NOC vs. PWR: Northrop Grumman vs. Quanta Services Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Northrop Grumman (NOC) and Quanta Services (PWR) 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

Northrop Grumman (NOC) and Quanta Services (PWR) both fall under the Capital Goods industry group, but NOC is classified in Aerospace & Defense while PWR is classified in Construction & Engineering.

Company profile comparison for Northrop Grumman (NOC) and Quanta Services (PWR)
Profile Item	NOC	PWR
Name	Northrop Grumman Corporation	Quanta Services, Inc.
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Industrials	Industrials
GICS Industry Group	Capital Goods	Capital Goods
GICS Industry	Aerospace & Defense	Construction & Engineering
GICS Sub-Industry	Aerospace & Defense	Construction & Engineering
Market Capitalization	74.59 billion USD	81.50 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	December 31, 1981	February 12, 1998
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

NOC

PWR

GSPC

Northrop Grumman (NOC) vs. Quanta Services (PWR), 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

Loading price history…

Trailing total returns for Northrop Grumman (NOC) and Quanta Services (PWR). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

Loading price history…

Calendar-year total returns for Northrop Grumman (NOC) and Quanta Services (PWR). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Northrop Grumman (NOC) and Quanta Services (PWR)
Metric	NOC	PWR
Total Return (1Y)	-3.34%	32.97%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	7.23%	51.81%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	9.98%	38.19%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

NOC

PWR

GSPC

Northrop Grumman (NOC) vs. Quanta Services (PWR), 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

Loading price history…

Distribution of monthly total returns for Northrop Grumman (NOC) and Quanta Services (PWR). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Northrop Grumman (NOC) reports a negative beta of -0.12, suggesting inverse market sensitivity over the measurement window. That is uncommon for ordinary equities and can reflect commodity-linked or hedge-like exposure, but it can also come from statistical noise. Quanta Services (PWR) has a non-negative beta of 1.29.

Risk profile metrics for Northrop Grumman (NOC) and Quanta Services (PWR)
Metric	NOC	PWR
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	28.86%	50.22%
Beta (5Y)	-0.12	1.29
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-37.80%	-35.15%
Avg. Volume (3M)	902.47K	1.19M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

NOC and PWR 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 Northrop Grumman (NOC) and Quanta Services (PWR)
Metric	NOC	PWR
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	-0.26	0.57
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	-0.37	0.87

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Northrop Grumman (NOC) at 26.07% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Quanta Services (PWR) at 18.02% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for NOC.

NOC

Capital Goods industry group

26.07%

Max: 40.55%
NOC: 26.07%
Q3: 19.29%
Median: 12.12%
Q1: 4.08%
Min: -17.12%

PWR

Capital Goods industry group

18.02%

Max: 40.55%
Q3: 19.29%
PWR: 18.02%
Median: 12.12%
Q1: 4.08%
Min: -17.12%

Northrop Grumman (NOC) vs. Quanta Services (PWR): A comparison of their ROE against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Both Northrop Grumman (NOC) at 10.37% and Quanta Services (PWR) at 4.51% keep about the typical share of revenue as profit for their industries — neither bottom line stands out from peers.

NOC

Capital Goods industry group

10.37%

Max: 27.47%
Q3: 12.10%
NOC: 10.37%
Median: 6.30%
Q1: 1.40%
Min: -12.89%

PWR

Capital Goods industry group

4.51%

Max: 27.47%
Q3: 12.10%
Median: 6.30%
PWR: 4.51%
Q1: 1.40%
Min: -12.89%

Northrop Grumman (NOC) vs. Quanta Services (PWR): A comparison of their net margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Northrop Grumman (NOC) at 12.91% and Quanta Services (PWR) at 8.63% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

NOC

Capital Goods industry group

12.91%

Max: 36.60%
Q3: 18.33%
NOC: 12.91%
Median: 11.12%
Q1: 5.14%
Min: -12.63%

PWR

Capital Goods industry group

8.63%

Max: 36.60%
Q3: 18.33%
Median: 11.12%
PWR: 8.63%
Q1: 5.14%
Min: -12.63%

Northrop Grumman (NOC) vs. Quanta Services (PWR): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Northrop Grumman (NOC) and Quanta Services (PWR)
Metric	NOC	PWR
ROE (TTM)	26.07%	18.02%
ROA (TTM)	7.11%	5.72%
Net Margin (TTM)	10.37%	4.51%
Operating Margin (TTM)	12.91%	8.63%
Gross Margin (TTM)	20.03%	15.76%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Quanta Services (PWR) at 20.31% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Northrop Grumman (NOC) at 2.24% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for PWR.

