Northrop Grumman Corporation vs Wells Fargo & Co — how do they compare? Northrop Grumman Corporation trades at $516.8 (market cap $73.16B), while Wells Fargo & Co trades at $90.17 (market cap $265.99B). The key difference: Wells Fargo & Co is far larger — about 3.6× Northrop Grumman Corporation's market cap, and Wells Fargo & Co pays the higher dividend (2.27%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| NOC | WFC | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $73.16B | $265.99B |
Sector | Industrials | Financials |
52-Week High | $768.02 | $96.40 |
52-Week Low | $496.02 | $73.42 |
Enterprise Value | $87.14B | — |
Dividend Yield | 1.92% | 2.27% |
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.
Wells Fargo (WFC) trades at $87.98, down 2.21% on the day, with a bullish technical signal from moving averages. The stock shows solid fundamentals with a P/E of 12.78, net income margin of 25.97%, and recent Q2 2026 earnings beat. CEO Charlie Scharf emphasized strategic initiatives at the 2026 healthcare conference (CNBC, 2026-09-09), while the bank expands its wealth management division (Bloomberg via Yahoo Finance, 2026-08-28).
Outlook is cautiously positive with a consensus price target of $97.64, though risks include volatile cash flows and regulatory scrutiny. Investment opportunity lies in sustained profitability improvements and ROTCE targets, but investors face headwinds from interest rate sensitivity and economic cycles.
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 →Wells Fargo is one of the largest banks in the United States, with approximately $1.9 trillion in balance sheet assets. The company is split into four primary segments: consumer banking, commercial banking, corporate and investment banking, and wealth and investment management. It is almost entirely focused on the U.S.
Read more on WFC →