HWM vs. TDG: Howmet Aerospace vs. TransDigm Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Howmet Aerospace (HWM) and TransDigm (TDG) 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 TransDigm (TDG) 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 TransDigm (TDG)
Profile Item	HWM	TDG
Name	Howmet Aerospace Inc.	TransDigm Group 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	81.84 billion USD	66.17 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	November 1, 2016	March 15, 2006
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

HWM

TDG

GSPC

Howmet Aerospace (HWM) vs. TransDigm (TDG), 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 TransDigm (TDG). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Howmet Aerospace (HWM) and TransDigm (TDG)
Metric	HWM	TDG
Total Return (1Y)	5.06%	-3.42%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	64.83%	14.26%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	46.04%	16.86%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

HWM

TDG

GSPC

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Howmet Aerospace (HWM) and TransDigm (TDG)
Metric	HWM	TDG
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	37.60%	28.03%
Beta (5Y)	1.27	0.94
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-36.47%	-29.05%
Avg. Volume (3M)	3.47M	369.72K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

HWM and TDG 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 TransDigm (TDG)
Metric	HWM	TDG
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.02	-0.27
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.03	-0.38

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Capital efficiency shows on one side only: Howmet Aerospace (HWM) earns 37.65% on shareholders’ equity, ranked against its industry; TransDigm (TDG) has no ROE this period.

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%

TDG

Capital Goods industry group

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

Howmet Aerospace (HWM) vs. TransDigm (TDG): TDG does not report ROE, so it has no value marker; HWM is benchmarked against the Capital Goods industry group.

Net Margin (TTM)

For every dollar of sales, both Howmet Aerospace (HWM) at 21.10% and TransDigm (TDG) at 21.28% 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%

TDG

Capital Goods industry group

21.28%

Max: 27.47%
TDG: 21.28%
Q3: 12.10%
Median: 6.30%
Q1: 1.40%
Min: -12.89%

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

Operating Margin (TTM)

TransDigm (TDG) at 46.01% shows unusually strong operating efficiency — above its industry’s operating margin range — and Howmet Aerospace (HWM) at 28.78% also operates in the top quartile.

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%

TDG

Capital Goods industry group

46.01%

TDG: 46.01%
Max: 36.60%
Q3: 18.33%
Median: 11.12%
Q1: 5.14%
Min: -12.63%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Howmet Aerospace (HWM) and TransDigm (TDG)
Metric	HWM	TDG
ROE (TTM)	37.65%	--
ROA (TTM)	13.97%	11.82%
Net Margin (TTM)	21.10%	21.28%
Operating Margin (TTM)	28.78%	46.01%
Gross Margin (TTM)	36.63%	59.82%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Howmet Aerospace (HWM) at 11.06% and TransDigm (TDG) at 11.22% 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. TransDigm (TDG): 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 TransDigm (TDG) at 25.21% is closer to the peer norm — faster per-share earnings growth for HWM.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Howmet Aerospace (HWM) and TransDigm (TDG)
Metric	HWM	TDG
Revenue Growth (YoY)	11.06%	11.22%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	13.37%	17.61%
EPS Growth (YoY)	32.03%	25.21%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	49.51%	33.78%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Howmet Aerospace (HWM) at 1.86 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while TransDigm (TDG) at 3.02 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

TDG

Capital Goods industry group

3.02

Max: 5.22
TDG: 3.02
Q3: 2.95
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.43
Min: 0.36

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

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Only one side’s leverage can be read here: Howmet Aerospace (HWM) carries debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80 against its industry range, while TransDigm (TDG) reports no figure this period.

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

TDG

Capital Goods industry group

Max: 2.33
Q3: 1.12
Median: 0.60
Q1: 0.29
Min: 0.00
TDG: --

Howmet Aerospace (HWM) vs. TransDigm (TDG): TDG does not report debt-to-equity ratio, so it has no value marker; HWM is benchmarked against the Capital Goods industry group.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Howmet Aerospace (HWM) and TransDigm (TDG)
Metric	HWM	TDG
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.86	3.02
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.80	--
Net Debt / EBITDA	1.35	6.03

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

TransDigm (TDG) 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%

TDG

Capital Goods industry group

0.00%

Max: 2.66%
Q3: 1.14%
Median: 0.24%
TDG: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

TransDigm (TDG) 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%

TDG

Capital Goods industry group

0.00%

Max: 67.39%
Q3: 28.02%
Median: 6.86%
TDG: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Howmet Aerospace (HWM) and TransDigm (TDG)
Metric	HWM	TDG
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.25%	0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	9.80%	0.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Howmet Aerospace (HWM) at 40.35 and TransDigm (TDG) at 36.31 sit in the richer earnings-multiple quartile for P/E ratio, so investors are paying more for TTM earnings than they pay for typical peers.

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

TDG

Capital Goods industry group

36.31

Max: 59.38
TDG: 36.31
Q3: 35.92
Median: 25.41
Q1: 19.47
Min: 3.03

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Both look expensive on sales: TransDigm (TDG) at 6.61 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

TDG

Capital Goods industry group

6.61

Max: 7.54
TDG: 6.61
Q3: 3.76
Median: 2.15
Q1: 1.03
Min: 0.03

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

TransDigm (TDG) reports a negative P/B ratio of -6.74, meaning negative book equity — the multiple itself is not meaningful for valuation. Meanwhile Howmet Aerospace (HWM) reports 14.20, ranking against industry peers normally.

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

TDG

Capital Goods industry group

-6.74

Max: 9.66
Q3: 5.00
Median: 3.12
Q1: 1.81
Min: -1.08
TDG: -6.74

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Howmet Aerospace (HWM) and TransDigm (TDG)
Metric	HWM	TDG
P/E Ratio (TTM)	40.35	36.31
P/S Ratio (TTM)	8.41	6.61
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	14.20	-6.74
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	1.58%	2.20%