0.5% yield) add stability; MRCY’s 0.83 beta and no dividend reflect execution risks from past losses. Valuations show BWXT at 6.22 price/sales and MRCY at 4.93, with similar forward P/Es around 50 amid sector premiums. Sentiment favors BWXT for consistency, MRCY for upside potential.
Tickeron AI Verdict
Tickeron’s AI currently favors BWXT over MRCY, based on superior trend consistency from its dominant naval nuclear backlog, higher recent revenue momentum (26% vs. 11.5%), and stable profitability with dividends. While MRCY shows strong bookings growth and margin expansion, its history of losses introduces higher volatility. Observable catalysts like nuclear policy tailwinds position BWXT for more reliable relative outperformance in the near term.
Disclaimer
The information on this webpage is provided for general informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as investment advice, a recommendation to purchase or sell any security, or an offer or solicitation related to investments. It does not consider your personal financial situation, goals, or risk profile, and all investing carries inherent risks, including the possibility of losing your entire investment. For more details, please review our full disclaimer. Disclaimers and Limitations
To compare these two companies we present long-term analysis, their fundamental ratings and make comparative short-term technical analysis which are presented below. The conclusion is BWXT is a Hold and MRCY is a Hold.
Long-Term Analysis
It is best to consider a long-term outlook for a ticker by using Fundamental Analysis (FA) ratings. The rating of 1 to 100, where 1 is best and 100 is worst, is divided into thirds. The first third (a green rating of 1-33) indicates that the ticker is undervalued; the second third (a grey number between 34 and 66) means that the ticker is valued fairly; and the last third (red number of 67 to 100) reflects that the ticker is undervalued. We use an FA Score to show how many ratings show the ticker to be undervalued (green) or overvalued (red).
BWXT’s FA Score shows that 2 FA rating(s) are green whileMRCY’s FA Score has 1 green FA rating(s).
- BWXT’s FA Score: 2 green, 3 red.
- MRCY’s FA Score: 1 green, 4 red.
Short-Term Analysis
It is best to consider a short-term outlook for a ticker by using Technical Analysis (TA) indicators. We use Odds of Success as the percentage of outcomes which confirm successful trade signals in the past.
If the Odds of Success (the likelihood of the continuation of a trend) for each indicator are greater than 50%, then the generated signal is confirmed. A green percentage from 90% to 51% indicates that the ticker is in a bullish trend. A red percentage from 90% - 51% indicates that the ticker is in a bearish trend. All grey percentages are below 50% and are considered not to confirm the trend signal.
BWXT’s TA Score shows that 3 TA indicator(s) are bullish while MRCY’s TA Score has 6 bullish TA indicator(s).
- BWXT’s TA Score: 3 bullish, 7 bearish.
- MRCY’s TA Score: 6 bullish, 4 bearish.
Price Growth
BWXT (@Aerospace & Defense) experienced а -0.30% price change this week, while MRCY (@Aerospace & Defense) price change was +1.87% for the same time period.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Aerospace & Defense industry was -2.43%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was -4.21%, and the average quarterly price growth was +48.06%.
Reported Earning Dates
BWXT is expected to report earnings on Aug 10, 2026.
MRCY is expected to report earnings on Aug 18, 2026.
Industries' Descriptions
@Aerospace & Defense (-2.43% weekly)Aerospace & Defense is one of largest industries in the U.S., mainly comprising the following areas: commercial airliners, military aircraft, missiles, space, and general aviation. Focused heavily on research & development, it is also one of the fastest growing industries. Military aircraft has the largest market share in the industry’s sales, followed by space systems, civil aircraft, and missiles. Aerospace exports, directly and indirectly, support more jobs than the export of any other commodity, according to a study by the U.S. Department of Commerce. Boeing Company, Lockheed Martin Corporation and General Electric Company are some of the most prominent players in this space.
