HII vs. HWM: Huntington Ingalls Industries vs. Howmet Aerospace Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) 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

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) and Howmet Aerospace (HWM) are both classified in the Aerospace & Defense sub-industry within the broader Aerospace & Defense industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Company profile comparison for Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) and Howmet Aerospace (HWM)
Profile Item	HII	HWM
Name	Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc.	Howmet Aerospace Inc.
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Industrials	Industrials
GICS Industry Group	Capital Goods	Capital Goods
GICS Industry	Aerospace & Defense	Aerospace & Defense
GICS Sub-Industry	Aerospace & Defense	Aerospace & Defense
Market Capitalization	11.38 billion USD	81.84 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	March 22, 2011	November 1, 2016
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

HII

HWM

GSPC

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) 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 Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) and Howmet Aerospace (HWM). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) and Howmet Aerospace (HWM)
Metric	HII	HWM
Total Return (1Y)	-0.48%	5.06%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	12.21%	64.83%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	11.63%	46.04%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

HII

HWM

GSPC

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) 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 Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) and Howmet Aerospace (HWM). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) and Howmet Aerospace (HWM)
Metric	HII	HWM
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	40.58%	37.60%
Beta (5Y)	0.17	1.27
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-45.21%	-36.47%
Avg. Volume (3M)	505.72K	3.47M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

HII 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 Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) and Howmet Aerospace (HWM)
Metric	HII	HWM
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	-0.12	0.02
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	-0.18	0.03

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Howmet Aerospace (HWM) at 37.65% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) at 13.99% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for HWM.

HII

Capital Goods industry group

13.99%

Max: 40.55%
Q3: 19.29%
HII: 13.99%
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%

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) 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 Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) at 5.42%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

HII

Capital Goods industry group

5.42%

Max: 27.47%
Q3: 12.10%
Median: 6.30%
HII: 5.42%
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%

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) 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 Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) at 7.72%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

HII

Capital Goods industry group

7.72%

Max: 36.60%
Q3: 18.33%
Median: 11.12%
HII: 7.72%
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%

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) vs. Howmet Aerospace (HWM): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) and Howmet Aerospace (HWM)
Metric	HII	HWM
ROE (TTM)	13.99%	37.65%
ROA (TTM)	4.57%	13.97%
Net Margin (TTM)	5.42%	21.10%
Operating Margin (TTM)	7.72%	28.78%
Gross Margin (TTM)	12.72%	36.63%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) at 8.23% 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.

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) 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 Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) at 10.24% is closer to the peer norm — faster per-share earnings growth for HWM.

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) vs. Howmet Aerospace (HWM): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) and Howmet Aerospace (HWM)
Metric	HII	HWM
Revenue Growth (YoY)	8.23%	11.06%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	5.35%	13.37%
EPS Growth (YoY)	10.24%	32.03%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	2.15%	49.51%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Howmet Aerospace (HWM) at 1.86 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) at 1.27 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for HII.

HII

Capital Goods industry group

1.27

Max: 5.22
Q3: 2.95
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.43
HII: 1.27
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

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) vs. Howmet Aerospace (HWM): A comparison of their current ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) at 0.53 and Howmet Aerospace (HWM) at 0.80 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

HII

Capital Goods industry group

0.53

Max: 2.33
Q3: 1.12
Median: 0.60
HII: 0.53
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

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) 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 Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) and Howmet Aerospace (HWM)
Metric	HII	HWM
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.27	1.86
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.53	0.80
Net Debt / EBITDA	2.05	1.35

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) at 1.91% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while Howmet Aerospace (HWM) at 0.25% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, HII the richer one.

HII

Capital Goods industry group

1.91%

Max: 2.66%
HII: 1.91%
Q3: 1.14%
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%

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) 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% pays out a band-typical share of earnings, while Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) at 29.73% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

HII

Capital Goods industry group

29.73%

Max: 67.39%
HII: 29.73%
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%

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) vs. Howmet Aerospace (HWM): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) and Howmet Aerospace (HWM)
Metric	HII	HWM
Dividend Yield (TTM)	1.91%	0.25%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	29.73%	9.80%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) at 15.55 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.

HII

Capital Goods industry group

15.55

Max: 59.38
Q3: 35.92
Median: 25.41
Q1: 19.47
HII: 15.55
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

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) vs. Howmet Aerospace (HWM): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) at 0.84 sits in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile while Howmet Aerospace (HWM) at 8.41 prices above its industry range — a wide gap in sales valuation between them.

HII

Capital Goods industry group

0.84

Max: 7.54
Q3: 3.76
Median: 2.15
Q1: 1.03
HII: 0.84
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

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) vs. Howmet Aerospace (HWM): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) at 2.07 sits near its industry’s typical P/B ratio, while Howmet Aerospace (HWM) at 14.20 prices above its benchmark range — HWM looks rich relative to book.

HII

Capital Goods industry group

2.07

Max: 9.66
Q3: 5.00
Median: 3.12
HII: 2.07
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

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) vs. Howmet Aerospace (HWM): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) and Howmet Aerospace (HWM)
Metric	HII	HWM
P/E Ratio (TTM)	15.55	40.35
P/S Ratio (TTM)	0.84	8.41
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	2.07	14.20
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	1.70%	1.58%