This stock comparison examines BA, HWM, and LHX, three key players in the aerospace and defense sector amid rising global demand for aircraft and defense systems. BA focuses on full aircraft assembly, HWM on critical components, and LHX on advanced technologies. Traders seeking exposure to commercial aviation recovery and defense spending growth, as well as investors tracking relative performance in a volatile market, will find value in understanding their business models, recent momentum, and positioning. Recent market activity highlights contrasts in stability and catalysts, aiding decisions on sector allocation.
Boeing (BA), a leading aerospace giant, operates through Commercial Airplanes, Defense, Space & Security, and Global Services segments. It designs and manufactures commercial jetliners like the 737 MAX and 787 Dreamliner, alongside military aircraft, satellites, and aftermarket services. In recent market activity, BA shares have displayed volatility, with gains tied to prospective orders such as a potential 500-aircraft deal with China boosting sentiment around commercial recovery. Q4 2025 revenue reached $23.9 billion, up significantly year-over-year, driven by higher deliveries—the highest annual total since 2018 at 600 aircraft. However, commercial losses persist amid production ramp-ups toward 47 MAX per month, while defense faces fixed-price contract pressures. Positive cash flow trends and Spirit AeroSystems integration support gradual stabilization, though sentiment reflects execution risks.
Howmet Aerospace (HWM) specializes in advanced engineered components for jet engines, fastening systems, and structural parts, serving commercial aerospace, defense, and transportation markets through Engine Products, Fastening Systems, Engineered Structures, and Forged Wheels segments. Recent weeks have seen strong performance, with shares reflecting robust demand in commercial aerospace. Q4 2025 revenue hit a record $2.2 billion, up 15% year-over-year, propelled by 13-14% growth in engine products and a $1.8 billion acquisition of Consolidated Aerospace Manufacturing. Full-year revenue rose 11%, with FY2026 guidance at ~10% growth to $9.1 billion. Analysts note optimism from strategic positioning and projected 20%+ EPS growth, enhancing sentiment amid sector upcycle, though valuation sensitivity persists at elevated multiples.
L3Harris Technologies (LHX) delivers mission-critical defense technologies across Space & Mission Systems, Communications & Spectrum Dominance, and Missile Solutions segments, focusing on satellites, tactical communications, electronic warfare, and hypersonics. Recent performance has been solid, supported by record 2025 orders of $27.5 billion and a 1.3x book-to-bill ratio. Q4 revenue grew 2% to $5.6 billion, with organic growth at 6% and adjusted EPS beating estimates. A January 2026 reorganization into three segments aligns with warfare evolution, while a $1 billion DoD investment in missile production adds catalysts. YTD gains near 25% reflect strong backlog ($36B+) and margin expansion, though government funding delays pose risks; overall sentiment favors defense momentum.
Tickeron’s Trending AI Robots page showcases the platform's top-performing AI trading bots from hundreds available, which trade thousands of tickers using diverse strategies like pattern recognition, momentum, and volatility adaptation across timeframes from 5 minutes to daily. Only bots excelling in current conditions—such as high win rates (52-95%), profit factors (1.6-25+), and annualized returns up to 218%—earn a spot in this curated section. Aerospace and defense themes feature prominently, with bots like AeroDefense DFEN (60min: +99% annualized, 72% win rate), Aerospace HWM (5min: +64%, 71% win rate), and multi-ticker agents blending ITA/XAR (up to +105%) delivering strong results amid sector volatility. These bots vary in style, from short-term scalping to swing trades, offering risk-managed copy trading. Explore Tickeron’s Trending AI Robots for data-driven insights tailored to today's markets.
BA, HWM, and LHX operate in interconnected aerospace/defense ecosystems but differ in models: BA's integrated aircraft manufacturing exposes it to supply chain risks versus HWM's nimble components focus and LHX's tech-centric defense emphasis. Growth drivers include commercial recovery for BA and HWM (10-15% revenue outlook), defense budgets for LHX (record backlog). Recent momentum favors HWM (YTD +22%) and LHX (+25%) over BA's choppier path. Risks: BA execution delays, HWM cyclicality, LHX contract dependencies. Valuations show LHX at ~43x P/E more reasonable than peers; sentiment tilts toward defense stability amid geopolitical shifts, with HWM balancing commercial upside.
Tickeron’s AI analysis leans toward HWM in the current environment, given its consistent trend strength, commercial aerospace catalysts like record revenues and acquisitions, and superior relative YTD performance with lower volatility than BA. LHX offers close contention via defense backlog and reorganization benefits, while BA lags on stability despite order potential. Observable factors like momentum and sector positioning suggest higher probability of outperformance for HWM near-term, though rotations could favor LHX on geopolitical catalysts.
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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).
BA’s FA Score shows that 1 FA rating(s) are green whileHWM’s FA Score has 4 green FA rating(s), and LHX’s FA Score reflects 3 green FA rating(s).
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.
BA’s TA Score shows that 6 TA indicator(s) are bullish while HWM’s TA Score has 5 bullish TA indicator(s), and LHX’s TA Score reflects 2 bullish TA indicator(s).