| BWXT | MRCY | BWXT / MRCY | |
| Capitalization | 18.8B | 5.53B | 340% |
| EBITDA | 569M | 88.4M | 644% |
| Gain YTD | 18.608 | 26.051 | 71% |
| P/E Ratio | 54.59 | N/A | - |
| Revenue | 3.38B | 967M | 349% |
| Total Cash | 512M | 332M | 154% |
| Total Debt | 2.02B | 654M | 309% |
BWXT | MRCY | ||
|---|---|---|---|
OUTLOOK RATING 1..100 | 50 | 50 | |
VALUATION overvalued / fair valued / undervalued 1..100 | 94 Overvalued | 98 Overvalued | |
PROFIT vs RISK RATING 1..100 | 12 | 79 | |
SMR RATING 1..100 | 34 | 91 | |
PRICE GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 47 | 40 | |
P/E GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 16 | 2 | |
SEASONALITY SCORE 1..100 | 50 | 50 |
Tickeron ratings are formulated such that a rating of 1 designates the most successful stocks in a given industry, while a rating of 100 points to the least successful stocks for that industry.
BWXT's Valuation (94) in the Aerospace And Defense industry is in the same range as MRCY (98) in the Electronic Equipment Or Instruments industry. This means that BWXT’s stock grew similarly to MRCY’s over the last 12 months.
BWXT's Profit vs Risk Rating (12) in the Aerospace And Defense industry is significantly better than the same rating for MRCY (79) in the Electronic Equipment Or Instruments industry. This means that BWXT’s stock grew significantly faster than MRCY’s over the last 12 months.
BWXT's SMR Rating (34) in the Aerospace And Defense industry is somewhat better than the same rating for MRCY (91) in the Electronic Equipment Or Instruments industry. This means that BWXT’s stock grew somewhat faster than MRCY’s over the last 12 months.
MRCY's Price Growth Rating (40) in the Electronic Equipment Or Instruments industry is in the same range as BWXT (47) in the Aerospace And Defense industry. This means that MRCY’s stock grew similarly to BWXT’s over the last 12 months.
MRCY's P/E Growth Rating (2) in the Electronic Equipment Or Instruments industry is in the same range as BWXT (16) in the Aerospace And Defense industry. This means that MRCY’s stock grew similarly to BWXT’s over the last 12 months.
| BWXT | MRCY | |
|---|---|---|
| RSI ODDS (%) | 4 days ago 57% | 4 days ago 82% |
| Stochastic ODDS (%) | 4 days ago 70% | 4 days ago 78% |
| Momentum ODDS (%) | 4 days ago 53% | 4 days ago 67% |
| MACD ODDS (%) | 4 days ago 52% | 4 days ago 74% |
| TrendWeek ODDS (%) | 4 days ago 54% | 4 days ago 67% |
| TrendMonth ODDS (%) | 4 days ago 55% | 4 days ago 60% |
| Advances ODDS (%) | 26 days ago 69% | 5 days ago 69% |
| Declines ODDS (%) | 11 days ago 55% | 15 days ago 70% |
| BollingerBands ODDS (%) | 4 days ago 76% | 4 days ago 85% |
| Aroon ODDS (%) | 4 days ago 59% | 4 days ago 59% |
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BWXT and
Correlation & Price change
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, BWXT has been closely correlated with CW. These tickers have moved in lockstep 73% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is a high statistical probability that if BWXT jumps, then CW could also see price increases.
| Ticker / NAME | Correlation To BWXT | 1D Price Change % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BWXT | 100% | -2.95% | ||
| CW - BWXT | 73% Closely correlated | -5.08% | ||
| KTOS - BWXT | 51% Loosely correlated | -5.03% | ||
| MRCY - BWXT | 50% Loosely correlated | -2.66% | ||
| AIR - BWXT | 50% Loosely correlated | -3.76% | ||
| HWM - BWXT | 48% Loosely correlated | -4.41% | ||
More | ||||
MRCY and
Correlation & Price change
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, MRCY has been loosely correlated with KTOS. These tickers have moved in lockstep 57% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is some statistical probability that if MRCY jumps, then KTOS could also see price increases.
| Ticker / NAME | Correlation To MRCY | 1D Price Change % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MRCY | 100% | -2.66% | ||
| KTOS - MRCY | 57% Loosely correlated | -5.03% | ||
| CW - MRCY | 56% Loosely correlated | -5.08% | ||
| BWXT - MRCY | 50% Loosely correlated | -2.95% | ||
| DRS - MRCY | 50% Loosely correlated | -3.17% | ||
| KRMN - MRCY | 49% Loosely correlated | -4.92% | ||
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