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ETN vs. RKLB: Eaton vs. Rocket Lab Stock Comparison

How do Eaton (ETN) and Rocket Lab (RKLB) 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

Eaton (ETN) and Rocket Lab (RKLB) both fall under the Capital Goods industry group, but ETN is classified in Electrical Equipment while RKLB is classified in Aerospace & Defense.

Eaton (ETN) has more than two decades of public-market history since June 1, 1972, whereas Rocket Lab (RKLB) listed on November 24, 2020 and has a much shorter record to draw on.

Company profile comparison for Eaton (ETN) and Rocket Lab (RKLB)
Profile ItemETNRKLB
NameEaton Corporation plcRocket Lab Corporation
Country/RegionIrelandUnited States
GICS SectorIndustrialsIndustrials
GICS Industry GroupCapital GoodsCapital Goods
GICS IndustryElectrical EquipmentAerospace & Defense
GICS Sub-IndustryElectrical Components & EquipmentAerospace & Defense
Market Capitalization132.76 billion USD33.93 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENasdaq
Listing DateJune 1, 1972November 24, 2020
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

ETN
RKLB
GSPC
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Eaton (ETN) vs. Rocket Lab (RKLB), 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 Eaton (ETN) and Rocket Lab (RKLB). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Eaton (ETN) and Rocket Lab (RKLB). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Eaton (ETN) and Rocket Lab (RKLB)
MetricETNRKLB
Total Return (1Y)-2.33%12.96%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)19.68%138.86%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)17.50%31.49%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

ETN
RKLB
GSPC
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Eaton (ETN) vs. Rocket Lab (RKLB), 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 Eaton (ETN) and Rocket Lab (RKLB). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Rocket Lab (RKLB) carries a highly aggressive beta of 3.14, indicating much higher sensitivity to broad-market moves, whereas Eaton (ETN) is closer to market-like at 1.14 — a noticeable difference in market-sensitivity profile.

Risk profile metrics for Eaton (ETN) and Rocket Lab (RKLB)
MetricETNRKLB
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)43.57%95.71%
Beta (5Y)1.143.14
Max Drawdown (5Y)-34.46%-78.32%
Avg. Volume (3M)2.32M19.51M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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ETN and RKLB 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 Eaton (ETN) and Rocket Lab (RKLB)
MetricETNRKLB
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)-0.150.09
Sortino Ratio (1Y)-0.210.14

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Rocket Lab (RKLB) reports a negative ROE of -7.92%; negative ROE can reflect losses or negative shareholders’ equity, so it is harder to read as capital efficiency. Meanwhile Eaton (ETN) reports 19.55%, ranking against industry peers normally.

ETN

Capital Goods industry group

19.55%

Max
40.55%
ETN
19.55%
Q3
19.29%
Median
12.12%
Q1
4.08%
Min
-17.12%

RKLB

Capital Goods industry group

-7.92%

Max
40.55%
Q3
19.29%
Median
12.12%
Q1
4.08%
RKLB
-7.92%
Min
-17.12%
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Eaton (ETN) vs. Rocket Lab (RKLB): A comparison of their ROE against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Rocket Lab (RKLB) reports a negative net margin of -21.51%, usually indicating a net loss over the period. Meanwhile Eaton (ETN) reports 12.18%, ranking against industry peers normally.

ETN

Capital Goods industry group

12.18%

Max
27.47%
ETN
12.18%
Q3
12.10%
Median
6.30%
Q1
1.40%
Min
-12.89%

RKLB

Capital Goods industry group

-21.51%

Max
27.47%
Q3
12.10%
Median
6.30%
Q1
1.40%
Min
-12.89%
RKLB
-21.51%
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Eaton (ETN) vs. Rocket Lab (RKLB): A comparison of their net margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Rocket Lab (RKLB) reports a negative operating margin of -24.57%, usually indicating that operating costs exceeded revenue at the operating-income line. Meanwhile Eaton (ETN) reports 17.85%, ranking against industry peers normally.

ETN

Capital Goods industry group

17.85%

Max
36.60%
Q3
18.33%
ETN
17.85%
Median
11.12%
Q1
5.14%
Min
-12.63%

RKLB

Capital Goods industry group

-24.57%

Max
36.60%
Q3
18.33%
Median
11.12%
Q1
5.14%
Min
-12.63%
RKLB
-24.57%
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Eaton (ETN) vs. Rocket Lab (RKLB): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Eaton (ETN) and Rocket Lab (RKLB)
MetricETNRKLB
ROE (TTM)19.55%-7.92%
ROA (TTM)7.22%-4.62%
Net Margin (TTM)12.18%-21.51%
Operating Margin (TTM)17.85%-24.57%
Gross Margin (TTM)35.16%37.26%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Rocket Lab (RKLB) at 37.96% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Eaton (ETN) at 10.33% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for RKLB.