BA (@Aerospace & Defense) experienced а +1.32% price change this week, while HWM (@Aerospace & Defense) price change was -0.20% , and LHX (@Aerospace & Defense) price fluctuated -2.62% for the same time period.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Aerospace & Defense industry was +5.51%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was +14.90%, and the average quarterly price growth was +27.80%.
BA is expected to report earnings on Apr 22, 2026.
HWM is expected to report earnings on May 07, 2026.
LHX is expected to report earnings on Apr 30, 2026.
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.
| BA | HWM | LHX | |
| Capitalization | 177B | 102B | 65.1B |
| EBITDA | 7.36B | 2.27B | 3.75B |
| Gain YTD | 3.666 | 24.752 | 19.148 |
| P/E Ratio | 90.76 | 68.90 | 40.86 |
| Revenue | 89.5B | 8.25B | 21.9B |
| Total Cash | 29.4B | 742M | 1.07B |
| Total Debt | 54.4B | 3.21B | 11.1B |
BA | HWM | LHX | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
OUTLOOK RATING 1..100 | 16 | 12 | 62 | |
VALUATION overvalued / fair valued / undervalued 1..100 | 84 Overvalued | 73 Overvalued | 20 Undervalued | |
PROFIT vs RISK RATING 1..100 | 100 | 3 | 28 | |
SMR RATING 1..100 | 10 | 31 | 75 | |
PRICE GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 50 | 10 | 47 | |
P/E GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 72 | 22 | 26 | |
SEASONALITY SCORE 1..100 | 50 | 85 | 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.
LHX's Valuation (20) in the null industry is somewhat better than the same rating for HWM (73) in the null industry, and is somewhat better than the same rating for BA (84) in the Aerospace And Defense industry. This means that LHX's stock grew somewhat faster than HWM’s and somewhat faster than BA’s over the last 12 months.
HWM's Profit vs Risk Rating (3) in the null industry is in the same range as LHX (28) in the null industry, and is significantly better than the same rating for BA (100) in the Aerospace And Defense industry. This means that HWM's stock grew similarly to LHX’s and significantly faster than BA’s over the last 12 months.
BA's SMR Rating (10) in the Aerospace And Defense industry is in the same range as HWM (31) in the null industry, and is somewhat better than the same rating for LHX (75) in the null industry. This means that BA's stock grew similarly to HWM’s and somewhat faster than LHX’s over the last 12 months.
HWM's Price Growth Rating (10) in the null industry is somewhat better than the same rating for LHX (47) in the null industry, and is somewhat better than the same rating for BA (50) in the Aerospace And Defense industry. This means that HWM's stock grew somewhat faster than LHX’s and somewhat faster than BA’s over the last 12 months.
HWM's P/E Growth Rating (22) in the null industry is in the same range as LHX (26) in the null industry, and is somewhat better than the same rating for BA (72) in the Aerospace And Defense industry. This means that HWM's stock grew similarly to LHX’s and somewhat faster than BA’s over the last 12 months.
| BA | HWM | LHX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| RSI ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 77% | N/A | N/A |
| Stochastic ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 64% | 1 day ago 55% | 1 day ago 52% |
| Momentum ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 65% | 1 day ago 75% | 1 day ago 55% |
| MACD ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 63% | 1 day ago 78% | 1 day ago 51% |
| TrendWeek ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 68% | 1 day ago 54% | 1 day ago 52% |
| TrendMonth ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 66% | 1 day ago 70% | 1 day ago 57% |
| Advances ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 65% | 8 days ago 70% | 16 days ago 54% |
| Declines ODDS (%) | 23 days ago 75% | 6 days ago 51% | 1 day ago 51% |
| BollingerBands ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 56% | 1 day ago 56% | 1 day ago 71% |
| Aroon ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 77% | 1 day ago 38% | 1 day ago 54% |
| 1 Day | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ETFs / NAME | Price $ | Chg $ | Chg % |
| RVER | 31.01 | 0.40 | +1.31% |
| Trenchless Fund ETF | |||
| AIRR | 123.88 | 0.75 | +0.61% |
| First Trust RBA Amer Indl RenaisTM ETF | |||
| LQTI | 19.75 | 0.05 | +0.25% |
| FT Vest Investment Grade & Target Income ETF | |||
| SIMS | 45.26 | 0.07 | +0.16% |
| Stt Strt®SPDR®S&PKenshoIntlgntStrctrETF | |||
| ULST | 40.48 | 0.01 | +0.02% |
| State Street® Ultra Short Term Bond ETF | |||
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, HWM has been closely correlated with GE. These tickers have moved in lockstep 72% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is a high statistical probability that if HWM jumps, then GE could also see price increases.
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, LHX has been loosely correlated with GD. These tickers have moved in lockstep 61% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is some statistical probability that if LHX jumps, then GD could also see price increases.
| Ticker / NAME | Correlation To LHX | 1D Price Change % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LHX | 100% | -0.51% | ||
| GD - LHX | 61% Loosely correlated | -1.23% | ||
| HII - LHX | 59% Loosely correlated | -0.66% | ||
| NOC - LHX | 52% Loosely correlated | -1.24% | ||
| KTOS - LHX | 50% Loosely correlated | -1.63% | ||
| BWXT - LHX | 49% Loosely correlated | -3.20% | ||
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