Is NOC or UPS cheaper?

On trailing earnings, NOC is cheaper: NOC trades at a 16.27 P/E and UPS at 17.91.

Which has grown faster, NOC or UPS?

Over the past five years, NOC grew revenue faster — NOC at a 2.56% CAGR versus UPS at -0.23%.

Does NOC or UPS pay a bigger dividend?

NOC yields 1.90% and UPS yields 5.93% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.

Is NOC or UPS more profitable?

NOC runs the higher net margin — NOC at 10.80% versus UPS at 5.94%.

Which has been the better investment, NOC or UPS?

Over the past 10-year, NOC delivered the higher annualized total return — NOC at 10.66% versus UPS at 4.10%. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Northrop Grumman Corporation (NOC) vs United Parcel Service, Inc. (UPS)

UPS leads on 9 of 17 compared metrics, though NOC is the cheaper stock.

A side-by-side comparison of Northrop Grumman Corporation and United Parcel Service, Inc. across valuation, profitability, dividends, and growth — built entirely from reported fundamentals, as of July 2, 2026. The ● marks the stronger figure on each row (cheaper multiple, higher margin/return).

NOC

Northrop Grumman Corporation

$77.98B

$549.01Industrials

UPS

United Parcel Service, Inc.

$82.64B

$110.69Industrials

Total return — NOC vs UPS

growth of $100 · last 27y

NOC +1989.0%UPS +60.8%NOC compounded faster

Log scale — wide-divergence pair

NOC UPS

NOC vs UPS: by the numbers

•UPS is the larger company ($82.64B vs $77.98B market cap).
•NOC trades at the lower earnings multiple (16.27 vs 17.91 P/E).
•NOC converts more revenue to profit (10.80% vs 5.94% net margin).
•NOC grew revenue faster over the past five years (2.56% vs -0.23% CAGR).
•UPS pays the higher dividend yield (5.93% vs 1.90%).

Which is better, NOC or UPS?

Metric tally: NOC 8 · UPS 9

It depends on what you're optimizing for:

ValueNOC(lower P/E)

GrowthNOC(faster 5Y revenue CAGR)

IncomeUPS(higher dividend yield)

QualityUPS(higher ROIC)

Metrics side by side

Valuation

Metric	NOC	UPS
P/E ratio	16.27●	17.91
Forward P/E	17.24	13.97●
P/S ratio	1.75	1.07●
P/B ratio	4.33●	5.97
PEG ratio	7.41	0.54●
EV / EBITDA	14.36	10.36●
FCF yield	4.46%	4.80%●

Profitability

Metric	NOC	UPS
Gross margin	20.52%●	17.79%
Operating margin	11.08%●	8.46%
Net margin	10.80%●	5.94%
ROE	26.74%	33.30%●
ROIC	9.21%	10.40%●

Dividends

Metric	NOC	UPS
Dividend yield	1.90%	5.93%●
Payout ratio	33.91%	100.00%

Growth (annualized)

Metric	NOC	UPS
Revenue CAGR (5Y)	2.56%●	-0.23%
EPS CAGR (5Y)	8.84%	33.45%●
FCF CAGR (5Y)	-3.15%●	-8.72%
Total return CAGR (5Y)	8.93%●	-8.10%

Frequently asked

Which is better, NOC or UPS?: It depends on your goal. value: NOC (lower P/E); growth: NOC (faster 5Y revenue CAGR); income: UPS (higher dividend yield); quality: UPS (higher ROIC). Across all compared metrics, UPS leads 9 to 8.
Is NOC or UPS cheaper?: On trailing earnings, NOC is cheaper: NOC trades at a 16.27 P/E and UPS at 17.91.
Which has grown faster, NOC or UPS?: Over the past five years, NOC grew revenue faster — NOC at a 2.56% CAGR versus UPS at -0.23%.
Does NOC or UPS pay a bigger dividend?: NOC yields 1.90% and UPS yields 5.93% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.
Is NOC or UPS more profitable?: NOC runs the higher net margin — NOC at 10.80% versus UPS at 5.94%.
Which has been the better investment, NOC or UPS?: Over the past 10-year, NOC delivered the higher annualized total return — NOC at 10.66% versus UPS at 4.10%. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Go deeper

Full NOC analysis Full UPS analysis Interactive comparison tool

Dig into the metrics

Northrop Grumman P/E ratio United Parcel Service P/E ratio Northrop Grumman dividend yield United Parcel Service dividend yield Northrop Grumman ROE United Parcel Service ROE Northrop Grumman operating margin United Parcel Service operating margin Northrop Grumman revenue growth United Parcel Service revenue growth Northrop Grumman free cash flow United Parcel Service free cash flow

Northrop Grumman & United Parcel Service appear in these rankings

Highest Dividend Yield Stocks Highest ROE Stocks Highest FCF Yield Stocks

Figures are sourced from reported fundamentals and the latest end-of-day price. This comparison is informational only and is not investment advice. Past performance does not predict future results. See our methodology. Compiled by TGMCharts Research · data verified July 2, 2026.