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HII or HON or NOC
Which Stock Would AI Choose? Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) vs. Honeywell International (HON) vs. Northrop Grumman (NOC) Stock Comparison
Key Takeaways
- HII has delivered strong YTD gains of around 20-28%, driven by naval shipbuilding demand and a robust backlog exceeding $48 billion.
- HON shows moderate YTD performance near 14%, with diversified exposure across aerospace and automation amid spin-off preparations.
- NOC leads with YTD returns of 24-29% and a massive $95.7 billion backlog, bolstered by defense contracts and geopolitical tensions.
- All three stocks trade at elevated P/E ratios (HII ~27x, HON ~32x, NOC ~24-27x), reflecting sector growth but valuation sensitivity.
- Recent market activity reveals short-term pullbacks in recent weeks, yet relative strength persists in defense-oriented names like HII and NOC.
- Sector tailwinds from increased defense spending support outperformance versus broader industrials.
Introduction
This stock comparison examines HII, HON, and NOC, key players in the aerospace and defense sector. These companies benefit from rising geopolitical tensions, sustained U.S. military budgets, and demand for advanced technologies like unmanned systems and aircraft. Traders seeking momentum in defense stocks and investors focused on long-term stability in industrials may find value in analyzing their relative performance, backlogs, and market positioning. With recent contract wins and operational improvements, this trio highlights contrasts in naval shipbuilding, diversified industrials, and broad-spectrum defense solutions amid evolving market conditions.
HII Overview and Recent Performance
Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) is the largest U.S. military shipbuilder, specializing in nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, submarines, and surface combatants through its Newport News and Ingalls divisions, alongside mission technologies. The company generates revenue primarily from long-term U.S. Navy contracts, with a backlog surpassing $48 billion. In recent market activity, HII shares have shown resilience, posting YTD gains of 20-28% and nearly 98-113% over the past year, trading around $408 with a market cap of $16 billion and P/E near 27x. Sentiment has been buoyed by strong Q4 results, including 15.7% revenue growth to $3.48 billion, workforce expansions, new unmanned vehicle partnerships, and labor agreements enhancing productivity. These factors have driven outperformance despite short-term dips in recent weeks.
HON Overview and Recent Performance
Honeywell International (HON) operates as a diversified technology firm across aerospace, building automation, industrial automation, and energy solutions, with aerospace contributing significantly through engines, avionics, and aftermarket services. Its business model emphasizes recurring revenue from installed bases and innovation in electrification and autonomy. Shares trade near $222, with a $141 billion market cap and P/E around 32x. Recent performance reflects YTD gains of about 14% and 10-27% over one year, tempered by broader industrials weakness. Key influences include Q4 earnings beats, order surges in aerospace and building tech, Middle East shipping disruptions delaying some revenue, and progress on spinning off its aerospace unit into a standalone entity by mid-2026. These developments support steady momentum amid mixed sector sentiment.
NOC Overview and Recent Performance
Northrop Grumman (NOC) is a leading aerospace and defense technology provider, operating in aeronautics, defense systems, mission systems, and space, delivering aircraft, missiles, radars, and space solutions mainly to U.S. government clients. Its model relies on high-margin programs and a $95.7 billion backlog. Trading around $707 with a $100 billion market cap and P/E of 24-27x, NOC has achieved top YTD returns of 24-29% and 46-52% over one year. Recent strength stems from Q4 earnings beats, contract awards like artillery production in Poland, participation in missile defense initiatives, and robust demand amid geopolitical strife, though shares faced modest pullbacks in recent weeks.
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Head-to-Head Comparison
HII, HON, and NOC operate in aerospace and defense but diverge in focus: HII centers on naval shipbuilding with specialized nuclear expertise, HON offers broad industrials diversification including automation, and NOC spans aeronautics to space systems. Growth drivers include Navy budgets for HII and NOC, versus commercial aerospace recovery for HON. Recent momentum favors NOC and HII with superior YTD and 1-year returns, backed by massive backlogs versus HON's steadier profile. Risks encompass program delays and budgets for pure defense plays, supply chain issues for HON. All show heavy sector exposure, but HON lessens defense volatility. Valuation sensitivity is high across the board at 24-32x P/E, with NOC appearing relatively attractive; market sentiment tilts toward defense amid tensions, contrasting HON's spin-off uncertainties.
Tickeron AI Verdict
Tickeron’s AI currently favors NOC due to its unmatched backlog visibility, consistent trend strength, and positioning in high-demand areas like missiles and space amid geopolitical catalysts. While HII offers naval upside and HON stability, NOC's relative momentum and lower P/E suggest higher probability of near-term outperformance in the current defense-favorable environment.
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
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).
HII’s FA Score shows that 3 FA rating(s) are green whileHON’s FA Score has 2 green FA rating(s), and NOC’s FA Score reflects 2 green FA rating(s).
- HII’s FA Score: 3 green, 2 red.
- HON’s FA Score: 2 green, 3 red.
- NOC’s FA Score: 2 green, 3 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.
HII’s TA Score shows that 5 TA indicator(s) are bullish while HON’s TA Score has 5 bullish TA indicator(s), and NOC’s TA Score reflects 4 bullish TA indicator(s).
- HII’s TA Score: 5 bullish, 5 bearish.
- HON’s TA Score: 5 bullish, 5 bearish.
- NOC’s TA Score: 4 bullish, 6 bearish.
Price Growth
HII (@Aerospace & Defense) experienced а +1.70% price change this week, while HON (@Industrial Conglomerates) price change was +2.88% , and NOC (@Aerospace & Defense) price fluctuated -1.70% for the same time period.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Aerospace & Defense industry was +4.33%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was -0.07%, and the average quarterly price growth was +25.05%.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Industrial Conglomerates industry was +2.04%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was +2.01%, and the average quarterly price growth was +21.33%.
