AER vs. HWM: AerCap vs. Howmet Aerospace Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do AerCap (AER) and Howmet Aerospace (HWM) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

AerCap (AER) and Howmet Aerospace (HWM) both fall under the Capital Goods industry group, but AER is classified in Trading Companies & Distributors while HWM is classified in Aerospace & Defense.

Company profile comparison for AerCap (AER) and Howmet Aerospace (HWM)
Profile Item	AER	HWM
Name	AerCap Holdings N.V.	Howmet Aerospace Inc.
Country/Region	Ireland	United States
GICS Sector	Industrials	Industrials
GICS Industry Group	Capital Goods	Capital Goods
GICS Industry	Trading Companies & Distributors	Aerospace & Defense
GICS Sub-Industry	Trading Companies & Distributors	Aerospace & Defense
Market Capitalization	25.76 billion USD	81.84 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	November 21, 2006	November 1, 2016
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

AER

HWM

GSPC

AerCap (AER) vs. Howmet Aerospace (HWM), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for AerCap (AER) and Howmet Aerospace (HWM). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for AerCap (AER) and Howmet Aerospace (HWM). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for AerCap (AER) and Howmet Aerospace (HWM)
Metric	AER	HWM
Total Return (1Y)	32.17%	5.06%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	39.43%	64.83%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	21.06%	46.04%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

AER

HWM

GSPC

AerCap (AER) vs. Howmet Aerospace (HWM), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for AerCap (AER) and Howmet Aerospace (HWM). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for AerCap (AER) and Howmet Aerospace (HWM)
Metric	AER	HWM
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	26.10%	37.60%
Beta (5Y)	0.95	1.27
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-44.81%	-36.47%
Avg. Volume (3M)	1.13M	3.47M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

AER and HWM are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for AerCap (AER) and Howmet Aerospace (HWM)
Metric	AER	HWM
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	1.07	0.02
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.59	0.03

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Howmet Aerospace (HWM) at 37.65% sits in the top ROE quartile, while AerCap (AER) at 17.00% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for HWM.

AER

Capital Goods industry group

17.00%

Max: 40.55%
Q3: 19.29%
AER: 17.00%
Median: 12.12%
Q1: 4.08%
Min: -17.12%

HWM

Capital Goods industry group

37.65%

Max: 40.55%
HWM: 37.65%
Q3: 19.29%
Median: 12.12%
Q1: 4.08%
Min: -17.12%

AerCap (AER) vs. Howmet Aerospace (HWM): A comparison of their ROE against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

AerCap (AER) at 34.47% keeps the most of each sales dollar — above its industry’s net margin range — and Howmet Aerospace (HWM) at 21.10% also retains a top-quartile share.

AER

Capital Goods industry group

34.47%

AER: 34.47%
Max: 27.47%
Q3: 12.10%
Median: 6.30%
Q1: 1.40%
Min: -12.89%

HWM

Capital Goods industry group

21.10%

Max: 27.47%
HWM: 21.10%
Q3: 12.10%
Median: 6.30%
Q1: 1.40%
Min: -12.89%

AerCap (AER) vs. Howmet Aerospace (HWM): A comparison of their net margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

AerCap (AER) at 62.55% shows unusually strong operating efficiency — above its industry’s operating margin range — and Howmet Aerospace (HWM) at 28.78% also operates in the top quartile.

AER

Capital Goods industry group

62.55%

AER: 62.55%
Max: 36.60%
Q3: 18.33%
Median: 11.12%
Q1: 5.14%
Min: -12.63%

HWM

Capital Goods industry group

28.78%

Max: 36.60%
HWM: 28.78%
Q3: 18.33%
Median: 11.12%
Q1: 5.14%
Min: -12.63%

AerCap (AER) vs. Howmet Aerospace (HWM): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for AerCap (AER) and Howmet Aerospace (HWM)
Metric	AER	HWM
ROE (TTM)	17.00%	37.65%
ROA (TTM)	4.52%	13.97%
Net Margin (TTM)	34.47%	21.10%
Operating Margin (TTM)	62.55%	28.78%
Gross Margin (TTM)	63.02%	36.63%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both AerCap (AER) at 6.50% and Howmet Aerospace (HWM) at 11.06% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

AerCap (AER) vs. Howmet Aerospace (HWM): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both AerCap (AER) at 97.41% and Howmet Aerospace (HWM) at 32.03% sit in the top peer quartile for EPS growth, so each is compounding per-share earnings faster than typical industry peers.

