McKesson Corporation vs Northrop Grumman Corporation — how do they compare? McKesson Corporation trades at $899.06 (market cap $102.58B), while Northrop Grumman Corporation trades at $574.85 (market cap $82.10B). The key difference: McKesson Corporation is the larger of the two by market cap, and Northrop Grumman Corporation pays the higher dividend (1.63%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| MCK | NOC | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $102.58B | $82.10B |
Sector | Health | Industrials |
52-Week High | $995.69 | $768.02 |
52-Week Low | $659.01 | $496.02 |
Enterprise Value | $109.12B | $96.08B |
Dividend Yield | 0.43% | 1.63% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
McKesson (MCK) trades at $869.58, down 0.14% on the day, with a bullish technical signal supported by moving averages. The stock shows strong fundamentals with revenue growth to $359.05B in 2025 and consistent earnings beats, including Q2 2026 EPS of $9.93 versus $9.56 expected. Valuation metrics like P/E of 23.33 and P/S of 0.26 indicate reasonable pricing relative to peers. Recent news highlights Q1 2027 results exceeding expectations and raised full-year guidance, driven by specialty drug and oncology growth.
Outlook remains positive with 80% analyst buy ratings and a $1,000 consensus price target, suggesting 15% upside. Risks include thin net margins of 1.12% and high liabilities at $76.83B, which could pressure equity during economic downturns. Investors should focus on execution of raised guidance and margin improvements from cost efficiencies.
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
McKesson is a leading wholesaler of branded, generic, and specialty pharmaceutical products to pharmacies (retail chains, independent, and mail order), hospitals networks, and healthcare providers. Along with AmerisourceBergen and Cardinal Health, the three account for well over 90% of the U.S. pharmaceutical wholesale industry. McKesson is currently divesting from its pharmaceutical wholesale and distribution in Europe and Canada in order to redeploy capital to strategic growth areas in the U.S. (oncology network and ecosystem, and biopharma services). Additionally, the company supplies medical-surgical products and equipment to healthcare facilities and provides a variety of technology solutions for pharmacies.
Read more on MCK →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 →