Northrop Grumman Corporation vs Ryanair Holdings plc — how do they compare? Northrop Grumman Corporation trades at $574.85 (market cap $82.10B), while Ryanair Holdings plc trades at $60.24 (market cap $29.86B). The key difference: Northrop Grumman Corporation is far larger — about 2.7× Ryanair Holdings plc's market cap, and Northrop Grumman Corporation pays the higher dividend (1.63%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| NOC | RYAAY | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $82.10B | $29.86B |
Sector | Industrials | Industrials |
52-Week High | $768.02 | $73.82 |
52-Week Low | $496.02 | $53.24 |
Enterprise Value | $96.08B | $26.83B |
Dividend Yield | 1.63% | 1.51% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
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.
RYAAY trades at $60.19, down 0.59% on the day, with a neutral technical signal and bearish moving averages. The company reported mixed quarterly earnings, missing in Q4 2025 and Q2 2026 but beating in Q1 2026. Fundamentals show strong profitability with a 12.13% net margin and 22.41% ROE, supported by $13.95B revenue in 2025. Analyst sentiment is positive with a 62.5% buy rating, though recent news highlights pressure from lower fares and higher fuel costs.
The outlook for RYAAY is cautiously optimistic, with potential upside from industry consolidation and a strong balance sheet, but near-term risks include volatile fuel prices, competitive pricing pressure, and geopolitical tensions affecting travel demand. The stock's valuation at a P/E of 14.56 appears reasonable if earnings stabilize.
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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 →Ryanair is the leading airline group by passenger numbers in Europe. The company employs a low-cost no-frills model to offer low fares to leisure customers on short-haul intra-European routes. In 2020, the most recent pre-pandemic fiscal year, the company carried 149 million passengers, utilizing a fleet of 467 Boeing 737 aircraft across its 1,800 routes. To keep costs low the company serves predominantly lower-cost secondary airports. The company generated sales of EUR 8.5 billion in fiscal 2020.
Read more on RYAAY →