HII vs. RKLB: Huntington Ingalls Industries vs. Rocket Lab Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) 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

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) and Rocket Lab (RKLB) 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 Rocket Lab (RKLB)
Profile Item	HII	RKLB
Name	Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc.	Rocket Lab Corporation
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	33.93 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	Nasdaq
Listing Date	March 22, 2011	November 24, 2020
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

HII

RKLB

GSPC

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) 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 Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) and Rocket Lab (RKLB). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) and Rocket Lab (RKLB). 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 Rocket Lab (RKLB)
Metric	HII	RKLB
Total Return (1Y)	-0.48%	12.96%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	12.21%	138.86%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	11.63%	31.49%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

HII

RKLB

GSPC

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) 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 Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) and Rocket Lab (RKLB). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Rocket Lab (RKLB) has a highly aggressive beta of 3.14, indicating much higher sensitivity to broad-market moves, while Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) is defensive at 0.17 and tends to be less market-sensitive — a wide gap in beta profiles.

Rocket Lab (RKLB) is heavily traded at around 19.51M shares per day, whereas Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) sees a more moderate 505.72K — larger orders in the latter may require more patience and tighter control over order sizing.

Risk profile metrics for Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) and Rocket Lab (RKLB)
Metric	HII	RKLB
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	40.58%	95.71%
Beta (5Y)	0.17	3.14
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-45.21%	-78.32%
Avg. Volume (3M)	505.72K	19.51M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

HII 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 Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) and Rocket Lab (RKLB)
Metric	HII	RKLB
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	-0.12	0.09
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	-0.18	0.14

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 Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) reports 13.99%, ranking against industry peers normally.

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%

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%

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) 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 Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) reports 5.42%, ranking against industry peers normally.

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%

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%

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) 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 Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) reports 7.72%, ranking against industry peers normally.

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%

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%

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) vs. Rocket Lab (RKLB): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) and Rocket Lab (RKLB)
Metric	HII	RKLB
ROE (TTM)	13.99%	-7.92%
ROA (TTM)	4.57%	-4.62%
Net Margin (TTM)	5.42%	-21.51%
Operating Margin (TTM)	7.72%	-24.57%
Gross Margin (TTM)	12.72%	37.26%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Rocket Lab (RKLB) at 37.96% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) at 8.23% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for RKLB.

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) vs. Rocket Lab (RKLB): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Only one side can be read here: Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) reports EPS growth of 10.24%, ranked against its industry; Rocket Lab (RKLB) has no EPS growth figure this period.

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) vs. Rocket Lab (RKLB): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) and Rocket Lab (RKLB)
Metric	HII	RKLB
Revenue Growth (YoY)	8.23%	37.96%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	5.35%	41.82%
EPS Growth (YoY)	10.24%	--
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	2.15%	--

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Rocket Lab (RKLB) at 5.48 carries current ratio above its industry’s typical mid-range, while Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) at 1.27 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — different working-capital profiles, both worth examining.

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

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

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) 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 Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) at 0.53 runs a more typical debt-to-equity mix.

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

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

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) 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 Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) and Rocket Lab (RKLB)
Metric	HII	RKLB
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.27	5.48
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.53	0.04
Net Debt / EBITDA	2.05	--

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 Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) reports a yield of 1.91%, ranking against industry peers normally.

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%

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%

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) 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 Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) reports a payout of 29.73%, ranking against industry peers normally.

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%

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%

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) vs. Rocket Lab (RKLB): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) and Rocket Lab (RKLB)
Metric	HII	RKLB
Dividend Yield (TTM)	1.91%	0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	29.73%	0.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

An earnings multiple is available for just one side: Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) trades at 15.55 times trailing earnings, ranked against its peers, while Rocket Lab (RKLB) has no P/E ratio this period.

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

RKLB

Capital Goods industry group

Max: 59.38
Q3: 35.92
Median: 25.41
Q1: 19.47
Min: 3.03
RKLB: --

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) vs. Rocket Lab (RKLB): RKLB does not report P/E ratio, so it has no value marker; HII is benchmarked against the Capital Goods industry group.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) at 0.84 sits in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile while Rocket Lab (RKLB) at 44.12 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

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

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) vs. Rocket Lab (RKLB): 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 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while Rocket Lab (RKLB) at 9.09 carries an above-peer premium to book — RKLB is pricier on assets.

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

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

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) and Rocket Lab (RKLB)
Metric	HII	RKLB
P/E Ratio (TTM)	15.55	--
P/S Ratio (TTM)	0.84	44.12
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	2.07	9.09
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	1.70%	-0.74%