Northrop Grumman Corporation vs Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund — how do they compare? Northrop Grumman Corporation trades at $519.79 (market cap $73.24B), while Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund trades at $167.04. The key difference: Northrop Grumman Corporation pays a 1.92% dividend while Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund pays none, and Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund is trading nearer its 52-week high, Northrop Grumman Corporation nearer its low. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| NOC | XLV | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $73.24B | — |
Sector | Industrials | — |
52-Week High | $768.02 | $175.68 |
52-Week Low | $496.02 | $134.13 |
Enterprise Value | $87.23B | — |
Dividend Yield | 1.92% | — |
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.
XLV trades at $167.16, down 2.5% amid testing key support levels, with technical indicators showing mixed signals between bullish moving averages and bearish oscillators. The healthcare ETF maintains defensive appeal with upcoming dividend payments and sector rotation benefits during potential Fed tightening. Recent options activity shows increased put volume, suggesting some near-term caution among traders.
Healthcare sector strength and defensive positioning support XLV's long-term outlook, though near-term technical weakness and sector-specific headwinds from failed drug trials present risks. The ETF's low expense ratio and diversified healthcare exposure provide stability, with earnings momentum and FDA approvals driving fundamental strength.
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 →In seeking to track the performance of the index, the fund employs a replication strategy. It generally invests substantially all, but at least 95%, of its total assets in the securities comprising the index. The index includes companies from the following industries: pharmaceuticals; health care equipment & supplies; health care providers & services; biotechnology; life sciences tools & services; and health care technology. The fund is non-diversified.
Read more on XLV →