HII
Price
$392.02
Change
-$2.79 (-0.71%)
Updated
Apr 20, 04:59 PM (EDT)
Capitalization
15.44B
15 days until earnings call
Intraday BUY SELL Signals
HWM
Price
$255.69
Change
-$0.00 (-0.00%)
Updated
Apr 20, 04:59 PM (EDT)
Capitalization
102.43B
17 days until earnings call
Intraday BUY SELL Signals
RTX
Price
$195.82
Change
-$0.60 (-0.31%)
Updated
Apr 20, 04:59 PM (EDT)
Capitalization
263.53B
One day until earnings call
Intraday BUY SELL Signals
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HII or HWM or RTX

Header iconHII vs HWM vs RTX Comparison
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Which Stock Would AI Choose? Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) vs. Howmet Aerospace (HWM) vs. RTX Corporation (RTX) Stock Comparison

Key Takeaways

  • HII leads YTD performance with approximately 18.5% gains, driven by a $53 billion backlog and naval contracts, outperforming the S&P 500's 3.5%.
  • HWM shows strong multi-year momentum with 76.7% one-year returns and robust commercial aerospace demand, though recent weeks saw volatility.
  • RTX benefits from a massive $268 billion backlog and diversified defense exposure, with steady 46% one-year gains but milder recent activity.
  • All three stocks exhibit resilience in the aerospace and defense sector amid rising budgets, but HII trades at a relative valuation discount with lower P/E compared to peers.
  • Recent market activity highlights supply chain pressures and contract wins influencing sentiment, with HWM and RTX showing higher growth sensitivity to commercial aviation recovery.

Introduction

This comparison examines HII, HWM, and RTX, key players in the aerospace and defense sector benefiting from increased military spending, naval modernization, and commercial aviation rebound. These stocks appeal to investors seeking exposure to stable defense backlogs alongside cyclical growth in aircraft production. Traders focused on relative performance may note their differing sensitivities to government contracts versus commercial demand, providing insights into sector rotation amid geopolitical tensions and supply chain dynamics. Understanding their business models, recent momentum, and valuations aids in assessing market positioning in the current environment.

HII Overview and Recent Performance

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) is the largest U.S. military shipbuilder, specializing in nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, submarines, amphibious assault ships, and destroyers through its Newport News and Ingalls segments, alongside mission technologies. Recent market activity reflects strong momentum from a $53.14 billion backlog, contract awards like the $95.7 million USS Nimitz deal, and workforce expansions with wage increases enhancing productivity. The stock has delivered robust YTD returns around 18.5% and 98% over one year, outperforming the S&P 500, though recent weeks showed some pullback amid broader volatility. Sentiment is bolstered by Q4 revenue growth of 16% to $3.5 billion and raised guidance for shipbuilding CAGR near 6%, despite cash flow cautions tied to contract timing.

HWM Overview and Recent Performance

Howmet Aerospace (HWM) provides advanced engineered components including engine products like airfoils and rings, fastening systems, engineered structures, and forged wheels for aerospace, defense, and transportation. In recent weeks, the stock navigated volatility with a roughly 8% pullback from peaks, yet maintained YTD gains near 18.5% and impressive 77% one-year returns, fueled by 11% annual revenue growth and margin expansion to 25%. Key influences include surging commercial aerospace demand, defense revenue up 24%, and Q4 results showing 15% revenue increase. Leadership enhancements and analyst targets around $275 underscore positive sentiment, though premium valuations reflect high growth expectations amid aircraft production ramps.

RTX Overview and Recent Performance

RTX Corporation (RTX), through Collins Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney, and Raytheon, delivers aircraft engines, avionics, missiles, and defense systems. Recent performance features steady gains with YTD around 6% and 46% over one year, supported by a $268 billion backlog and defense orders, despite supply chain hurdles in rare earths. Q4 earnings beat estimates with sales growth, and 2026 guidance projects 5.4% revenue rise and 8.3% EPS growth. Sentiment remains constructive amid a Zacks upgrade to Buy, with shares outperforming the industry over six months, though recent trading showed minor dips amid sector pressures.

Trending AI Robots

Tickeron’s Trending AI Robots page showcases 25 top-performing AI trading bots curated from over 350 total bots that trade thousands of tickers, selected by AI for suitability in current market conditions like volatility in aerospace and defense. These bots employ diverse strategies—technical and fundamental analysis, price action, with timeframes from 5 to 60 minutes—and feature impressive stats: annualized returns of 15% to 138%, win rates up to 89%, and profit factors to 3.59. Examples include aerospace bots trading ITA ETF (28% return, 78% win rate) and LMT, NOC, RTX (28% return, 61% win rate). Explore these high-potential options tailored to sectors like defense for data-driven trading insights.

