Sifting through countless of stocks in the Aerospace & Defense industry can be tedious, and sometimes two stocks are just too similar to judge which is the better investment. If you’re on the fence about investing in HEICO Corporation or Howmet Aerospace Inc. because you’re not sure how they measure up, it’s important to compare them on a few factors before making your decision.

Read on to learn how HEICO Corporation and Howmet Aerospace Inc. compare based on key financial metrics to determine which better meets your investment needs.

About HEICO Corporation and Howmet Aerospace Inc.

HEICO Corporation provides aerospace, defense, and electronic related products and services in the United States and internationally. Its Flight Support Group segment offers jet engine and aircraft component replacement parts; thermal insulation blankets and parts; renewable/reusable insulation systems; and specialty components and assemblies. This segment also distributes hydraulic, pneumatic, structural, interconnect, mechanical, and electro-mechanical components for the commercial, regional, and general aviation markets; and offers repair and overhaul services for jet engine and aircraft component parts, avionics, instruments, composites, and commercial aircraft surfaces, as well as for avionics and navigation systems, subcomponents, and other military aircraft instruments. The company’s Electronic Technologies Group segment provides electro-optical infrared simulation and test equipment; electro-optical laser products; electro-optical, microwave, and other power equipment; electromagnetic and radio frequency (RF) interference shielding and suppression filters; power electronics; power conversion and interface products; interconnection devices; and underwater locator and emergency locator transmission beacons. This segment also offers traveling wave tube amplifiers and microwave power modules; memory products and specialty semiconductors; environment connectivity products and molded cable assemblies; RF and microwave products; communications and electronic intercept receivers and tuners; self-sealing auxiliary fuel systems; active antenna systems and airborne antennas; nuclear radiation detectors; power amplifiers; ceramic-to-metal feedthroughs and connectors; technical surveillance countermeasures equipment; RF receivers and sources; radiation assurance, embedded computing, and silicone solutions; test sockets and adapters; and electronic components and rotary joint assemblies. The company was incorporated in 1957 and is headquartered in Hollywood, Florida.

Howmet Aerospace Inc. provides advanced engineered solutions for the aerospace and transportation industries in the United States, Japan, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Italy, Canada, Poland, China, and internationally. It operates through four segments: Engine Products, Fastening Systems, Engineered Structures, and Forged Wheels. The Engine Products segment offers airfoils and seamless rolled rings primarily for aircraft engines and industrial gas turbines; and rotating and structural parts. The Fastening Systems segment produces aerospace fastening systems, as well as commercial transportation, industrial, and other fasteners; and latches, bearings, fluid fittings, and installation tools. The Engineered Structures segment provides titanium ingots and mill products, aluminum and nickel forgings, and machined components and assemblies for aerospace and defense applications; and titanium forgings, extrusions, and forming and machining services for airframe, wing, aero-engine, and landing gear components. The Forged Wheels segment offers forged aluminum wheels and related products for heavy-duty trucks and commercial transportation markets. The company was formerly known as Arconic Inc. Howmet Aerospace Inc. was founded in 1888 and is based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Latest Aerospace & Defense and HEICO Corporation, Howmet Aerospace Inc. Stock News

As of September 2, 2026, HEICO Corporation had a $38.1 billion market capitalization, compared to the Aerospace & Defense median of $3.9 million. HEICO Corporation’s stock is up 0.7% in 2026, down 3.4% in the previous five trading days and up 2.21% in the past year.

Currently, HEICO Corporation’s price-earnings ratio is 53.8. HEICO Corporation’s trailing 12-month revenue is $5.2 billion with a 16.4% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 23.1%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $6.329 per share for the current fiscal year. HEICO Corporation currently has a 0.1% dividend yield.

As of September 2, 2026, Howmet Aerospace Inc. had a $100.9 billion market cap, putting it in the 97th percentile of all stocks. Howmet Aerospace Inc.’s stock is up 27.1% in 2026, down 2.7% in the previous five trading days and up 46.03% in the past year.

Currently, Howmet Aerospace Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 54.6. Howmet Aerospace Inc.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $9.1 billion with a 20.5% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 24.1%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $5.334 per share for the current fiscal year. Howmet Aerospace Inc. currently has a 0.2% dividend yield.

How We Compare HEICO Corporation and Howmet Aerospace Inc. Stock Grades

Stock evaluation requires access to huge amounts of data and the knowledge and time to sift through it all, make sense of financial ratios, read income statements and analyze recent stock movements. AAII created A+ Investor, a robust data suite that condenses data research in an actionable and customizable way suitable for investors of all knowledge levels, to help investors streamline and work through such data.

AAII’s proprietary stock grades come with A+ Investor. These offer intuitive A‐F grades for each of five key investing factors: value, growth, momentum, earnings estimate revisions and quality. Here, we’ll take a closer look at HEICO Corporation and Howmet Aerospace Inc.’s stock grades to see how they measure up against one another.

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HEICO Corporation and Howmet Aerospace Inc. Growth Grades

Company	Ticker	Growth
HEICO Corporation	HEI	B
Howmet Aerospace Inc.	HWM	A

The foundation of growth investing is seeking out stocks of companies exhibiting strong, consistent and prolonged growth that is expected to continue into the future.

In order to compute the growth score and assign it a letter grade, the percentile ranks for each of three components‐consistency of annual sales growth, five-year sales growth rankings adjusted for extreme levels, and consistency of positive annual cash from operations‐must be determined. These three rank figures are added together, and the sum is ranked against the entire stock universe to arrive at a company’s Growth Score to create an equal distribution of grades.

