Northrop Grumman Corporation vs Western Digital Corp — how do they compare? Northrop Grumman Corporation trades at $579.7 (market cap $81.78B), while Western Digital Corp trades at $461.37 (market cap $150.95B). The key difference: Western Digital Corp is the larger of the two by market cap, and Northrop Grumman Corporation pays the higher dividend (1.63%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| NOC | WDC | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $81.78B | $150.95B |
Sector | Industrials | Technology |
52-Week High | $768.02 | $746.23 |
52-Week Low | $496.02 | $74.66 |
Enterprise Value | $95.77B | $150.42B |
Dividend Yield | 1.63% | 0.14% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Northrop Grumman (NOC) trades at $577.12, down 0.13% on the day, with a bullish technical signal from moving averages but overbought RSI readings. The company reported strong Q2 2026 earnings, beating estimates with EPS of $7.68, and raised full-year guidance, supported by a record $105 billion backlog. Revenue growth is steady, with 2026 projected at $42.9 billion, and profitability remains solid with a net income margin of 10.48%.
The outlook is positive, driven by strategic contracts like the $7.6 billion Sentinel program and defense spending tailwinds. Risks include margin pressures from specific programs and geopolitical uncertainties. Analysts are bullish with a consensus price target of $598.57, suggesting upside potential from current levels.
Western Digital (WDC) trades at $454.34, up 3.7% in the last 24 hours, with strong earnings beats in recent quarters and a bullish analyst consensus of 72% buy ratings. The stock faces bearish technical signals but benefits from robust AI-driven storage demand, evidenced by 44% revenue growth in Q4 2026 and a net income margin of 72.95% in 2025. Recent news highlights its positioning as a key player in AI infrastructure, though valuation concerns persist.
The outlook for WDC is positive due to sustained AI storage demand and margin expansion, but risks include high valuation multiples and cyclical industry pressures. With a consensus price target of $665.15, upside potential exists, yet investors should monitor competitive threats and earnings sustainability.
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 →Western Digital is a vertically integrated supplier of data storage solutions, spanning both hard disk drives and solid-state drives. In the HDD market it forms a practical duopoly with Seagate, and it is the largest global producer of NAND flash chips for SSDs in a joint venture with competitor Kioxia.
Read more on WDC →