FER vs. HWM: Ferrovial vs. Howmet Aerospace Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Ferrovial (FER) 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

Ferrovial (FER) and Howmet Aerospace (HWM) both fall under the Capital Goods industry group, but FER is classified in Construction & Engineering while HWM is classified in Aerospace & Defense.

Company profile comparison for Ferrovial (FER) and Howmet Aerospace (HWM)
Profile Item	FER	HWM
Name	Ferrovial N.V.	Howmet Aerospace Inc.
Country/Region	Netherlands	United States
GICS Sector	Industrials	Industrials
GICS Industry Group	Capital Goods	Capital Goods
GICS Industry	Construction & Engineering	Aerospace & Defense
GICS Sub-Industry	Construction & Engineering	Aerospace & Defense
Market Capitalization	42.19 billion USD	81.84 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	Nasdaq	NYSE
Listing Date	August 13, 2012	November 1, 2016
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

FER

HWM

GSPC

Ferrovial (FER) 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 Ferrovial (FER) and Howmet Aerospace (HWM). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Ferrovial (FER) and Howmet Aerospace (HWM)
Metric	FER	HWM
Total Return (1Y)	-1.10%	5.06%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	26.01%	64.83%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	17.20%	46.04%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

FER

HWM

GSPC

Ferrovial (FER) 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 Ferrovial (FER) and Howmet Aerospace (HWM). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Ferrovial (FER) and Howmet Aerospace (HWM)
Metric	FER	HWM
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	27.38%	37.60%
Beta (5Y)	0.36	1.27
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-33.67%	-36.47%
Avg. Volume (3M)	1.95M	3.47M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

FER 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 Ferrovial (FER) and Howmet Aerospace (HWM)
Metric	FER	HWM
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	-0.20	0.02
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	-0.30	0.03

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Howmet Aerospace (HWM) at 37.65% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Ferrovial (FER) at 11.62% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for HWM.

FER

Capital Goods industry group

11.62%

Max: 40.55%
Q3: 19.29%
Median: 12.12%
FER: 11.62%
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%

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

Net Margin (TTM)

Howmet Aerospace (HWM) at 21.10% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Ferrovial (FER) at 6.15%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

FER

Capital Goods industry group

6.15%

Max: 27.47%
Q3: 12.10%
Median: 6.30%
FER: 6.15%
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%

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

Operating Margin (TTM)

Howmet Aerospace (HWM) at 28.78% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Ferrovial (FER) at 10.45%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

FER

Capital Goods industry group

10.45%

Max: 36.60%
Q3: 18.33%
Median: 11.12%
FER: 10.45%
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%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Ferrovial (FER) and Howmet Aerospace (HWM)
Metric	FER	HWM
ROE (TTM)	11.62%	37.65%
ROA (TTM)	2.62%	13.97%
Net Margin (TTM)	6.15%	21.10%
Operating Margin (TTM)	10.45%	28.78%
Gross Margin (TTM)	87.14%	36.63%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Ferrovial (FER) at 5.24% 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.

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

EPS Growth

Howmet Aerospace (HWM) at 32.03% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while Ferrovial (FER) at -72.26% is in the bottom quartile, showing a clear gap in earnings momentum.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Ferrovial (FER) and Howmet Aerospace (HWM)
Metric	FER	HWM
Revenue Growth (YoY)	5.24%	11.06%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	8.43%	13.37%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-72.26%	32.03%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	70.54%	49.51%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Howmet Aerospace (HWM) at 1.86 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Ferrovial (FER) at 1.20 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for FER.

FER

Capital Goods industry group

1.20

Max: 5.22
Q3: 2.95
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.43
FER: 1.20
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

Ferrovial (FER) 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 Ferrovial (FER) at 1.44 uses more debt funding than most peers.

FER

Capital Goods industry group

1.44

Max: 2.33
FER: 1.44
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

Ferrovial (FER) 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 Ferrovial (FER) and Howmet Aerospace (HWM)
Metric	FER	HWM
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.20	1.86
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	1.44	0.80
Net Debt / EBITDA	4.39	1.35

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Ferrovial (FER) at 0.94% and Howmet Aerospace (HWM) at 0.25% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

FER

Capital Goods industry group

0.94%

Max: 2.66%
Q3: 1.14%
FER: 0.94%
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%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Howmet Aerospace (HWM) at 9.80% keeps its payout in the industry’s typical band, while Ferrovial (FER) at 71.24% pays out more than any of its peers — the most stretched cover in its group.

FER

Capital Goods industry group

71.24%

FER: 71.24%
Max: 67.39%
Q3: 28.02%
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%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Ferrovial (FER) and Howmet Aerospace (HWM)
Metric	FER	HWM
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.94%	0.25%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	71.24%	9.80%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Ferrovial (FER) at 32.26 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Howmet Aerospace (HWM) at 40.35 sits in the richer quartile — HWM needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

FER

Capital Goods industry group

32.26

Max: 59.38
Q3: 35.92
FER: 32.26
Median: 25.41
Q1: 19.47
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

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Both look expensive on sales: Ferrovial (FER) at 4.28 sits in the upper P/S ratio quartile, and Howmet Aerospace (HWM) at 8.41 prices even higher, above its industry range.

FER

Capital Goods industry group

4.28

Max: 7.54
FER: 4.28
Q3: 3.76
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

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both look rich against book: Ferrovial (FER) at 6.59 sits in the upper P/B ratio quartile, and Howmet Aerospace (HWM) at 14.20 prices even higher, above its industry range.

FER

Capital Goods industry group

6.59

Max: 9.66
FER: 6.59
Q3: 5.00
Median: 3.12
Q1: 1.81
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

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Ferrovial (FER) and Howmet Aerospace (HWM)
Metric	FER	HWM
P/E Ratio (TTM)	32.26	40.35
P/S Ratio (TTM)	4.28	8.41
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	6.59	14.20
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	2.11%	1.58%