NOC vs. WCC: Northrop Grumman vs. WESCO Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Northrop Grumman (NOC) 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

Northrop Grumman (NOC) and WESCO (WCC) both fall under the Capital Goods industry group, but NOC is classified in Aerospace & Defense while WCC is classified in Trading Companies & Distributors.

Company profile comparison for Northrop Grumman (NOC) and WESCO (WCC)
Profile Item	NOC	WCC
Name	Northrop Grumman Corporation	WESCO International, Inc.
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Industrials	Industrials
GICS Industry Group	Capital Goods	Capital Goods
GICS Industry	Aerospace & Defense	Trading Companies & Distributors
GICS Sub-Industry	Aerospace & Defense	Trading Companies & Distributors
Market Capitalization	74.59 billion USD	14.24 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	December 31, 1981	May 12, 1999
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

NOC

WCC

GSPC

Northrop Grumman (NOC) 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 Northrop Grumman (NOC) and WESCO (WCC). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Northrop Grumman (NOC) and WESCO (WCC)
Metric	NOC	WCC
Total Return (1Y)	-3.34%	26.01%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	7.23%	33.71%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	9.98%	19.77%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

NOC

WCC

GSPC

Northrop Grumman (NOC) 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 Northrop Grumman (NOC) and WESCO (WCC). 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. WESCO (WCC) has a non-negative beta of 1.56.

Risk profile metrics for Northrop Grumman (NOC) and WESCO (WCC)
Metric	NOC	WCC
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	28.86%	48.31%
Beta (5Y)	-0.12	1.56
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-37.80%	-37.37%
Avg. Volume (3M)	902.47K	592.41K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

NOC 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 Northrop Grumman (NOC) and WESCO (WCC)
Metric	NOC	WCC
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	-0.26	0.45
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	-0.37	0.66

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Northrop Grumman (NOC) at 26.07% sits in the top ROE quartile, while WESCO (WCC) at 15.44% 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%

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%

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

Net Margin (TTM)

Both Northrop Grumman (NOC) at 10.37% and WESCO (WCC) at 3.04% 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%

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%

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

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Northrop Grumman (NOC) at 12.91% and WESCO (WCC) at 6.61% 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%

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%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Northrop Grumman (NOC) and WESCO (WCC)
Metric	NOC	WCC
ROE (TTM)	26.07%	15.44%
ROA (TTM)	7.11%	5.43%
Net Margin (TTM)	10.37%	3.04%
Operating Margin (TTM)	12.91%	6.61%
Gross Margin (TTM)	20.03%	21.51%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Northrop Grumman (NOC) at 2.24% 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.

Northrop Grumman (NOC) vs. WESCO (WCC): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Northrop Grumman (NOC) at 2.61% and WESCO (WCC) at 0.00% 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. WESCO (WCC): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Northrop Grumman (NOC) and WESCO (WCC)
Metric	NOC	WCC
Revenue Growth (YoY)	2.24%	7.76%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	4.65%	3.15%
EPS Growth (YoY)	2.61%	0.00%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	-2.60%	-5.23%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

WESCO (WCC) at 2.01 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Northrop Grumman (NOC) at 1.23 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for NOC.

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

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

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

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Northrop Grumman (NOC) at 0.93 carries an industry-typical debt-to-equity mix, while WESCO (WCC) at 1.25 uses more debt funding than most peers.

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

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

Northrop Grumman (NOC) 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 Northrop Grumman (NOC) and WESCO (WCC)
Metric	NOC	WCC
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.23	2.01
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.93	1.25
Net Debt / EBITDA	1.87	3.46

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Northrop Grumman (NOC) at 1.82% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while WESCO (WCC) at 0.68% 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%

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%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

WESCO (WCC) at 12.13% 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%

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%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Northrop Grumman (NOC) and WESCO (WCC)
Metric	NOC	WCC
Dividend Yield (TTM)	1.82%	0.68%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	30.18%	12.13%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Northrop Grumman (NOC) at 16.57 and WESCO (WCC) at 18.17 sit in the cheaper earnings-multiple quartile for P/E ratio, with the market paying less for a dollar of trailing earnings than it pays for typical peers.

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

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

Northrop Grumman (NOC) 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 Northrop Grumman (NOC) at 1.71 prices around its industry’s middle — WCC costs less per dollar of sales, though read it alongside growth and margins.

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

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

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

On P/B ratio, both Northrop Grumman (NOC) at 3.99 and WESCO (WCC) at 2.62 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

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

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

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Northrop Grumman (NOC) and WESCO (WCC)
Metric	NOC	WCC
P/E Ratio (TTM)	16.57	18.17
P/S Ratio (TTM)	1.71	0.55
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	3.99	2.62
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	4.21%	2.71%