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HWM vs. WCC: Howmet Aerospace vs. WESCO Stock Comparison

How do Howmet Aerospace (HWM) and WESCO (WCC) 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 WESCO (WCC) both fall under the Capital Goods industry group, but HWM is classified in Aerospace & Defense while WCC is classified in Trading Companies & Distributors.

Company profile comparison for Howmet Aerospace (HWM) and WESCO (WCC)
Profile ItemHWMWCC
NameHowmet Aerospace Inc.WESCO International, Inc.
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorIndustrialsIndustrials
GICS Industry GroupCapital GoodsCapital Goods
GICS IndustryAerospace & DefenseTrading Companies & Distributors
GICS Sub-IndustryAerospace & DefenseTrading Companies & Distributors
Market Capitalization81.84 billion USD14.24 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateNovember 1, 2016May 12, 1999
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

HWM
WCC
GSPC
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Howmet Aerospace (HWM) vs. WESCO (WCC), 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 WESCO (WCC). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Howmet Aerospace (HWM) and WESCO (WCC)
MetricHWMWCC
Total Return (1Y)5.06%26.01%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)64.83%33.71%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)46.04%19.77%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Howmet Aerospace (HWM) and WESCO (WCC)
MetricHWMWCC
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)37.60%48.31%
Beta (5Y)1.271.56
Max Drawdown (5Y)-36.47%-37.37%
Avg. Volume (3M)3.47M592.41K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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HWM and WCC 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 WESCO (WCC)
MetricHWMWCC
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.020.45
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.030.66

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Howmet Aerospace (HWM) at 37.65% sits in the top ROE quartile, while WESCO (WCC) at 15.44% 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%

WCC

Capital Goods industry group

15.44%

Max
40.55%
Q3
19.29%
WCC
15.44%
Median
12.12%
Q1
4.08%
Min
-17.12%
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Howmet Aerospace (HWM) vs. WESCO (WCC): 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 WESCO (WCC) at 3.04%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

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%

WCC

Capital Goods industry group

3.04%

Max
27.47%
Q3
12.10%
Median
6.30%
WCC
3.04%
Q1
1.40%
Min
-12.89%
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Howmet Aerospace (HWM) vs. WESCO (WCC): 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 WESCO (WCC) at 6.61%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

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%

WCC

Capital Goods industry group

6.61%

Max
36.60%
Q3
18.33%
Median
11.12%
WCC
6.61%
Q1
5.14%
Min
-12.63%
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Howmet Aerospace (HWM) vs. WESCO (WCC): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Howmet Aerospace (HWM) and WESCO (WCC)
MetricHWMWCC
ROE (TTM)37.65%15.44%
ROA (TTM)13.97%5.43%
Net Margin (TTM)21.10%3.04%
Operating Margin (TTM)28.78%6.61%
Gross Margin (TTM)36.63%21.51%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Howmet Aerospace (HWM) at 11.06% and WESCO (WCC) at 7.76% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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Howmet Aerospace (HWM) vs. WESCO (WCC): 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 WESCO (WCC) at 0.00% is closer to the peer norm — faster per-share earnings growth for HWM.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Howmet Aerospace (HWM) and WESCO (WCC)
MetricHWMWCC
Revenue Growth (YoY)11.06%7.76%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)13.37%3.15%
EPS Growth (YoY)32.03%0.00%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)49.51%-5.23%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Howmet Aerospace (HWM) at 1.86 and WESCO (WCC) at 2.01 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

WCC

Capital Goods industry group

2.01

Max
5.22
Q3
2.95
Median
2.08
WCC
2.01
Q1
1.43
Min
0.36
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Howmet Aerospace (HWM) vs. WESCO (WCC): A comparison of their current ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Howmet Aerospace (HWM) at 0.80 carries an industry-typical debt-to-equity mix, while WESCO (WCC) at 1.25 uses more debt funding than most peers.

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

WCC

Capital Goods industry group

1.25

Max
2.33
WCC
1.25
Q3
1.12
Median
0.60
Q1
0.29
Min
0.00
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Howmet Aerospace (HWM) vs. WESCO (WCC): 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 WESCO (WCC)
MetricHWMWCC
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.862.01
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.801.25
Net Debt / EBITDA1.353.46

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Howmet Aerospace (HWM) at 0.25% and WESCO (WCC) at 0.68% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

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%

WCC

Capital Goods industry group

0.68%

Max
2.66%
Q3
1.14%
WCC
0.68%
Median
0.24%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Howmet Aerospace (HWM) vs. WESCO (WCC): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Howmet Aerospace (HWM) at 9.80% and WESCO (WCC) at 12.13% keep payout ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges — dividend policies that share earnings without consuming too much of them.

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%

WCC

Capital Goods industry group

12.13%

Max
67.39%
Q3
28.02%
WCC
12.13%
Median
6.86%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Howmet Aerospace (HWM) vs. WESCO (WCC): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Howmet Aerospace (HWM) and WESCO (WCC)
MetricHWMWCC
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.25%0.68%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)9.80%12.13%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

WESCO (WCC) at 18.17 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.

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

WCC

Capital Goods industry group

18.17

Max
59.38
Q3
35.92
Median
25.41
Q1
19.47
WCC
18.17
Min
3.03
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Howmet Aerospace (HWM) vs. WESCO (WCC): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

WESCO (WCC) at 0.55 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.

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

WCC

Capital Goods industry group

0.55

Max
7.54
Q3
3.76
Median
2.15
Q1
1.03
WCC
0.55
Min
0.03
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Howmet Aerospace (HWM) vs. WESCO (WCC): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

WESCO (WCC) at 2.62 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

WCC

Capital Goods industry group

2.62

Max
9.66
Q3
5.00
Median
3.12
WCC
2.62
Q1
1.81
Min
-1.08
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Howmet Aerospace (HWM) vs. WESCO (WCC): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Howmet Aerospace (HWM) and WESCO (WCC)
MetricHWMWCC
P/E Ratio (TTM)40.3518.17
P/S Ratio (TTM)8.410.55
P/B Ratio (MRQ)14.202.62
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)1.58%2.71%