Price movement over the last 24 hours
American Electric Power Company Inc vs Northrop Grumman Corporation — how do they compare? American Electric Power Company Inc trades at $136.44 (market cap $74.83B), while Northrop Grumman Corporation trades at $543 (market cap $77.98B). The key difference: American Electric Power Company Inc and Northrop Grumman Corporation are close in size by market cap, and American Electric Power Company Inc pays the higher dividend (2.76%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| AEP | NOC | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $74.83B | $77.98B |
Sector | Utilities | Industrials |
52-Week High | $138.69 | $768.02 |
52-Week Low | $103.96 | $496.02 |
Enterprise Value | $126.09B | $92.21B |
Dividend Yield | 2.76% | 1.71% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
AEP trades at $137.53, down 0.71% on the day, with strong analyst support (64% buy ratings) and a $142.82 consensus price target. The stock shows bullish technical momentum with recent earnings beats and robust revenue growth, climbing from $19.7B in 2024 to $21.9B in 2025. AEP benefits from AI-driven electricity demand and a $78B capital plan for grid expansion.
Outlook remains positive given AEP's strategic positioning in energy infrastructure, though risks include high capital expenditures and debt levels. The current valuation at 20.12x P/E appears reasonable for a utility with stable earnings growth and dividend payments, supporting a constructive view for long-term investors.
Northrop Grumman (NOC) trades at $549.04, showing minimal daily movement. The stock exhibits a bullish technical trend, supported by strong fundamentals including a 10.8% net income margin and consistent earnings beats. Recent news highlights contract wins and positive defense sector sentiment. Analyst consensus is strongly bullish with a $694.40 price target, indicating significant upside potential from current levels.
The outlook remains positive given the company's $95.61B backlog and stable cash flow generation. Key risks include political budget uncertainty and execution challenges. With solid institutional support and improving profitability metrics, NOC presents a compelling opportunity for investors seeking defense sector exposure, though geopolitical developments require monitoring.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Latest headlines on both assets
American Electric Power is one of the largest regulated utilities in the United States, providing electricity generation, transmission, and distribution to more than 5 million customers in 11 states. About 43% of AEP's of capacity is coal, with the remainder from a mix of natural gas (27%), renewable energy and hydro (19%), nuclear (7%), and demand response (4%). Vertically integrated utilities, transmission and distribution, and generation and marketing support earnings.
Read more on AEP →Northrop Grumman is a defense contractor that is diversified across short-cycle and long-cycle businesses. The firm's segments include aeronautics, mission systems, defense services, and space systems. The company's aerospace segment creates the fuselage for the massive F-35 program and produces various piloted and autonomous flight systems. Mission systems creates a variety of sensors and processors for defense hardware. The defense systems segment is a long-range missile manufacturer. Finally, the company's space systems segment produces various space structures, sensors, and satellites.
Read more on NOC →