Baxter International Inc vs Northrop Grumman Corporation — how do they compare? Baxter International Inc trades at $27.61 (market cap $14.36B), while Northrop Grumman Corporation trades at $574.85 (market cap $82.10B). The key difference: Northrop Grumman Corporation is far larger — about 5.7× Baxter International Inc's market cap, and Northrop Grumman Corporation pays the higher dividend (1.63%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| BAX | NOC | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $14.36B | $82.10B |
Sector | Health | Industrials |
52-Week High | $28.35 | $768.02 |
52-Week Low | $15.80 | $496.02 |
Enterprise Value | $21.88B | $96.08B |
Dividend Yield | 0.14% | 1.63% |
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Northrop Grumman (NOC) trades at $571.58, up 0.68% on the day, with a bullish technical signal driven by moving averages despite overbought RSI readings. The company reported strong Q2 2026 earnings, beating EPS estimates with $7.68 actual versus $6.82 expected, and raised full-year guidance amid a record $105 billion backlog. Fundamentals show robust profitability with a 10.48% net income margin and 26.96% ROE, while valuation metrics like a P/E of 18.17 appear reasonable relative to growth.
Outlook remains positive given defense spending tailwinds and contract wins like the $7.6 billion Sentinel program, though margin pressures and high debt levels pose risks. Analysts are bullish with a $598.57 consensus target, implying ~5% upside from current levels, supported by 20 buy ratings versus 1 sell.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Latest headlines on both assets
Baxter offers a variety of medical instruments and supplies to caregivers. It enhanced its portfolio of hospital-focused offerings by acquiring Hillrom in late 2021. Legacy Baxter offers tools to help patients with acute and chronic kidney failure. It also sells a variety of injectable therapies for use in care settings, such as IV pumps, and administrative sets.
Read more on BAX →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.
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