HWM vs. IEX: Howmet Aerospace vs. IDEX Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Howmet Aerospace (HWM) and IDEX (IEX) 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

Howmet Aerospace (HWM) and IDEX (IEX) both fall under the Capital Goods industry group, but HWM is classified in Aerospace & Defense while IEX is classified in Machinery.

Company profile comparison for Howmet Aerospace (HWM) and IDEX (IEX)
Profile Item	HWM	IEX
Name	Howmet Aerospace Inc.	IDEX Corporation
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Industrials	Industrials
GICS Industry Group	Capital Goods	Capital Goods
GICS Industry	Aerospace & Defense	Machinery
GICS Sub-Industry	Aerospace & Defense	Industrial Machinery & Supplies & Components
Market Capitalization	81.84 billion USD	16.67 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	November 1, 2016	June 2, 1989
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

HWM

IEX

GSPC

Howmet Aerospace (HWM) vs. IDEX (IEX), 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 Howmet Aerospace (HWM) and IDEX (IEX). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Howmet Aerospace (HWM) and IDEX (IEX)
Metric	HWM	IEX
Total Return (1Y)	5.06%	42.33%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	64.83%	8.92%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	46.04%	1.31%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

HWM

IEX

GSPC

Howmet Aerospace (HWM) vs. IDEX (IEX), 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 Howmet Aerospace (HWM) and IDEX (IEX). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Howmet Aerospace (HWM) and IDEX (IEX)
Metric	HWM	IEX
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	37.60%	22.98%
Beta (5Y)	1.27	0.95
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-36.47%	-34.60%
Avg. Volume (3M)	3.47M	666.74K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

HWM and IEX 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 Howmet Aerospace (HWM) and IDEX (IEX)
Metric	HWM	IEX
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.02	1.66
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.03	2.64

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Howmet Aerospace (HWM) at 37.65% sits in the top ROE quartile, while IDEX (IEX) at 13.35% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for HWM.

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%

IEX

Capital Goods industry group

13.35%

Max: 40.55%
Q3: 19.29%
IEX: 13.35%
Median: 12.12%
Q1: 4.08%
Min: -17.12%

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

Net Margin (TTM)

For every dollar of sales, both Howmet Aerospace (HWM) at 21.10% and IDEX (IEX) at 14.65% retain more as net profit than most peers, landing in the top net margin quartile of their industries.

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%

IEX

Capital Goods industry group

14.65%

Max: 27.47%
IEX: 14.65%
Q3: 12.10%
Median: 6.30%
Q1: 1.40%
Min: -12.89%

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

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Howmet Aerospace (HWM) at 28.78% and IDEX (IEX) at 22.33% convert sales into operating profit at a top-quartile rate, pointing to tighter cost discipline before financing and tax.

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%

IEX

Capital Goods industry group

22.33%

Max: 36.60%
IEX: 22.33%
Q3: 18.33%
Median: 11.12%
Q1: 5.14%
Min: -12.63%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Howmet Aerospace (HWM) and IDEX (IEX)
Metric	HWM	IEX
ROE (TTM)	37.65%	13.35%
ROA (TTM)	13.97%	7.06%
Net Margin (TTM)	21.10%	14.65%
Operating Margin (TTM)	28.78%	22.33%
Gross Margin (TTM)	36.63%	44.91%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Howmet Aerospace (HWM) at 11.06% and IDEX (IEX) at 5.77% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Howmet Aerospace (HWM) vs. IDEX (IEX): 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 IDEX (IEX) at -3.46% is closer to the peer norm — faster per-share earnings growth for HWM.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Howmet Aerospace (HWM) and IDEX (IEX)
Metric	HWM	IEX
Revenue Growth (YoY)	11.06%	5.77%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	13.37%	2.81%
EPS Growth (YoY)	32.03%	-3.46%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	49.51%	-5.97%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Howmet Aerospace (HWM) at 1.86 and IDEX (IEX) at 2.78 carry current ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges, suggesting balanced short-term liquidity relative to peers.

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

IEX

Capital Goods industry group

2.78

Max: 5.22
Q3: 2.95
IEX: 2.78
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.43
Min: 0.36

Howmet Aerospace (HWM) vs. IDEX (IEX): A comparison of their current ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Howmet Aerospace (HWM) at 0.80 and IDEX (IEX) at 0.44 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

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

IEX

Capital Goods industry group

0.44

Max: 2.33
Q3: 1.12
Median: 0.60
IEX: 0.44
Q1: 0.29
Min: 0.00

Howmet Aerospace (HWM) vs. IDEX (IEX): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Howmet Aerospace (HWM) and IDEX (IEX)
Metric	HWM	IEX
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.86	2.78
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.80	0.44
Net Debt / EBITDA	1.35	1.18

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

IDEX (IEX) at 1.30% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while Howmet Aerospace (HWM) at 0.25% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, IEX the richer one.

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%

IEX

Capital Goods industry group

1.30%

Max: 2.66%
IEX: 1.30%
Q3: 1.14%
Median: 0.24%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Howmet Aerospace (HWM) vs. IDEX (IEX): 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 IDEX (IEX) at 50.14% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

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%

IEX

Capital Goods industry group

50.14%

Max: 67.39%
IEX: 50.14%
Q3: 28.02%
Median: 6.86%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Howmet Aerospace (HWM) and IDEX (IEX)
Metric	HWM	IEX
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.25%	1.30%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	9.80%	50.14%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

IDEX (IEX) at 31.53 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.

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

IEX

Capital Goods industry group

31.53

Max: 59.38
Q3: 35.92
IEX: 31.53
Median: 25.41
Q1: 19.47
Min: 3.03

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Both look expensive on sales: IDEX (IEX) at 4.56 sits in the upper P/S ratio quartile, and Howmet Aerospace (HWM) at 8.41 prices even higher, above its industry range.

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

IEX

Capital Goods industry group

4.56

Max: 7.54
IEX: 4.56
Q3: 3.76
Median: 2.15
Q1: 1.03
Min: 0.03

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

IDEX (IEX) at 4.17 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.

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

IEX

Capital Goods industry group

4.17

Max: 9.66
Q3: 5.00
IEX: 4.17
Median: 3.12
Q1: 1.81
Min: -1.08

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Howmet Aerospace (HWM) and IDEX (IEX)
Metric	HWM	IEX
P/E Ratio (TTM)	40.35	31.53
P/S Ratio (TTM)	8.41	4.56
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	14.20	4.17
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	1.58%	3.50%