AER vs. NOC: AerCap vs. Northrop Grumman Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do AerCap (AER) and Northrop Grumman (NOC) 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 Northrop Grumman (NOC) both fall under the Capital Goods industry group, but AER is classified in Trading Companies & Distributors while NOC is classified in Aerospace & Defense.

Company profile comparison for AerCap (AER) and Northrop Grumman (NOC)
Profile Item	AER	NOC
Name	AerCap Holdings N.V.	Northrop Grumman Corporation
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	74.59 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	November 21, 2006	December 31, 1981
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

AER

NOC

GSPC

AerCap (AER) vs. Northrop Grumman (NOC), 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 Northrop Grumman (NOC). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for AerCap (AER) and Northrop Grumman (NOC). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for AerCap (AER) and Northrop Grumman (NOC)
Metric	AER	NOC
Total Return (1Y)	32.17%	-3.34%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	39.43%	7.23%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	21.06%	9.98%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

AER

NOC

GSPC

AerCap (AER) vs. Northrop Grumman (NOC), 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 Northrop Grumman (NOC). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Northrop Grumman (NOC) reports a negative beta of -0.12, suggesting inverse market sensitivity over the measurement window. That is uncommon for ordinary equities and can reflect commodity-linked or hedge-like exposure, but it can also come from statistical noise. AerCap (AER) has a non-negative beta of 0.95.

Risk profile metrics for AerCap (AER) and Northrop Grumman (NOC)
Metric	AER	NOC
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	26.10%	28.86%
Beta (5Y)	0.95	-0.12
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-44.81%	-37.80%
Avg. Volume (3M)	1.13M	902.47K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

AER and NOC 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 Northrop Grumman (NOC)
Metric	AER	NOC
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	1.07	-0.26
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.59	-0.37

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Northrop Grumman (NOC) at 26.07% sits in the top ROE quartile, while AerCap (AER) at 17.00% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for NOC.

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%

NOC

Capital Goods industry group

26.07%

Max: 40.55%
NOC: 26.07%
Q3: 19.29%
Median: 12.12%
Q1: 4.08%
Min: -17.12%

AerCap (AER) vs. Northrop Grumman (NOC): A comparison of their ROE against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

AerCap (AER) at 34.47% converts revenue to bottom-line profit above its industry’s benchmark range, while Northrop Grumman (NOC) at 10.37% keeps roughly the typical share for its industry.

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%

NOC

Capital Goods industry group

10.37%

Max: 27.47%
Q3: 12.10%
NOC: 10.37%
Median: 6.30%
Q1: 1.40%
Min: -12.89%

AerCap (AER) vs. Northrop Grumman (NOC): A comparison of their net margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

AerCap (AER) at 62.55% turns sales into operating profit above its industry’s benchmark range, while Northrop Grumman (NOC) at 12.91% operates around its industry’s norm.

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%

NOC

Capital Goods industry group

12.91%

Max: 36.60%
Q3: 18.33%
NOC: 12.91%
Median: 11.12%
Q1: 5.14%
Min: -12.63%

AerCap (AER) vs. Northrop Grumman (NOC): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for AerCap (AER) and Northrop Grumman (NOC)
Metric	AER	NOC
ROE (TTM)	17.00%	26.07%
ROA (TTM)	4.52%	7.11%
Net Margin (TTM)	34.47%	10.37%
Operating Margin (TTM)	62.55%	12.91%
Gross Margin (TTM)	63.02%	20.03%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both AerCap (AER) at 6.50% and Northrop Grumman (NOC) at 2.24% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

AerCap (AER) vs. Northrop Grumman (NOC): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

AerCap (AER) at 97.41% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while Northrop Grumman (NOC) at 2.61% is closer to the peer norm — faster per-share earnings growth for AER.

AerCap (AER) vs. Northrop Grumman (NOC): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for AerCap (AER) and Northrop Grumman (NOC)
Metric	AER	NOC
Revenue Growth (YoY)	6.50%	2.24%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	6.69%	4.65%
EPS Growth (YoY)	97.41%	2.61%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	--	-2.60%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

AerCap (AER) at 1.45 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Northrop Grumman (NOC) at 1.23 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for NOC.

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

NOC

Capital Goods industry group

1.23

Max: 5.22
Q3: 2.95
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.43
NOC: 1.23
Min: 0.36

AerCap (AER) vs. Northrop Grumman (NOC): A comparison of their current ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Northrop Grumman (NOC) at 0.93 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

NOC

Capital Goods industry group

0.93

Max: 2.33
Q3: 1.12
NOC: 0.93
Median: 0.60
Q1: 0.29
Min: 0.00

AerCap (AER) vs. Northrop Grumman (NOC): 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 Northrop Grumman (NOC)
Metric	AER	NOC
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.45	1.23
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	2.33	0.93
Net Debt / EBITDA	7.77	1.87

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Northrop Grumman (NOC) at 1.82% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while AerCap (AER) at 0.96% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, NOC the richer one.

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%

NOC

Capital Goods industry group

1.82%

Max: 2.66%
NOC: 1.82%
Q3: 1.14%
Median: 0.24%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

AerCap (AER) vs. Northrop Grumman (NOC): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

AerCap (AER) at 7.52% pays out a band-typical share of earnings, while Northrop Grumman (NOC) at 30.18% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

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%

NOC

Capital Goods industry group

30.18%

Max: 67.39%
NOC: 30.18%
Q3: 28.02%
Median: 6.86%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

AerCap (AER) vs. Northrop Grumman (NOC): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for AerCap (AER) and Northrop Grumman (NOC)
Metric	AER	NOC
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.96%	1.82%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	7.52%	30.18%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both AerCap (AER) at 8.67 and Northrop Grumman (NOC) at 16.57 sit in the cheaper earnings-multiple quartile for P/E ratio, with the market paying less for a dollar of trailing earnings than it pays for typical peers.

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

NOC

Capital Goods industry group

16.57

Max: 59.38
Q3: 35.92
Median: 25.41
Q1: 19.47
NOC: 16.57
Min: 3.03

AerCap (AER) vs. Northrop Grumman (NOC): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both AerCap (AER) at 2.84 and Northrop Grumman (NOC) at 1.71 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

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

NOC

Capital Goods industry group

1.71

Max: 7.54
Q3: 3.76
Median: 2.15
NOC: 1.71
Q1: 1.03
Min: 0.03

AerCap (AER) vs. Northrop Grumman (NOC): 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 against book while Northrop Grumman (NOC) at 3.99 is valued near its industry’s middle — AER is cheaper on assets, though weigh it against ROE and asset quality.

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

NOC

Capital Goods industry group

3.99

Max: 9.66
Q3: 5.00
NOC: 3.99
Median: 3.12
Q1: 1.81
Min: -1.08

AerCap (AER) vs. Northrop Grumman (NOC): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for AerCap (AER) and Northrop Grumman (NOC)
Metric	AER	NOC
P/E Ratio (TTM)	8.67	16.57
P/S Ratio (TTM)	2.84	1.71
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	1.36	3.99
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	-6.60%	4.21%