Head-to-Head Comparison

HII, HWM, and RTX operate in aerospace/defense but differ markedly: HII's shipbuilding model offers backlog stability ($53B) with lower cyclicality, contrasting HWM's high-margin components (ROE 28%) tied to engine/airframe demand, and RTX's diversified scale ($88B revenue, $268B backlog). Growth drivers favor HWM (11-15% revenue CAGR) from commercial aero, while HII and RTX lean on defense budgets. Recent momentum peaks for HII (18% YTD), with HWM volatile but superior long-term (509% 3-year). Risks include execution delays for HII, aviation cycles for HWM, and supply issues for RTX. Valuations show HII cheapest (P/E ~27), RTX mid (~40), HWM premium (~63); sentiment is bullish across amid sector tailwinds.

Tickeron AI Verdict

Tickeron’s AI currently favors HII for its trend consistency, undervaluation relative to peers, and defense catalysts like backlog growth amid naval demand. While HWM offers higher growth potential and RTX superior scale, HII's positioning suggests stronger probabilistic near-term outperformance based on observable momentum and sector patterns.

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

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COMPARISON
Comparison
Apr 21, 2026
Stock price -- (HII: $394.81HWM: $255.69RTX: $196.42)
Brand notoriety: HII, HWM and RTX are all not notable
The three companies represent the Aerospace & Defense industry
Current volume relative to the 65-day Moving Average: HII: 144%, HWM: 113%, RTX: 110%
Market capitalization -- HII: $15.44B, HWM: $102.46B, RTX: $263.53B
$HII is valued at $15.44B, while HWM has a market capitalization of $102.46B, and RTX's market capitalization is $263.53B. The market cap for tickers in this @Aerospace & Defense ranges from $317.21B to $0. The average market capitalization across the @Aerospace & Defense industry is $23.79B.

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 whileHWM’s FA Score has 4 green FA rating(s), and RTX’s FA Score reflects 1 green FA rating(s).

  • HII’s FA Score: 3 green, 2 red.
  • HWM’s FA Score: 4 green, 1 red.
  • RTX’s FA Score: 1 green, 4 red.
According to our system of comparison, HII is a better buy in the long-term than HWM, which in turn is a better option than RTX.

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 4 TA indicator(s) are bullish while HWM’s TA Score has 5 bullish TA indicator(s), and RTX’s TA Score reflects 6 bullish TA indicator(s).

  • HII’s TA Score: 4 bullish, 6 bearish.
  • HWM’s TA Score: 5 bullish, 4 bearish.
  • RTX’s TA Score: 6 bullish, 4 bearish.
According to our system of comparison, RTX is a better buy in the short-term than HWM, which in turn is a better option than HII.

Price Growth

HII (@Aerospace & Defense) experienced а +0.10% price change this week, while HWM (@Aerospace & Defense) price change was +1.20% , and RTX (@Aerospace & Defense) price fluctuated -2.55% for the same time period.

The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Aerospace & Defense industry was +2.22%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was +11.36%, and the average quarterly price growth was +30.07%.

Reported Earning Dates

HII is expected to report earnings on May 05, 2026.

HWM is expected to report earnings on May 07, 2026.

RTX is expected to report earnings on Apr 21, 2026.

Industries' Descriptions

@Aerospace & Defense (+2.22% 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.

SUMMARIES
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FUNDAMENTALS
Fundamentals
RTX($264B) has a higher market cap than HWM($102B) and HII($15.4B). HWM has higher P/E ratio than RTX and HII: HWM (68.90) vs RTX (39.47) and HII (25.48). HWM YTD gains are higher at: 24.786 vs. HII (16.459) and RTX (7.110). RTX has higher annual earnings (EBITDA): 14.9B vs. HWM (2.27B) and HII (1.21B). RTX has more cash in the bank: 7.44B vs. HII (774M) and HWM (742M). HII has less debt than HWM and RTX: HII (2.92B) vs HWM (3.21B) and RTX (39.5B). RTX has higher revenues than HII and HWM: RTX (88.6B) vs HII (12.5B) and HWM (8.25B).
HIIHWMRTX
Capitalization15.4B102B264B
EBITDA1.21B2.27B14.9B
Gain YTD16.45924.7867.110
P/E Ratio25.4868.9039.47
Revenue12.5B8.25B88.6B
Total Cash774M742M7.44B
Total Debt2.92B3.21B39.5B
FUNDAMENTALS RATINGS
HII vs HWM vs RTX: Fundamental Ratings
HII
HWM
RTX
OUTLOOK RATING
1..100
505050
VALUATION
overvalued / fair valued / undervalued
1..100
15
Undervalued
73
Overvalued
41
Fair valued
PROFIT vs RISK RATING
1..100
3036
SMR RATING
1..100
603167
PRICE GROWTH RATING
1..100
461048
P/E GROWTH RATING
1..100
192252
SEASONALITY SCORE
1..100
758550

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 (15) in the Aerospace And Defense industry is in the same range as RTX (41) in the null industry, and is somewhat better than the same rating for HWM (73) in the null industry. This means that HII's stock grew similarly to RTX’s and somewhat faster than HWM’s over the last 12 months.

