In the aerospace and defense sector, BWXT, HII, and HWM represent specialized players in nuclear technology, shipbuilding, and engineered components. This comparison analyzes their business models, recent market performance, and growth drivers amid rising geopolitical tensions and commercial aviation recovery. Traders seeking momentum in defense spending and investors eyeing long-term sector tailwinds will find value in understanding their relative positioning, valuation sensitivities, and backlog visibility in today's dynamic market environment.
BWXT, or BWX Technologies, Inc., specializes in nuclear components, reactors, and fuel for U.S. naval propulsion and commercial applications. In recent market activity, shares have gained around 13-25% year-to-date, outperforming the aerospace sector average, with one-year returns exceeding 100%. Key influences include a record $7.3 billion backlog, up significantly year-over-year, fueled by multi-year government contracts for uranium enrichment and depleted uranium processing. Q4 2025 results showed 18% revenue growth to $3.2 billion annually, with adjusted EBITDA up 15%, though recent insider sales have tempered some enthusiasm. Sentiment remains positive due to investments in microreactors and barriers to entry in naval nuclear expertise.
Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. (HII) is the largest U.S. military shipbuilder, focusing on nuclear-powered carriers, submarines, and non-nuclear vessels through its Ingalls and Newport News segments. Recent performance has been robust, with shares up approximately 27% year-to-date and over 120% in the past year, surpassing sector peers. Q4 2025 revenue rose 15.7% to $3.48 billion, beating estimates, supported by a strong book-to-bill ratio and advancements in unmanned naval systems like the USS Philadelphia keel authentication. Influences include fleet modernization demand and partnerships for autonomous vehicles, though execution risks in shipbuilding throughput persist. Positive analyst revisions reflect improved earnings outlook.
Howmet Aerospace Inc. (HWM) provides advanced engineered solutions like lightweight metal components for aerospace engines and structures. Shares have surged about 23% year-to-date and over 100% in the past year, with 32% gains in the last three months, outpacing the industrials sector. Q4 2025 revenue hit $2.17 billion, up 14.6%, with adjusted EPS of $1.05 beating forecasts, driven by 19.7% growth in engine products from commercial aerospace demand and air travel recovery. Acquisitions like Consolidated Aerospace and capacity expansions bolster momentum, though valuations appear stretched. Strong guidance for 2026 revenue of $9-9.2 billion supports ongoing sentiment.
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BWXT, HII, and HWM operate in complementary aerospace-defense niches: nuclear supply chain, shipbuilding, and components. Growth drivers diverge—BWXT's $7.3B backlog ties to stable government nuclear demand, HII's to naval expansion, and HWM's to commercial aftermarket. Recent momentum favors HWM (100%+ one-year) over BWXT and HII amid aviation recovery. Risk factors include BWXT's high P/E (~56-60x), execution delays for HII, and cyclical exposure for HWM. Valuation sensitivity is highest for BWXT at premiums to peers; HII offers relative value. Market sentiment leans toward HWM's diversified growth versus defense purity.
Tickeron’s AI currently favors HWM due to consistent trend strength, superior relative YTD and one-year performance, and catalysts like engine demand and acquisitions. While BWXT offers backlog stability and HII shipbuilding exposure, HWM's positioning in high-growth commercial aerospace provides probabilistic edge in recent sector rotations.
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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).
BWXT’s FA Score shows that 3 FA rating(s) are green whileHII’s FA Score has 3 green FA rating(s), and HWM’s FA Score reflects 4 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.
BWXT’s TA Score shows that 6 TA indicator(s) are bullish while HII’s TA Score has 5 bullish TA indicator(s), and HWM’s TA Score reflects 4 bullish TA indicator(s).
BWXT (@Aerospace & Defense) experienced а +6.79% price change this week, while HII (@Aerospace & Defense) price change was -0.56% , and HWM (@Aerospace & Defense) price fluctuated +8.59% for the same time period.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Aerospace & Defense industry was +4.88%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was +0.84%, and the average quarterly price growth was +27.47%.
BWXT is expected to report earnings on May 04, 2026.
HII is expected to report earnings on Apr 30, 2026.
