Northrop Grumman Corporation vs Boston Beer Company Inc — how do they compare? Northrop Grumman Corporation trades at $519.79 (market cap $73.24B), while Boston Beer Company Inc trades at $163.9 (market cap $1.67B). The key difference: Northrop Grumman Corporation is far larger — about 43.9× Boston Beer Company Inc's market cap, and Northrop Grumman Corporation pays a 1.92% dividend while Boston Beer Company Inc pays none. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| NOC | SAM | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $73.24B | $1.67B |
Sector | Industrials | Consumer Staples |
52-Week High | $768.02 | $260.05 |
52-Week Low | $496.02 | $161.08 |
Enterprise Value | $87.23B | $1.44B |
Dividend Yield | 1.92% | — |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Northrop Grumman (NOC) trades at $518.58, up 0.7% with a bullish technical oscillator signal despite bearish moving averages. The company shows strong fundamentals with consistent earnings beats, 10.48% net margin, and record $105 billion backlog. Recent news highlights defense spending growth and successful technology tests, while institutional ownership increased significantly in Q2 2026.
Outlook remains positive with 57% analyst buy ratings and $618.43 consensus target offering 19% upside. Key risks include defense budget volatility and execution challenges on large contracts. Revenue growth acceleration to 10.48% margin by 2026 supports valuation at reasonable 16.37 P/E multiple.
SAM trades at $162.06, down 3.98% in the last session, with a bearish technical signal and key support at $158. The stock shows mixed fundamentals: revenue is stable near $2.0B, but net income turned negative in 2026 forecasts. Recent news includes a CFO transition and marketing leadership appointment, while earnings misses in Q1 and Q2 2026 highlight operational challenges.
The outlook is cautious; analyst consensus is a Hold with a $207.33 price target, but declining volumes and negative profit margins pose risks. Upside depends on execution of new brand initiatives and cost management, while competitive pressures and weak alcohol consumption trends remain headwinds for shareholder value.
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 →Boston Beer is a leader in U.S. high-end malt beverages and adjacent categories, with strong positions in craft beer, hard cider, and hard seltzer. The firm sells an array of flavor variants and package sizes, predominantly centered around four priority brands: Samuel Adams, Angry Orchard, Twisted Tea, and Truly Hard Seltzer. Its drinks are produced in both company-owned breweries as well as through third-party contract arrangements, and while the company primarily goes to market through independent wholesalers (as mandated by law), it operates a fairly large salesforce to induce demand across the value chain (distributors, retailers, and drinkers). The preponderance of revenue is generated domestically.
Read more on SAM →