HWM's Profit vs Risk Rating (3) in the null industry is in the same range as RTX (6) in the null 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 RTX’s and similarly to HII’s over the last 12 months.

HWM's SMR Rating (31) in the null industry is in the same range as HII (60) in the Aerospace And Defense industry, and is somewhat better than the same rating for RTX (67) in the null industry. This means that HWM's stock grew similarly to HII’s and somewhat faster than RTX’s over the last 12 months.

HWM's Price Growth Rating (10) in the null industry is somewhat better than the same rating for HII (46) in the Aerospace And Defense industry, and is somewhat better than the same rating for RTX (48) in the null industry. This means that HWM's stock grew somewhat faster than HII’s and somewhat faster than RTX’s over the last 12 months.

HII's P/E Growth Rating (19) in the Aerospace And Defense industry is in the same range as HWM (22) in the null industry, and is somewhat better than the same rating for RTX (52) in the null industry. This means that HII's stock grew similarly to HWM’s and somewhat faster than RTX’s over the last 12 months.

TECHNICAL ANALYSIS
Technical Analysis
HIIHWMRTX
RSI
ODDS (%)
Bullish Trend 4 days ago
64%
N/A
Bullish Trend 4 days ago
71%
Stochastic
ODDS (%)
Bearish Trend 4 days ago
53%
Bearish Trend 4 days ago
54%
Bullish Trend 4 days ago
67%
Momentum
ODDS (%)
Bearish Trend 4 days ago
58%
Bullish Trend 4 days ago
76%
Bullish Trend 4 days ago
60%
MACD
ODDS (%)
Bullish Trend 4 days ago
66%
Bullish Trend 4 days ago
76%
Bullish Trend 4 days ago
57%
TrendWeek
ODDS (%)
Bullish Trend 4 days ago
62%
Bullish Trend 4 days ago
72%
Bearish Trend 4 days ago
45%
TrendMonth
ODDS (%)
Bearish Trend 4 days ago
53%
Bullish Trend 4 days ago
70%
Bearish Trend 4 days ago
44%
Advances
ODDS (%)
Bullish Trend 6 days ago
60%
Bullish Trend 7 days ago
70%
Bullish Trend 15 days ago
64%
Declines
ODDS (%)
Bearish Trend 4 days ago
55%
Bearish Trend 5 days ago
51%
Bearish Trend 5 days ago
42%
BollingerBands
ODDS (%)
Bullish Trend 4 days ago
56%
Bearish Trend 4 days ago
53%
Bullish Trend 4 days ago
81%
Aroon
ODDS (%)
Bearish Trend 4 days ago
58%
Bearish Trend 4 days ago
42%
Bearish Trend 4 days ago
32%
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HII
Daily Signal:
Gain/Loss:
HWM
Daily Signal:
Gain/Loss:
RTX
Daily Signal:
Gain/Loss:
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HWM and

Correlation & Price change

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.

1D
1W
1M
1Q
6M
1Y
5Y
Ticker /
NAME
Correlation
To HWM
1D Price
Change %
HWM100%
+3.27%
GE - HWM
72%
Closely correlated
+1.96%
CW - HWM
64%
Loosely correlated
+2.18%
WWD - HWM
58%
Loosely correlated
+5.31%
HEI - HWM
57%
Loosely correlated
+2.43%
SARO - HWM
54%
Loosely correlated
+2.88%
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RTX and

Correlation & Price change

A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, RTX has been loosely correlated with NOC. These tickers have moved in lockstep 58% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is some statistical probability that if RTX jumps, then NOC could also see price increases.

1D
1W
1M
1Q
6M
1Y
5Y
Ticker /
NAME
Correlation
To RTX
1D Price
Change %
RTX100%
-0.32%
NOC - RTX
58%
Loosely correlated
-1.24%
HWM - RTX
51%
Loosely correlated
-0.03%
LHX - RTX
48%
Loosely correlated
-0.51%
HII - RTX
42%
Loosely correlated
-0.66%
GD - RTX
40%
Loosely correlated
-1.23%
More