Northrop Grumman (NOC) vs. Quanta Services (PWR): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Northrop Grumman (NOC) at 2.61% and Quanta Services (PWR) at 12.77% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Northrop Grumman (NOC) vs. Quanta Services (PWR): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Northrop Grumman (NOC) and Quanta Services (PWR)
Metric	NOC	PWR
Revenue Growth (YoY)	2.24%	20.31%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	4.65%	18.60%
EPS Growth (YoY)	2.61%	12.77%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	-2.60%	27.00%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Northrop Grumman (NOC) at 1.23 and Quanta Services (PWR) at 1.16 run current ratio in the tighter-liquidity quartile of industry peers, leaving thinner cushions against current liabilities than typical competitors.

NOC

Capital Goods industry group

1.23

Max: 5.22
Q3: 2.95
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.43
NOC: 1.23
Min: 0.36

PWR

Capital Goods industry group

1.16

Max: 5.22
Q3: 2.95
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.43
PWR: 1.16
Min: 0.36

Northrop Grumman (NOC) vs. Quanta Services (PWR): A comparison of their current ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Northrop Grumman (NOC) at 0.93 and Quanta Services (PWR) at 0.71 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

NOC

Capital Goods industry group

0.93

Max: 2.33
Q3: 1.12
NOC: 0.93
Median: 0.60
Q1: 0.29
Min: 0.00

PWR

Capital Goods industry group

0.71

Max: 2.33
Q3: 1.12
PWR: 0.71
Median: 0.60
Q1: 0.29
Min: 0.00

Northrop Grumman (NOC) vs. Quanta Services (PWR): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Northrop Grumman (NOC) and Quanta Services (PWR)
Metric	NOC	PWR
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.23	1.16
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.93	0.71
Net Debt / EBITDA	1.87	1.43

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Northrop Grumman (NOC) at 1.82% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while Quanta Services (PWR) at 0.09% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, NOC the richer one.

NOC

Capital Goods industry group

1.82%

Max: 2.66%
NOC: 1.82%
Q3: 1.14%
Median: 0.24%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

PWR

Capital Goods industry group

0.09%

Max: 2.66%
Q3: 1.14%
Median: 0.24%
PWR: 0.09%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Northrop Grumman (NOC) vs. Quanta Services (PWR): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Quanta Services (PWR) at 3.98% pays out a band-typical share of earnings, while Northrop Grumman (NOC) at 30.18% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

NOC

Capital Goods industry group

30.18%

Max: 67.39%
NOC: 30.18%
Q3: 28.02%
Median: 6.86%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

PWR

Capital Goods industry group

3.98%

Max: 67.39%
Q3: 28.02%
Median: 6.86%
PWR: 3.98%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Northrop Grumman (NOC) vs. Quanta Services (PWR): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Northrop Grumman (NOC) and Quanta Services (PWR)
Metric	NOC	PWR
Dividend Yield (TTM)	1.82%	0.09%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	30.18%	3.98%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Northrop Grumman (NOC) at 16.57 sits in the cheaper P/E ratio quartile, while Quanta Services (PWR) at 48.95 sits in the richer quartile — a clear split in what investors pay for each dollar of trailing earnings.

NOC

Capital Goods industry group

16.57

Max: 59.38
Q3: 35.92
Median: 25.41
Q1: 19.47
NOC: 16.57
Min: 3.03

PWR

Capital Goods industry group

48.95

Max: 59.38
PWR: 48.95
Q3: 35.92
Median: 25.41
Q1: 19.47
Min: 3.03

Northrop Grumman (NOC) vs. Quanta Services (PWR): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both Northrop Grumman (NOC) at 1.71 and Quanta Services (PWR) at 2.19 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

NOC

Capital Goods industry group

1.71

Max: 7.54
Q3: 3.76
Median: 2.15
NOC: 1.71
Q1: 1.03
Min: 0.03

PWR

Capital Goods industry group

2.19

Max: 7.54
Q3: 3.76
PWR: 2.19
Median: 2.15
Q1: 1.03
Min: 0.03

Northrop Grumman (NOC) vs. Quanta Services (PWR): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Northrop Grumman (NOC) at 3.99 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while Quanta Services (PWR) at 7.73 carries an above-peer premium to book — PWR is pricier on assets.

NOC

Capital Goods industry group

3.99

Max: 9.66
Q3: 5.00
NOC: 3.99
Median: 3.12
Q1: 1.81
Min: -1.08

PWR

Capital Goods industry group

7.73

Max: 9.66
PWR: 7.73
Q3: 5.00
Median: 3.12
Q1: 1.81
Min: -1.08

Northrop Grumman (NOC) vs. Quanta Services (PWR): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Northrop Grumman (NOC) and Quanta Services (PWR)
Metric	NOC	PWR
P/E Ratio (TTM)	16.57	48.95
P/S Ratio (TTM)	1.71	2.19
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	3.99	7.73
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	4.21%	3.78%