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HWM vs. RKLB: Howmet Aerospace vs. Rocket Lab Stock Comparison

How do Howmet Aerospace (HWM) 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

Howmet Aerospace (HWM) 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 Howmet Aerospace (HWM) and Rocket Lab (RKLB)
Profile ItemHWMRKLB
NameHowmet Aerospace Inc.Rocket Lab Corporation
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorIndustrialsIndustrials
GICS Industry GroupCapital GoodsCapital Goods
GICS IndustryAerospace & DefenseAerospace & Defense
GICS Sub-IndustryAerospace & DefenseAerospace & Defense
Market Capitalization81.84 billion USD33.93 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENasdaq
Listing DateNovember 1, 2016November 24, 2020
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

HWM
RKLB
GSPC
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Howmet Aerospace (HWM) 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 Howmet Aerospace (HWM) and Rocket Lab (RKLB). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Howmet Aerospace (HWM) and Rocket Lab (RKLB)
MetricHWMRKLB
Total Return (1Y)5.06%12.96%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)64.83%138.86%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)46.04%31.49%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

HWM
RKLB
GSPC
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Howmet Aerospace (HWM) 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 Howmet Aerospace (HWM) 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 Howmet Aerospace (HWM) is closer to market-like at 1.27 — a noticeable difference in market-sensitivity profile.

Risk profile metrics for Howmet Aerospace (HWM) and Rocket Lab (RKLB)
MetricHWMRKLB
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)37.60%95.71%
Beta (5Y)1.273.14
Max Drawdown (5Y)-36.47%-78.32%
Avg. Volume (3M)3.47M19.51M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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HWM 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 Howmet Aerospace (HWM) and Rocket Lab (RKLB)
MetricHWMRKLB
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.020.09
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.030.14

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 Howmet Aerospace (HWM) reports 37.65%, ranking against industry peers normally.

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%

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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Howmet Aerospace (HWM) 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 Howmet Aerospace (HWM) reports 21.10%, ranking against industry peers normally.

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%

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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Howmet Aerospace (HWM) 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 Howmet Aerospace (HWM) reports 28.78%, ranking against industry peers normally.

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%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Howmet Aerospace (HWM) and Rocket Lab (RKLB)
MetricHWMRKLB
ROE (TTM)37.65%-7.92%
ROA (TTM)13.97%-4.62%
Net Margin (TTM)21.10%-21.51%
Operating Margin (TTM)28.78%-24.57%
Gross Margin (TTM)36.63%37.26%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Rocket Lab (RKLB) at 37.96% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Howmet Aerospace (HWM) at 11.06% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for RKLB.

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Howmet Aerospace (HWM) vs. Rocket Lab (RKLB): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Only one side can be read here: Howmet Aerospace (HWM) reports EPS growth of 32.03%, ranked against its industry; Rocket Lab (RKLB) has no EPS growth figure this period.

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Howmet Aerospace (HWM) vs. Rocket Lab (RKLB): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Howmet Aerospace (HWM) and Rocket Lab (RKLB)
MetricHWMRKLB
Revenue Growth (YoY)11.06%37.96%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)13.37%41.82%
EPS Growth (YoY)32.03%--
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)49.51%--

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Howmet Aerospace (HWM) at 1.86 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Rocket Lab (RKLB) at 5.48 sits above its industry’s typical mid-range — comfortable liquidity, though possibly with more idle current assets 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

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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Howmet Aerospace (HWM) 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 Howmet Aerospace (HWM) at 0.80 runs a more typical debt-to-equity mix.

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

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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Howmet Aerospace (HWM) 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 Howmet Aerospace (HWM) and Rocket Lab (RKLB)
MetricHWMRKLB
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.865.48
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.800.04
Net Debt / EBITDA1.35--

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 Howmet Aerospace (HWM) reports a yield of 0.25%, ranking against industry peers normally.

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%

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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Howmet Aerospace (HWM) 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 Howmet Aerospace (HWM) reports a payout of 9.80%, ranking against industry peers normally.

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%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Howmet Aerospace (HWM) and Rocket Lab (RKLB)
MetricHWMRKLB
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.25%0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)9.80%0.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

An earnings multiple is available for just one side: Howmet Aerospace (HWM) trades at 40.35 times trailing earnings, ranked against its peers, while Rocket Lab (RKLB) has no P/E ratio this period.

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

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Investors are paying well above the peer range per dollar of sales for both Howmet Aerospace (HWM) at 8.41 and Rocket Lab (RKLB) at 44.12 — each P/S ratio clears its industry’s benchmark 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

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both look rich against book: Rocket Lab (RKLB) at 9.09 sits in the upper P/B ratio quartile, and Howmet Aerospace (HWM) at 14.20 prices even higher, above its industry range.

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

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Howmet Aerospace (HWM) and Rocket Lab (RKLB)
MetricHWMRKLB
P/E Ratio (TTM)40.35--
P/S Ratio (TTM)8.4144.12
P/B Ratio (MRQ)14.209.09
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)1.58%-0.74%