Reported Earning Dates
HII is expected to report earnings on Apr 30, 2026.
HON is expected to report earnings on Apr 23, 2026.
NOC is expected to report earnings on Apr 21, 2026.
Industries' Descriptions
@Aerospace & Defense (+4.33% 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.
@Industrial Conglomerates (+2.04% weekly)Industrial Conglomerates specialize in numerous types of products, most of which comprise industrial goods, while some also go towards meeting household needs. Honeywell (makes engineering services and aerospace systems), United Technologies Corporation(manufactures aircraft engines, aerospace systems, HVAC, elevators and escalators, fire and security, building systems, and industrial products, among others), 3M (over 60,000 products under several world-renowned brands, including adhesives, abrasives, laminates, passive fire protection, personal protective equipment, window films, paint protection films, dental and orthodontic products, electrical & electronic connecting and insulating materials, medical products, car-care products, electronic circuits, healthcare software and optical films).
| HII | HON | NOC | |
| Capitalization | 15.9B | 150B | 98.1B |
| EBITDA | 1.21B | 10.3B | 7.21B |
| Gain YTD | 18.984 | 21.601 | 21.496 |
| P/E Ratio | 26.21 | 34.01 | 23.75 |
| Revenue | 12.5B | 40.7B | 42B |
| Total Cash | 774M | N/A | 4.4B |
| Total Debt | 2.92B | 37B | 17B |
HII | HON | NOC | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
OUTLOOK RATING 1..100 | 70 | 11 | 58 | |
VALUATION overvalued / fair valued / undervalued 1..100 | 17 Undervalued | 64 Fair valued | 66 Overvalued | |
PROFIT vs RISK RATING 1..100 | 28 | 47 | 7 | |
SMR RATING 1..100 | 59 | 26 | 35 | |
PRICE GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 40 | 46 | 48 | |
P/E GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 14 | 21 | 29 | |
SEASONALITY SCORE 1..100 | 65 | 75 | 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.
HII's Valuation (17) in the Aerospace And Defense industry is somewhat better than the same rating for HON (64) in the Industrial Conglomerates industry, and is somewhat better than the same rating for NOC (66) in the Aerospace And Defense industry. This means that HII's stock grew somewhat faster than HON’s and somewhat faster than NOC’s over the last 12 months.
NOC's Profit vs Risk Rating (7) in the Aerospace And Defense industry is in the same range as HII (28) in the Aerospace And Defense industry, and is somewhat better than the same rating for HON (47) in the Industrial Conglomerates industry. This means that NOC's stock grew similarly to HII’s and somewhat faster than HON’s over the last 12 months.
HON's SMR Rating (26) in the Industrial Conglomerates industry is in the same range as NOC (35) in the Aerospace And Defense industry, and is somewhat better than the same rating for HII (59) in the Aerospace And Defense industry. This means that HON's stock grew similarly to NOC’s and somewhat faster than HII’s over the last 12 months.
HII's Price Growth Rating (40) in the Aerospace And Defense industry is in the same range as HON (46) in the Industrial Conglomerates industry, and is in the same range as NOC (48) in the Aerospace And Defense industry. This means that HII's stock grew similarly to HON’s and similarly to NOC’s over the last 12 months.
HII's P/E Growth Rating (14) in the Aerospace And Defense industry is in the same range as HON (21) in the Industrial Conglomerates industry, and is in the same range as NOC (29) in the Aerospace And Defense industry. This means that HII's stock grew similarly to HON’s and similarly to NOC’s over the last 12 months.
| HII | HON | NOC | |
|---|---|---|---|
| RSI ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 64% | 1 day ago 76% | 1 day ago 69% |
| Stochastic ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 50% | 1 day ago 51% | 1 day ago 54% |
| Momentum ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 65% | 1 day ago 49% | 1 day ago 45% |
| MACD ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 69% | 1 day ago 59% | 1 day ago 50% |
| TrendWeek ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 62% | 1 day ago 48% | 1 day ago 41% |
| TrendMonth ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 53% | 1 day ago 44% | 1 day ago 32% |
| Advances ODDS (%) | 5 days ago 61% | 1 day ago 44% | 9 days ago 60% |
| Declines ODDS (%) | 12 days ago 54% | 4 days ago 46% | 3 days ago 42% |
| BollingerBands ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 59% | 1 day ago 46% | 1 day ago 63% |
| Aroon ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 50% | 1 day ago 33% | 1 day ago 30% |
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HII and
Correlation & Price change
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% | -1.94% | ||
| LHX - HII | 62% Loosely correlated | -1.11% | ||
| GD - HII | 62% Loosely correlated | -1.75% | ||
| KTOS - HII | 55% Loosely correlated | -8.23% | ||
| CW - HII | 53% Loosely correlated | -0.88% | ||
| KRMN - HII | 51% Loosely correlated | -4.02% | ||
More | ||||
HON and
Correlation & Price change
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, HON has been loosely correlated with MMM. These tickers have moved in lockstep 62% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is some statistical probability that if HON jumps, then MMM could also see price increases.
| Ticker / NAME | Correlation To HON | 1D Price Change % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HON | 100% | +1.54% | ||
| MMM - HON | 62% Loosely correlated | +0.89% | ||
| BBUC - HON | 52% Loosely correlated | -1.68% | ||
| VMI - HON | 51% Loosely correlated | -0.35% | ||
| BBU - HON | 49% Loosely correlated | N/A | ||
| MATW - HON | 46% Loosely correlated | +1.93% | ||
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