RKLB vs. WWD: Rocket Lab vs. Woodward Stock Comparison

Company Profile

Rocket Lab (RKLB) and Woodward (WWD) are both classified in the Aerospace & Defense sub-industry within the broader Aerospace & Defense industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Woodward (WWD) has more than two decades of public-market history since April 4, 1994, 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 Woodward (WWD) is closer to market-like at 0.87 — a noticeable difference in market-sensitivity profile.

Rocket Lab (RKLB) is heavily traded at around 19.51M shares per day, whereas Woodward (WWD) sees a more moderate 665.85K — larger orders in the latter may require more patience and tighter control over order sizing.

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 Woodward (WWD) reports 22.34%, 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 Woodward (WWD) reports 13.17%, 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 Woodward (WWD) reports 17.76%, ranking against industry peers normally.

Profitability Metrics

Growth

Rocket Lab (RKLB) at 37.96% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Woodward (WWD) at 7.30% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for RKLB.

Only one side can be read here: Woodward (WWD) reports EPS growth of 19.63%, ranked against its industry; Rocket Lab (RKLB) has no EPS growth figure this period.

Growth Metrics

Financial Strength

Woodward (WWD) at 1.65 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Rocket Lab (RKLB) at 5.48 sits above its industry’s typical mid-range — comfortable liquidity, though possibly with more idle current assets relative to peers.

Rocket Lab (RKLB) at 0.04 keeps leverage in the lower industry quartile, while Woodward (WWD) at 0.56 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 Woodward (WWD) reports a yield of 0.32%, 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 Woodward (WWD) reports a payout of 13.35%, ranking against industry peers normally.

Dividend Metrics

Valuation

An earnings multiple is available for just one side: Woodward (WWD) trades at 35.30 times trailing earnings, ranked against its peers, while Rocket Lab (RKLB) has no P/E ratio this period.

Both look expensive on sales: Woodward (WWD) at 4.47 sits in the upper P/S ratio quartile, and Rocket Lab (RKLB) at 44.12 prices even higher, above its industry range.

Both Rocket Lab (RKLB) at 9.09 and Woodward (WWD) at 7.60 carry a premium to book value versus peers, sitting in the upper P/B ratio quartile of their industries.

Valuation Metrics