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Eaton (ETN) vs. Rocket Lab (RKLB): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Only one side can be read here: Eaton (ETN) reports EPS growth of 10.00%, ranked against its industry; Rocket Lab (RKLB) has no EPS growth figure this period.

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Eaton (ETN) vs. Rocket Lab (RKLB): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Eaton (ETN) and Rocket Lab (RKLB)
MetricETNRKLB
Revenue Growth (YoY)10.33%37.96%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)9.77%41.82%
EPS Growth (YoY)10.00%--
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)19.39%--

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Rocket Lab (RKLB) at 5.48 carries current ratio above its industry’s typical mid-range, while Eaton (ETN) at 1.23 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — different working-capital profiles, both worth examining.

ETN

Capital Goods industry group

1.23

Max
5.22
Q3
2.95
Median
2.08
Q1
1.43
ETN
1.23
Min
0.36

RKLB

Capital Goods industry group

5.48

RKLB
5.48
Max
5.22
Q3
2.95
Median
2.08
Q1
1.43
Min
0.36
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Eaton (ETN) vs. Rocket Lab (RKLB): A comparison of their current ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Rocket Lab (RKLB) at 0.04 keeps leverage in the lower industry quartile, while Eaton (ETN) at 1.00 runs a more typical debt-to-equity mix.

ETN

Capital Goods industry group

1.00

Max
2.33
Q3
1.12
ETN
1.00
Median
0.60
Q1
0.29
Min
0.00

RKLB

Capital Goods industry group

0.04

Max
2.33
Q3
1.12
Median
0.60
Q1
0.29
RKLB
0.04
Min
0.00
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Eaton (ETN) vs. Rocket Lab (RKLB): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Eaton (ETN) and Rocket Lab (RKLB)
MetricETNRKLB
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.235.48
Debt / Equity (MRQ)1.000.04
Net Debt / EBITDA2.85--

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Rocket Lab (RKLB) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Eaton (ETN) reports a yield of 1.33%, ranking against industry peers normally.

ETN

Capital Goods industry group

1.33%

Max
2.66%
ETN
1.33%
Q3
1.14%
Median
0.24%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

RKLB

Capital Goods industry group

0.00%

Max
2.66%
Q3
1.14%
Median
0.24%
RKLB
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Eaton (ETN) vs. Rocket Lab (RKLB): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Rocket Lab (RKLB) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Eaton (ETN) reports a payout of 43.36%, ranking against industry peers normally.

ETN

Capital Goods industry group

43.36%

Max
67.39%
ETN
43.36%
Q3
28.02%
Median
6.86%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

RKLB

Capital Goods industry group

0.00%

Max
67.39%
Q3
28.02%
Median
6.86%
RKLB
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Eaton (ETN) vs. Rocket Lab (RKLB): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Eaton (ETN) and Rocket Lab (RKLB)
MetricETNRKLB
Dividend Yield (TTM)1.33%0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)43.36%0.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

An earnings multiple is available for just one side: Eaton (ETN) trades at 34.14 times trailing earnings, ranked against its peers, while Rocket Lab (RKLB) has no P/E ratio this period.

ETN

Capital Goods industry group

34.14

Max
59.38
Q3
35.92
ETN
34.14
Median
25.41
Q1
19.47
Min
3.03

RKLB

Capital Goods industry group

--

Max
59.38
Q3
35.92
Median
25.41
Q1
19.47
Min
3.03
RKLB
--
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Eaton (ETN) vs. Rocket Lab (RKLB): RKLB does not report P/E ratio, so it has no value marker; ETN is benchmarked against the Capital Goods industry group.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Both look expensive on sales: Eaton (ETN) at 4.15 sits in the upper P/S ratio quartile, and Rocket Lab (RKLB) at 44.12 prices even higher, above its industry range.

ETN

Capital Goods industry group

4.15

Max
7.54
ETN
4.15
Q3
3.76
Median
2.15
Q1
1.03
Min
0.03

RKLB

Capital Goods industry group

44.12

RKLB
44.12
Max
7.54
Q3
3.76
Median
2.15
Q1
1.03
Min
0.03
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Eaton (ETN) vs. Rocket Lab (RKLB): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both Eaton (ETN) at 6.33 and Rocket Lab (RKLB) at 9.09 carry a premium to book value versus peers, sitting in the upper P/B ratio quartile of their industries.

ETN

Capital Goods industry group

6.33

Max
9.66
ETN
6.33
Q3
5.00
Median
3.12
Q1
1.81
Min
-1.08

RKLB

Capital Goods industry group

9.09

Max
9.66
RKLB
9.09
Q3
5.00
Median
3.12
Q1
1.81
Min
-1.08
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Eaton (ETN) vs. Rocket Lab (RKLB): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Eaton (ETN) and Rocket Lab (RKLB)
MetricETNRKLB
P/E Ratio (TTM)34.14--
P/S Ratio (TTM)4.1544.12
P/B Ratio (MRQ)6.339.09
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)2.29%-0.74%