Northrop Grumman Corporation vs Planet Labs — how do they compare? Northrop Grumman Corporation trades at $521.09 (market cap $73.16B), while Planet Labs trades at $17.18 (market cap $6.48B). The key difference: Northrop Grumman Corporation is far larger — about 11.3× Planet Labs's market cap, and Northrop Grumman Corporation pays a 1.92% dividend while Planet Labs pays none. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| NOC | PL | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $73.16B | $6.48B |
Sector | Industrials | Technology |
52-Week High | $768.02 | $51.40 |
52-Week Low | $496.02 | $8.97 |
Enterprise Value | $87.14B | $6.11B |
Dividend Yield | 1.92% | — |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Northrop Grumman (NOC) trades at $518.58, up 0.7% with strong earnings beats in recent quarters. Technical indicators show a bearish trend with oversold RSI signals, while fundamentals remain solid with 10.48% net margin and 26.96% ROE. The company maintains a record $105 billion backlog and raised guidance after strong Q2 results, supported by rising defense spending globally.
NOC presents a compelling value with a 16.37 P/E below industry averages and a $618.43 consensus price target implying 19% upside. Risks include execution on massive contracts and defense budget volatility, but analyst sentiment is strongly bullish with 57% buy ratings. The stock offers defensive growth exposure amid geopolitical tensions.
Planet Labs (PL) trades at $17.81, down 1.71% today, with a neutral technical signal. The company reported a strong Q2 2027 earnings beat, with revenue up 58% year-over-year to $116 million, and raised its full-year guidance. However, it remains unprofitable, with a net income margin of -95.13% in 2025. Analyst sentiment is positive, with a consensus price target of $38.33 and 56.52% of analysts rating it a Buy.
The outlook is mixed; strong revenue growth and a large satellite-services pipeline offer upside, but persistent losses and high valuation multiples pose significant risks. Investors should weigh the growth potential against the company's current lack of profitability and the capital-intensive nature of the space industry.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Latest headlines on both assets
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 →Planet Labs operates Earth-imaging satellites and provides geospatial data products. Its imagery and analytics help governments and businesses monitor changes across the planet.
Read more on PL →