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HWM vs. XYL: Howmet Aerospace vs. Xylem Stock Comparison

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

Company profile comparison for Howmet Aerospace (HWM) and Xylem (XYL)
Profile ItemHWMXYL
NameHowmet Aerospace Inc.Xylem Inc.
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorIndustrialsIndustrials
GICS Industry GroupCapital GoodsCapital Goods
GICS IndustryAerospace & DefenseMachinery
GICS Sub-IndustryAerospace & DefenseIndustrial Machinery & Supplies & Components
Market Capitalization81.84 billion USD22.44 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateNovember 1, 2016October 13, 2011
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

HWM
XYL
GSPC
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Howmet Aerospace (HWM) vs. Xylem (XYL), 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 Xylem (XYL). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Howmet Aerospace (HWM) and Xylem (XYL)
MetricHWMXYL
Total Return (1Y)5.06%-33.10%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)64.83%2.29%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)46.04%-4.47%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Howmet Aerospace (HWM) and Xylem (XYL)
MetricHWMXYL
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)37.60%30.74%
Beta (5Y)1.270.96
Max Drawdown (5Y)-36.47%-44.89%
Avg. Volume (3M)3.47M2.60M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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HWM and XYL 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 Xylem (XYL)
MetricHWMXYL
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.02-1.22
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.03-1.48

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Howmet Aerospace (HWM) at 37.65% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Xylem (XYL) at 9.76% 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%

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

9.76%

Max
40.55%
Q3
19.29%
Median
12.12%
XYL
9.76%
Q1
4.08%
Min
-17.12%
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Howmet Aerospace (HWM) vs. Xylem (XYL): 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 Xylem (XYL) at 11.94%, 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%

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

11.94%

Max
27.47%
Q3
12.10%
XYL
11.94%
Median
6.30%
Q1
1.40%
Min
-12.89%
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Howmet Aerospace (HWM) vs. Xylem (XYL): 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 Xylem (XYL) at 15.95%, 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%

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

15.95%

Max
36.60%
Q3
18.33%
XYL
15.95%
Median
11.12%
Q1
5.14%
Min
-12.63%
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Howmet Aerospace (HWM) vs. Xylem (XYL): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Howmet Aerospace (HWM) and Xylem (XYL)
MetricHWMXYL
ROE (TTM)37.65%9.76%
ROA (TTM)13.97%5.07%
Net Margin (TTM)21.10%11.94%
Operating Margin (TTM)28.78%15.95%
Gross Margin (TTM)36.63%39.32%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Howmet Aerospace (HWM) at 11.06% and Xylem (XYL) at 5.52% 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. Xylem (XYL): 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 Xylem (XYL) at 7.40% is closer to the peer norm — faster per-share earnings growth for HWM.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Howmet Aerospace (HWM) and Xylem (XYL)
MetricHWMXYL
Revenue Growth (YoY)11.06%5.52%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)13.37%17.84%
EPS Growth (YoY)32.03%7.40%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)49.51%25.99%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Howmet Aerospace (HWM) at 1.86 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Xylem (XYL) at 1.39 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for XYL.

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

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

1.39

Max
5.22
Q3
2.95
Median
2.08
Q1
1.43
XYL
1.39
Min
0.36
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Howmet Aerospace (HWM) vs. Xylem (XYL): A comparison of their current ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Howmet Aerospace (HWM) at 0.80 and Xylem (XYL) at 0.29 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

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

0.29

Max
2.33
Q3
1.12
Median
0.60
XYL
0.29
Q1
0.29
Min
0.00
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Howmet Aerospace (HWM) vs. Xylem (XYL): 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 Xylem (XYL)
MetricHWMXYL
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.861.39
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.800.29
Net Debt / EBITDA1.351.18

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Xylem (XYL) at 1.69% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while Howmet Aerospace (HWM) at 0.25% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, XYL 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%

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

1.69%

Max
2.66%
XYL
1.69%
Q3
1.14%
Median
0.24%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Howmet Aerospace (HWM) vs. Xylem (XYL): 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 Xylem (XYL) at 37.47% 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%

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

37.47%

Max
67.39%
XYL
37.47%
Q3
28.02%
Median
6.86%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Howmet Aerospace (HWM) vs. Xylem (XYL): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Howmet Aerospace (HWM) and Xylem (XYL)
MetricHWMXYL
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.25%1.69%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)9.80%37.47%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Xylem (XYL) at 21.69 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

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

21.69

Max
59.38
Q3
35.92
Median
25.41
XYL
21.69
Q1
19.47
Min
3.03
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Howmet Aerospace (HWM) vs. Xylem (XYL): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Xylem (XYL) at 2.48 prices around its industry’s typical P/S ratio, while Howmet Aerospace (HWM) at 8.41 clears its benchmark range — HWM looks notably rich on sales.

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

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

2.48

Max
7.54
Q3
3.76
XYL
2.48
Median
2.15
Q1
1.03
Min
0.03
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Howmet Aerospace (HWM) vs. Xylem (XYL): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Xylem (XYL) at 2.19 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

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

2.19

Max
9.66
Q3
5.00
Median
3.12
XYL
2.19
Q1
1.81
Min
-1.08
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Howmet Aerospace (HWM) vs. Xylem (XYL): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Howmet Aerospace (HWM) and Xylem (XYL)
MetricHWMXYL
P/E Ratio (TTM)40.3521.69
P/S Ratio (TTM)8.412.48
P/B Ratio (MRQ)14.202.19
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)1.58%5.39%