PCAR vs. RKLB: PACCAR vs. Rocket Lab Stock Comparison

Company Profile

PACCAR (PCAR) and Rocket Lab (RKLB) both fall under the Capital Goods industry group, but PCAR is classified in Machinery while RKLB is classified in Aerospace & Defense.

PACCAR (PCAR) has more than two decades of public-market history since March 17, 1980, whereas Rocket Lab (RKLB) listed on November 24, 2020 and has a much shorter record to draw on.

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

Trailing Returns

Calendar-Year Returns

Performance Metrics

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

Return Distribution

Risk Metrics

Rocket Lab (RKLB) carries a highly aggressive beta of 3.14, indicating much higher sensitivity to broad-market moves, whereas PACCAR (PCAR) is closer to market-like at 0.94 — a noticeable difference in market-sensitivity profile.

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Profitability

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 PACCAR (PCAR) reports 13.71%, ranking against industry peers normally.

Rocket Lab (RKLB) reports a negative net margin of -21.51%, usually indicating a net loss over the period. Meanwhile PACCAR (PCAR) reports 9.50%, ranking against industry peers normally.

Rocket Lab (RKLB) reports a negative operating margin of -24.57%, usually indicating that operating costs exceeded revenue at the operating-income line. Meanwhile PACCAR (PCAR) reports 12.59%, ranking against industry peers normally.

Profitability Metrics

Growth

Rocket Lab (RKLB) at 37.96% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while PACCAR (PCAR) at -15.50% is in the bottom quartile, showing a clear gap in revenue momentum.

Only one side can be read here: PACCAR (PCAR) reports EPS growth of -42.91%, ranked against its industry; Rocket Lab (RKLB) has no EPS growth figure this period.

Growth Metrics

Financial Strength

Both PACCAR (PCAR) at 5.47 and Rocket Lab (RKLB) at 5.48 post current ratio above their industries’ typical mid-ranges — short-term liquidity appears comfortable, though unusually high readings can point to idle current assets.

Rocket Lab (RKLB) at 0.04 keeps leverage in the lower industry quartile, while PACCAR (PCAR) at 0.72 runs a more typical debt-to-equity mix.

Financial Strength Metrics

Dividends

Rocket Lab (RKLB) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile PACCAR (PCAR) reports a yield of 1.30%, ranking against industry peers normally.

Rocket Lab (RKLB) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile PACCAR (PCAR) reports a payout of 25.95%, ranking against industry peers normally.

Dividend Metrics

Valuation

An earnings multiple is available for just one side: PACCAR (PCAR) trades at 19.46 times trailing earnings, ranked against its peers, while Rocket Lab (RKLB) has no P/E ratio this period.

PACCAR (PCAR) at 1.85 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.

PACCAR (PCAR) at 2.57 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.

Valuation Metrics