Northrop Grumman Corporation vs Shell PLC — how do they compare? Northrop Grumman Corporation trades at $521.09 (market cap $73.16B), while Shell PLC trades at $95.99 (market cap $271.34B). The key difference: Shell PLC is far larger — about 3.7× Northrop Grumman Corporation's market cap, and Shell PLC pays the higher dividend (3.28%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| NOC | SHEL | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $73.16B | $271.34B |
Sector | Industrials | Energy |
52-Week High | $768.02 | $95.60 |
52-Week Low | $496.02 | $70.31 |
Enterprise Value | $87.14B | $313.04B |
Dividend Yield | 1.92% | 3.28% |
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.
Shell (SHEL) trades at $95.32, up 2.55% with strong bullish momentum as crude oil prices rally. The stock shows robust fundamentals with a P/E of 10.54 and net income margin of 8.76%, while recent Q2 2026 earnings beat expectations. Technical indicators signal bullish sentiment with the price near resistance at $96. Recent acquisitions including ARC Resources and strategic partnerships with BP expand Shell's deepwater footprint, driving growth prospects.
Outlook remains positive with analyst consensus price target of $101 (6% upside), supported by 61.5% buy ratings. Key risks include oil price volatility and geopolitical tensions, but strong cash flow generation and strategic expansions position SHEL for sustained growth. The current valuation appears attractive relative to earnings 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 →Shell is an integrated oil and gas company that explores for, produces, and refines oil around the world. In 2021, it produced 1.7 million barrels of liquids and 8.7 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day. At year-end 2021, reserves stood at 9.2 billion barrels of oil equivalent, 50% of which consisted of liquids. Its production and reserves are in Europe, Asia, Oceania, Africa, and North and South America. The company operates refineries with capacity of 1.8 mmb/d located in the Americas, Asia, Africa, and Europe and sells 15 mtpa of chemicals. Its largest chemical plants, often integrated with its local refineries, are in Central Europe, China, Singapore, and North America.
Read more on SHEL →