AerCap (AER) vs. Howmet Aerospace (HWM): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for AerCap (AER) and Howmet Aerospace (HWM)
Metric	AER	HWM
Revenue Growth (YoY)	6.50%	11.06%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	6.69%	13.37%
EPS Growth (YoY)	97.41%	32.03%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	--	49.51%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both AerCap (AER) at 1.45 and Howmet Aerospace (HWM) at 1.86 carry current ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges, suggesting balanced short-term liquidity relative to peers.

AER

Capital Goods industry group

1.45

Max: 5.22
Q3: 2.95
Median: 2.08
AER: 1.45
Q1: 1.43
Min: 0.36

HWM

Capital Goods industry group

1.86

Max: 5.22
Q3: 2.95
Median: 2.08
HWM: 1.86
Q1: 1.43
Min: 0.36

AerCap (AER) vs. Howmet Aerospace (HWM): A comparison of their current ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Howmet Aerospace (HWM) at 0.80 carries an industry-typical debt-to-equity mix, while AerCap (AER) at 2.33 uses more debt funding than most peers.

AER

Capital Goods industry group

2.33

AER: 2.33
Max: 2.33
Q3: 1.12
Median: 0.60
Q1: 0.29
Min: 0.00

HWM

Capital Goods industry group

0.80

Max: 2.33
Q3: 1.12
HWM: 0.80
Median: 0.60
Q1: 0.29
Min: 0.00

AerCap (AER) vs. Howmet Aerospace (HWM): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for AerCap (AER) and Howmet Aerospace (HWM)
Metric	AER	HWM
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.45	1.86
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	2.33	0.80
Net Debt / EBITDA	7.77	1.35

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both AerCap (AER) at 0.96% and Howmet Aerospace (HWM) at 0.25% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

AER

Capital Goods industry group

0.96%

Max: 2.66%
Q3: 1.14%
AER: 0.96%
Median: 0.24%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

HWM

Capital Goods industry group

0.25%

Max: 2.66%
Q3: 1.14%
HWM: 0.25%
Median: 0.24%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

AerCap (AER) vs. Howmet Aerospace (HWM): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both AerCap (AER) at 7.52% and Howmet Aerospace (HWM) at 9.80% keep payout ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges — dividend policies that share earnings without consuming too much of them.

AER

Capital Goods industry group

7.52%

Max: 67.39%
Q3: 28.02%
AER: 7.52%
Median: 6.86%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

HWM

Capital Goods industry group

9.80%

Max: 67.39%
Q3: 28.02%
HWM: 9.80%
Median: 6.86%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

AerCap (AER) vs. Howmet Aerospace (HWM): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for AerCap (AER) and Howmet Aerospace (HWM)
Metric	AER	HWM
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.96%	0.25%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	7.52%	9.80%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

AerCap (AER) at 8.67 sits in the cheaper P/E ratio quartile, while Howmet Aerospace (HWM) at 40.35 sits in the richer quartile — a clear split in what investors pay for each dollar of trailing earnings.

AER

Capital Goods industry group

8.67

Max: 59.38
Q3: 35.92
Median: 25.41
Q1: 19.47
AER: 8.67
Min: 3.03

HWM

Capital Goods industry group

40.35

Max: 59.38
HWM: 40.35
Q3: 35.92
Median: 25.41
Q1: 19.47
Min: 3.03

AerCap (AER) vs. Howmet Aerospace (HWM): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

AerCap (AER) at 2.84 prices around its industry’s typical P/S ratio, while Howmet Aerospace (HWM) at 8.41 clears its benchmark range — HWM looks notably rich on sales.

AER

Capital Goods industry group

2.84

Max: 7.54
Q3: 3.76
AER: 2.84
Median: 2.15
Q1: 1.03
Min: 0.03

HWM

Capital Goods industry group

8.41

HWM: 8.41
Max: 7.54
Q3: 3.76
Median: 2.15
Q1: 1.03
Min: 0.03

AerCap (AER) vs. Howmet Aerospace (HWM): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

AerCap (AER) at 1.36 sits in the lower P/B ratio quartile relative to book while Howmet Aerospace (HWM) at 14.20 prices above its industry range — a wide valuation gap against assets.

AER

Capital Goods industry group

1.36

Max: 9.66
Q3: 5.00
Median: 3.12
Q1: 1.81
AER: 1.36
Min: -1.08

HWM

Capital Goods industry group

14.20

HWM: 14.20
Max: 9.66
Q3: 5.00
Median: 3.12
Q1: 1.81
Min: -1.08

AerCap (AER) vs. Howmet Aerospace (HWM): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for AerCap (AER) and Howmet Aerospace (HWM)
Metric	AER	HWM
P/E Ratio (TTM)	8.67	40.35
P/S Ratio (TTM)	2.84	8.41
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	1.36	14.20
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	-6.60%	1.58%