Price movement over the last 24 hours
AES Corp vs Northrop Grumman Corporation — how do they compare? AES Corp trades at $14.65 (market cap $10.43B), while Northrop Grumman Corporation trades at $543.87 (market cap $77.98B). The key difference: Northrop Grumman Corporation is far larger — about 7.5× AES Corp's market cap, and AES Corp pays the higher dividend (4.81%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| AES | NOC | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $10.43B | $77.98B |
Sector | Utilities | Industrials |
52-Week High | $17.28 | $768.02 |
52-Week Low | $11.07 | $496.02 |
Enterprise Value | $39.77B | $92.21B |
Dividend Yield | 4.81% | 1.71% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
AES trades at $14.62, up 0.27% on the day, with strong fundamentals including a P/E of 7.59 and net income margin of 10.82%. Recent quarters show consistent earnings beats, while technical indicators signal bearish momentum. The company's pending $33.4 billion acquisition by a BlackRock/EQT consortium, approved by stockholders on June 26, 2026, caps near-term upside at $15 per share but provides a stable exit pathway.
The investment case hinges on the acquisition closing, offering a 2.6% gain to the $15 buyout price plus dividend yield. Risks include deal completion uncertainty and shareholder litigation. With no sell-side analysts recommending sell, the stock presents a low-risk arbitrage opportunity with defined upside and limited downside if the transaction proceeds as planned.
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
AES is a global power company operating across 14 countries and 4 continents. Its current generation portfolio as of year-end 2021 consists of over 31 gigawatts of generation, with the generation mix composed of renewables (43%), gas (32%), coal (23%), and oil (2%). The company has 3.5 gigawatts of generation under construction. AES has majority ownership and operates six electric utilities distributing power to 2.6 million customers.
Read more on AES →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 →