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LHX vs. RKLB: L3Harris vs. Rocket Lab Stock Comparison

How do L3Harris (LHX) 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

L3Harris (LHX) 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.

L3Harris (LHX) has more than two decades of public-market history since December 31, 1981, whereas Rocket Lab (RKLB) listed on November 24, 2020 and has a much shorter record to draw on.

Company profile comparison for L3Harris (LHX) and Rocket Lab (RKLB)
Profile ItemLHXRKLB
NameL3Harris Technologies, 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 Capitalization48.39 billion USD33.93 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENasdaq
Listing DateDecember 31, 1981November 24, 2020
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

LHX
RKLB
GSPC
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L3Harris (LHX) 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 L3Harris (LHX) and Rocket Lab (RKLB). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for L3Harris (LHX) and Rocket Lab (RKLB). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for L3Harris (LHX) and Rocket Lab (RKLB)
MetricLHXRKLB
Total Return (1Y)-5.21%12.96%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)16.68%138.86%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)5.91%31.49%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

LHX
RKLB
GSPC
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L3Harris (LHX) 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 L3Harris (LHX) and Rocket Lab (RKLB). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Rocket Lab (RKLB) has a highly aggressive beta of 3.14, indicating much higher sensitivity to broad-market moves, while L3Harris (LHX) is defensive at 0.46 and tends to be less market-sensitive — a wide gap in beta profiles.

Risk profile metrics for L3Harris (LHX) and Rocket Lab (RKLB)
MetricLHXRKLB
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)29.75%95.71%
Beta (5Y)0.463.14
Max Drawdown (5Y)-38.16%-78.32%
Avg. Volume (3M)1.70M19.51M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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LHX 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 L3Harris (LHX) and Rocket Lab (RKLB)
MetricLHXRKLB
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)-0.320.09
Sortino Ratio (1Y)-0.450.14

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 L3Harris (LHX) reports 10.03%, ranking against industry peers normally.

LHX

Capital Goods industry group

10.03%

Max
40.55%
Q3
19.29%
Median
12.12%
LHX
10.03%
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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L3Harris (LHX) 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 L3Harris (LHX) reports 8.76%, ranking against industry peers normally.

LHX

Capital Goods industry group

8.76%

Max
27.47%
Q3
12.10%
LHX
8.76%
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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L3Harris (LHX) 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 L3Harris (LHX) reports 14.34%, ranking against industry peers normally.

LHX

Capital Goods industry group

14.34%

Max
36.60%
Q3
18.33%
LHX
14.34%
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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L3Harris (LHX) vs. Rocket Lab (RKLB): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for L3Harris (LHX) and Rocket Lab (RKLB)
MetricLHXRKLB
ROE (TTM)10.03%-7.92%
ROA (TTM)4.56%-4.62%
Net Margin (TTM)8.76%-21.51%
Operating Margin (TTM)14.34%-24.57%
Gross Margin (TTM)25.55%37.26%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Rocket Lab (RKLB) at 37.96% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while L3Harris (LHX) at 2.53% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for RKLB.

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L3Harris (LHX) vs. Rocket Lab (RKLB): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Only one side can be read here: L3Harris (LHX) reports EPS growth of 8.39%, ranked against its industry; Rocket Lab (RKLB) has no EPS growth figure this period.

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L3Harris (LHX) vs. Rocket Lab (RKLB): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for L3Harris (LHX) and Rocket Lab (RKLB)
MetricLHXRKLB
Revenue Growth (YoY)2.53%37.96%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)8.62%41.82%
EPS Growth (YoY)8.39%--
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)15.82%--

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Rocket Lab (RKLB) at 5.48 carries current ratio above its industry’s typical mid-range, while L3Harris (LHX) at 1.20 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — different working-capital profiles, both worth examining.

LHX

Capital Goods industry group

1.20

Max
5.22
Q3
2.95
Median
2.08
Q1
1.43
LHX
1.20
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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L3Harris (LHX) 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 L3Harris (LHX) at 0.52 runs a more typical debt-to-equity mix.

LHX

Capital Goods industry group

0.52

Max
2.33
Q3
1.12
Median
0.60
LHX
0.52
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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L3Harris (LHX) 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 L3Harris (LHX) and Rocket Lab (RKLB)
MetricLHXRKLB
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.205.48
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.520.04
Net Debt / EBITDA1.88--

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 L3Harris (LHX) reports a yield of 1.92%, ranking against industry peers normally.

LHX

Capital Goods industry group

1.92%

Max
2.66%
LHX
1.92%
Q3
1.14%
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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L3Harris (LHX) 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 L3Harris (LHX) reports a payout of 46.09%, ranking against industry peers normally.

LHX

Capital Goods industry group

46.09%

Max
67.39%
LHX
46.09%
Q3
28.02%
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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L3Harris (LHX) vs. Rocket Lab (RKLB): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for L3Harris (LHX) and Rocket Lab (RKLB)
MetricLHXRKLB
Dividend Yield (TTM)1.92%0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)46.09%0.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

An earnings multiple is available for just one side: L3Harris (LHX) trades at 24.20 times trailing earnings, ranked against its peers, while Rocket Lab (RKLB) has no P/E ratio this period.

LHX

Capital Goods industry group

24.20

Max
59.38
Q3
35.92
Median
25.41
LHX
24.20
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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L3Harris (LHX) vs. Rocket Lab (RKLB): RKLB does not report P/E ratio, so it has no value marker; LHX is benchmarked against the Capital Goods industry group.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

L3Harris (LHX) at 2.07 prices around its industry’s typical P/S ratio, while Rocket Lab (RKLB) at 44.12 clears its benchmark range — RKLB looks notably rich on sales.

LHX

Capital Goods industry group

2.07

Max
7.54
Q3
3.76
Median
2.15
LHX
2.07
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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L3Harris (LHX) vs. Rocket Lab (RKLB): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

L3Harris (LHX) at 2.39 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while Rocket Lab (RKLB) at 9.09 carries an above-peer premium to book — RKLB is pricier on assets.

LHX

Capital Goods industry group

2.39

Max
9.66
Q3
5.00
Median
3.12
LHX
2.39
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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L3Harris (LHX) vs. Rocket Lab (RKLB): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for L3Harris (LHX) and Rocket Lab (RKLB)
MetricLHXRKLB
P/E Ratio (TTM)24.20--
P/S Ratio (TTM)2.0744.12
P/B Ratio (MRQ)2.399.09
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)7.09%-0.74%