Northrop Grumman Corporation vs Banco Santander SA — how do they compare? Northrop Grumman Corporation trades at $521.09 (market cap $73.16B), while Banco Santander SA trades at $14.79 (market cap $218.36B). The key difference: Banco Santander SA is far larger — about 3× Northrop Grumman Corporation's market cap, and Northrop Grumman Corporation pays the higher dividend (1.92%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| NOC | SAN | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $73.16B | $218.36B |
Sector | Industrials | Financials |
52-Week High | $768.02 | $15.05 |
52-Week Low | $496.02 | $9.65 |
Enterprise Value | $87.14B | — |
Dividend Yield | 1.92% | 1.87% |
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.
Banco Santander (SAN) trades at $14.86, down 0.47% on the day, with a bullish technical signal from moving averages and a moderate buy consensus from analysts (64% buy ratings). The company reported record profitability in H1 2026 with a net income margin of 26.25% and recently completed the Webster acquisition to expand its U.S. presence, though cash flow trends show recent operational outflows.
SAN's outlook is supported by strong profitability and strategic expansion, but risks include volatile cash flows, high leverage with a debt-to-asset ratio of 17.8, and integration challenges from acquisitions. The stock offers value with a P/E of 14.47, but investors should weigh execution risks against growth potential.
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 →Santander's focus is on retail and commercial banking. Latin America is geographically the largest operation, with Brazil by far the largest. Its continental European business is still mainly Iberian. Santander's U.K. presence is the result of the acquisition of building society Abbey. In the U.S., Santander operates a vehicle finance business and a regional bank focused on the Northeastern states.
Read more on SAN →