The companies in the bottom 20% of the stock universe receive Growth Grades of F, considered to be very weak, while those in the top 20% receive A grades, which are considered very strong.

HEICO Corporation has a Growth Score of 69, which is Strong. Howmet Aerospace Inc. has a Growth Score of 95, which is Very Strong.

The Growth Grade Winner: Howmet Aerospace Inc.

As you can clearly see from the Growth Grade breakdown above, Howmet Aerospace Inc. has a more attractive growth grade than HEICO Corporation. For investors who focus solely on how a company is growing relative to other companies in the same industry, Howmet Aerospace Inc. could be a good stock to add to their portfolio. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

HEICO Corporation and Howmet Aerospace Inc.’s Quality Grades

Company	Ticker	Quality
HEICO Corporation	HEI	A
Howmet Aerospace Inc.	HWM	A

Like the Value Grade, AAII’s A+ Investor Quality Grade comes from the percentile rank of key metrics. Specifically, the Quality Score is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks of return on assets (ROA), return on invested capital (ROIC), gross profit relative to assets, buyback yield, change in total liabilities to assets, accruals, Z double prime bankruptcy risk (Z) score and the F-Score.

The score is variable, meaning it can consider all eight measures or, should any of the eight measures not be valid, the remaining measures that are valid. To be assigned a Quality Score, stocks must have a valid (non-null) measure and corresponding ranking for at least four of the eight quality measures.

The Quality Score is used to assess the underlying “quality” of a particular stock. A higher-quality stock possesses traits associated with upside potential and reduced downside risk. Backtesting of the Quality Grade shows that stocks with higher grades, on average, outperformed stocks with lower grades over the period of 1998 through 2019.

Stocks receive better grades (higher scores) for having higher scores for the quality subcomponents and worse grades (lower scores) for lower scores for the subcomponents.

HEICO Corporation has a Quality Score of 83, which is Very Strong. Howmet Aerospace Inc. has a Quality Score of 85, which is Very Strong.

The Quality Grade Winner: It’s a Tie!

Looking at the Quality Grade breakdown above, both HEICO Corporation and Howmet Aerospace Inc. have a grade of A. For investors who focus solely on a company’s overall quality, you will need to conduct further research into both companies to see if they are a good fit for your portfolio. As a good rule of thumb, you should always analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before choosing a company to invest in.

HEICO Corporation and Howmet Aerospace Inc.’s Momentum Grades

Company	Ticker	Momentum
HEICO Corporation	HEI	D
Howmet Aerospace Inc.	HWM	B

Momentum grades help to uncover stocks experiencing anomalously high rates of return; research finds that stocks with high relative levels of momentum tend to outperform, whereas those with low levels of momentum tend to continue underperforming. Momentum is based on the price change of a stock over a specified period relative to all other stocks.

Typically, AAII looks at the weighted relative strength over the trailing four quarters. The weighted four-quarter relative strength rank is the relative price change for each of the past four quarters. The most recent quarterly price change is given a weight of 40% and each of the three previous quarters are given a weighting of 20%.

HEICO Corporation has a Momentum Score of 37, which is Weak. Howmet Aerospace Inc. has a Momentum Score of 69, which is Strong.

The Momentum Grade Winner: Howmet Aerospace Inc.

As you can clearly see from the Momentum Grade breakdown above, Howmet Aerospace Inc. is considered to have stronger momentum compared to HEICO Corporation. For those specifically looking for companies that have stronger momentum compared to other companies in the same industry, Howmet Aerospace Inc. could be a good stock to invest in. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Other HEICO Corporation and Howmet Aerospace Inc. Grades

In addition to Momentum, Growth and Quality, A+ Investor also provides grades for Value and Estimate Revisions.

Earnings estimate revisions scores take into account the magnitude of a company’s earnings surprise in its last two reported fiscal quarters. Often, surprises beget further surprises‐or at least continued sales growth (the exact opposite is generally true, too).

Successful stock investing involves buying low and selling high, so stock valuation is an important consideration for stock selection. Buying stocks that are going to go up typically means buying stocks that are undervalued in the first place, although momentum investors may argue that point.

These 2 key factors, when combined with the above, provide a holistic view into a particular stock. Further, by joining A+ Investor you can see whether HEICO Corporation and Howmet Aerospace Inc. pass any of our 60+ stock screens that have outperformed the market since their creation.

So, Which Is the Better Investment, HEICO Corporation or Howmet Aerospace Inc. Stock?

Overall, HEICO Corporation stock has a Growth Score of 69, Momentum Score of 37 and Quality Score of 83.

Howmet Aerospace Inc. stock has a Growth Score of 95, Momentum Score of 69 and Quality Score of 85.

Comparing HEICO Corporation and Howmet Aerospace Inc.’s grades, scores and metrics can act as a solid basis to determine whether they may be a good investment or not. You’ll also want to look at your portfolio’s asset allocation as well as your risk tolerance and financial goals to see if either of these stocks would make a good fit for you. AAII can help you figure out which investments align with your individual needs and preferences.

Investors are encouraged to do their own due diligence and research. In this way, individuals can effectively become managers of their own assets‐without having to rely on others for financial independence. You can count on AAII for timeless articles on financial planning and stock-picking, unbiased research and actionable analysis.

A+ Investor adds to our qualitative teaching with a powerful data suite to help you whittle down investment choices to find stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds that meet your needs.

AAII Disclaimer

We make no representations or warranties that any investor will, or is likely to, achieve profits similar to those shown, because past, hypothetical or simulated performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Before making an investment decision, you should consider your circumstances and whether the information on our content is applicable to your situation. This information was prepared in good faith, and we accept no liability for any errors or omissions. The full disclaimer can be read here.