Northrop Grumman Corporation vs VF Corp — how do they compare? Northrop Grumman Corporation trades at $519.79 (market cap $73.24B), while VF Corp trades at $12.94 (market cap $5.08B). The key difference: Northrop Grumman Corporation is far larger — about 14.4× VF Corp's market cap, and VF Corp pays the higher dividend (2.79%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| NOC | VFC | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $73.24B | $5.08B |
Sector | Industrials | Consumer Cyclical |
52-Week High | $768.02 | $21.55 |
52-Week Low | $496.02 | $12.91 |
Enterprise Value | $87.23B | $9.36B |
Dividend Yield | 1.92% | 2.79% |
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.
VFC trades at $13.20, down 1.86% on the day, with a bearish technical outlook despite attractive valuation metrics including a P/E of 19.13 and P/S of 0.55. Recent earnings showed mixed results with Q4 2025 beating expectations but Q1 and Q2 2026 missing estimates. The company faces challenges with Vans brand weakness offsetting strength in Outdoor brands, though management has raised fiscal 2027 sales guidance. Cash flow trends show improvement with 2026 projecting positive net cash flow of $32 million.
The investment case balances discounted valuation against execution risks. Analyst consensus leans neutral with a $17.38 price target representing 32% upside potential. Key risks include persistent Vans underperformance, consumer sentiment headwinds, and debt management challenges. The turnaround story depends on successful brand execution and margin improvement in the second half of 2026.
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 →VF designs, produces, and distributes branded apparel and accessories. Its largest apparel categories include action sports, outdoor, and workwear. Its portfolio of about a dozen brands includes Vans, The North Face, Timberland, Supreme, and Dickies. VF markets its products in the Americas, Europe, and Asia-Pacific through wholesale sales to retailers, e-commerce, and branded stores owned by the company and partners. The company has grown through multiple acquisitions and traces its roots to 1899.
Read more on VFC →