COMPARE · Data as of August 12, 2026
HWM vs SPCX
Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. HWM scored 68.0, SPCX scored 29.3 — HWM leads.
Compare another set
HWM
Howmet Aerospace Inc.
68
$281.63 · $112.3B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
38.7
HWM leads
SPCX
Space Exploration Technologies Corp.
29.3
$146.15 · $1.9T
fundamentals as of
The model, pillar by pillar (0–100 each)
HWM
stronger →← stronger
SPCX
85
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
30
90
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
100
41
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
8
HWM is stronger on 2 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
HWM
SPCX
$1.8bC+
FCF
-$32.5bF
+18.1%B+
Rev
+33.2%A
0.81B
D/E
0.31A-
60.6xD
P/E
—
0.80A-
PEG
—
—
P/S
83.6xD
Winner per row is the stronger grade in our model; a tie or a missing value shows no highlight.
Valuation · DCF cross-check
HWM
SPCX
249% above
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
—
~46%/yr
Growth the price implies10-yr FCF · lower = less priced in
—
-77%
1-yr DCF upside
—
-71%
5-yr DCF upside
—
-62%
10-yr DCF upside
—
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
Model signals
HWM
Why this score
- Durable high returns
SPCX
Why this score
- Short track record
The companies
HWMHowmet Aerospace Inc.
Why now
Aerospace & Defense · market cap $112.3b. 9% off the 52-week high of $310.00. Revenue growing +18%, comfortably above the S&P median. PEG 0.80 — paying under fair value for the growth rate. 20 sell-side analysts rate this a Strong Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $334.43 (implying +19% upside).
Moat
Net margin 21% sits well above the S&P median (~11%) — suggests structural pricing advantage or cost discipline competitors can't quickly close. ROE 33% — top-decile capital efficiency. Either pricing leverage, low capital intensity, or aggressive buybacks; the durability story depends on which. FCF converts 96% of net income — earnings translate cleanly into cash, a sign that working capital and capex are well-disciplined.
Risk
Trailing P/E 60.6x prices in sustained high growth — any quarter that disappoints triggers sharp re-rating. P/S 12.3x embeds aggressive forward growth — disappointing top-line guidance would compress the multiple hard.
SPCXSpace Exploration Technologies Corp.
Why now
Aerospace & Defense · market cap $1.9T. Down 35% from 52-week high of $225.64 — deep drawdown territory. Revenue growing +33% — in hypergrowth territory. 16 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $235.69 (implying +61% upside).
Moat
$1.9T market cap places it among the largest companies in the sector — distribution, R&D, and customer-acquisition costs amortize across a base peers can't replicate.
Risk
Free cash flow is negative (-$32.5b) — capital raises or debt issuance likely required; dilution / leverage risk. Currently unprofitable (margin -35.7%) — path to GAAP profitability is the core thesis risk. Down 35% from the 52-week high — the market is pricing in something the screen can't see; verify the bear case before sizing up.
Verdict — model-derived comparison
Generating verdict… typically 5–10 seconds
Not investment advice. The Bull Rankings publishes a quantitative ranking model and accompanying analysis for general informational purposes only. Nothing on this page is a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security; nothing is personalized to your circumstances, risk tolerance, or tax situation. Investing carries the risk of loss — invest at your own risk and consider consulting a licensed financial professional before acting on anything you read here. See terms and methodology for full disclosures.
Where HWM and SPCX diverge
On the headline score the gap is 38.7 points in favour of HWM. They get there differently, though — each leads on a different pillar, so the better pick depends on which you weight.
- QualityHWM 84.5 · SPCX 30.4HWM +54.1
- ValueHWM 41.4 · SPCX 8.2HWM +33.2
- GrowthHWM 89.6 · SPCX 100.0SPCX +10.4
Pillars run 0–100 against sector peers, so a score is a statement about a company relative to its own industry rather than to the other name here. A wide Value gap usually means the market already prices the difference in quality or growth — which is the trade-off this comparison comes down to.