HWM is expected to report earnings on May 07, 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.
| BWXT | HII | HWM | |
| Capitalization | 21B | 15.5B | 101B |
| EBITDA | 552M | 1.21B | 2.27B |
| Gain YTD | 33.006 | 16.341 | 23.312 |
| P/E Ratio | 64.13 | 25.63 | 68.11 |
| Revenue | 3.2B | 12.5B | 8.25B |
| Total Cash | N/A | 774M | 742M |
| Total Debt | 2.02B | 2.92B | 3.21B |
BWXT | HII | HWM | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
OUTLOOK RATING 1..100 | 22 | 70 | 74 | |
VALUATION overvalued / fair valued / undervalued 1..100 | 96 Overvalued | 16 Undervalued | 75 Overvalued | |
PROFIT vs RISK RATING 1..100 | 7 | 30 | 3 | |
SMR RATING 1..100 | 33 | 59 | 30 | |
PRICE GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 39 | 41 | 12 | |
P/E GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 13 | 15 | 21 | |
SEASONALITY SCORE 1..100 | 65 | 65 | 90 |
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.
HII's Valuation (16) in the Aerospace And Defense industry is somewhat better than the same rating for HWM (75) in the null industry, and is significantly better than the same rating for BWXT (96) in the Aerospace And Defense industry. This means that HII's stock grew somewhat faster than HWM’s and significantly faster than BWXT’s over the last 12 months.
HWM's Profit vs Risk Rating (3) in the null industry is in the same range as BWXT (7) in the Aerospace And Defense industry, and is in the same range as HII (30) in the Aerospace And Defense industry. This means that HWM's stock grew similarly to BWXT’s and similarly to HII’s over the last 12 months.
HWM's SMR Rating (30) in the null industry is in the same range as BWXT (33) in the Aerospace And Defense industry, and is in the same range as HII (59) in the Aerospace And Defense industry. This means that HWM's stock grew similarly to BWXT’s and similarly to HII’s over the last 12 months.
HWM's Price Growth Rating (12) in the null industry is in the same range as BWXT (39) in the Aerospace And Defense industry, and is in the same range as HII (41) in the Aerospace And Defense industry. This means that HWM's stock grew similarly to BWXT’s and similarly to HII’s over the last 12 months.
BWXT's P/E Growth Rating (13) in the Aerospace And Defense industry is in the same range as HII (15) in the Aerospace And Defense industry, and is in the same range as HWM (21) in the null industry. This means that BWXT's stock grew similarly to HII’s and similarly to HWM’s over the last 12 months.
| BWXT | HII | HWM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| RSI ODDS (%) | N/A | 1 day ago 64% | N/A |
| Stochastic ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 57% | 1 day ago 55% | 1 day ago 50% |
| Momentum ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 64% | 1 day ago 59% | 1 day ago 74% |
| MACD ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 67% | 1 day ago 71% | 1 day ago 69% |
| TrendWeek ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 69% | 1 day ago 54% | 1 day ago 72% |
| TrendMonth ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 71% | 1 day ago 53% | 1 day ago 51% |
| Advances ODDS (%) | 6 days ago 68% | 6 days ago 61% | 3 days ago 70% |
| Declines ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 55% | 1 day ago 54% | 13 days ago 50% |
| BollingerBands ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 52% | 1 day ago 56% | 1 day ago 41% |
| Aroon ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 67% | 1 day ago 51% | 1 day ago 51% |
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, BWXT has been closely correlated with CW. These tickers have moved in lockstep 79% 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% | -0.31% | ||
| CW - BWXT | 79% Closely correlated | +0.44% | ||
| HWM - BWXT | 54% Loosely correlated | -0.55% | ||
| KTOS - BWXT | 53% Loosely correlated | +2.94% | ||
| AIR - BWXT | 53% Loosely correlated | -1.80% | ||
| MRCY - BWXT | 52% Loosely correlated | +0.47% | ||
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A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, HII has been loosely correlated with LHX. These tickers have moved in lockstep 62% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is some statistical probability that if HII jumps, then LHX could also see price increases.
| Ticker / NAME | Correlation To HII | 1D Price Change % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HII | 100% | -2.22% | ||
| LHX - HII | 62% Loosely correlated | -1.22% | ||
| GD - HII | 61% Loosely correlated | -2.09% | ||
| KTOS - HII | 55% Loosely correlated | +2.94% | ||
| CW - HII | 53% Loosely correlated | +0.44% | ||
| KRMN - HII | 51% Loosely correlated | -2.02% | ||
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A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, HWM has been closely correlated with GE. These tickers have moved in lockstep 77% 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.