Northrop Grumman Corporation vs Tidewater Inc — how do they compare? Northrop Grumman Corporation trades at $516.5 (market cap $73.16B), while Tidewater Inc trades at $92.78 (market cap $4.58B). The key difference: Northrop Grumman Corporation is far larger — about 16× Tidewater Inc's market cap, and Northrop Grumman Corporation pays a 1.92% dividend while Tidewater Inc pays none. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| NOC | TDW | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $73.16B | $4.58B |
Sector | Industrials | Utilities |
52-Week High | $768.02 | $100.61 |
52-Week Low | $496.02 | $47.29 |
Enterprise Value | $87.14B | $4.62B |
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.
TDW trades at $92.00, down 2.4% on the day, with a bullish technical signal and support near $91. The company reported a net income of $334.66M in 2025, though 2026 earnings have missed expectations in two of the last three quarters. Recent news includes the completion of the Wilson Sons Ultratug acquisition (Business Wire, 2026-08-31), potentially expanding its offshore service capabilities.
The stock offers a 14.7% upside to the consensus price target of $105.50, supported by strong institutional interest, but faces risks from volatile earnings and competitive pressures in the energy sector. Profit margins are expected to compress in 2026, requiring careful monitoring of operational execution.
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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 →Tidewater is the leading global provider of offshore support vessels (OSVs) to the energy industry. With the world's largest fleet of platform supply vessels (PSVs) and anchor handling tugs (AHTS), it provides critical logistics and marine support for offshore oil, gas, and renewable energy projects. Following a period of massive strategic consolidation, Tidewater is now focused on maximizing day rates and free cash flow in a supply-constrained market, positioning itself as a primary beneficiary of the multi-year offshore upcycle.
Read more on TDW →