HWM
Howmet Aerospace Inc.
HWM has lower modeled downside risk, despite its lower overall score.
VRT
Vertiv Holdings Co
VRT has the edge over HWM overall, supported by stronger valuation and stronger modeled upside.
HWM Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Healthy | |
| Strong | |
| Strong | |
| Healthy |
HWM's revenue, profitability, cash flow and balance sheet are all currently healthy.
VRT Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Strong | |
| Strong | |
| Strong | |
| Strong |
VRT's revenue, profitability, cash flow and balance sheet are all currently strong.
HWM PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheap | 35x | $177 | -21% |
| Forward | 35x | $223 | — |
| Fair | 43x | $221 | -1.1% |
| Current | 44x | $223 | — |
| Expensive | 58x | $297 | +33% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
HWM's PE is in its fair range at 44x. If earnings grow as analysts expect, today's price would be 35x next year's earnings, in its cheap range.
VRT PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | 23x | $210 | — |
| Current | 39x | $210 | — |
| Cheap | 58x | $308 | +47% |
| Fair | 72x | $383 | +83% |
| Expensive | 88x | $472 | +125% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
VRT has the edge over HWM in the historical PE scenario, which offers more potential upside but is not a forecast.
HWM Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Improving | |
| Strong growth | |
| Strong growth | |
| Strongly improving | |
| Limited | |
| High |
Analysts expect strong earnings and revenue growth for HWM, with profitability improving.
VRT Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Strongly improving | |
| Strong growth | |
| Strong growth | |
| Strongly improving | |
| Moderate | |
| Moderate |
Analysts expect strong earnings and revenue growth for VRT, with profitability improving.
HWM Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $6.31 | +24% |
| Q3 2026 | $5.11 | +44% |
| Q2 2026 | $4.64 | +36% |
| Q1 2026 | $4.31 | +41% |
| Q4 2025 | $3.71 | +32% |
| Q3 2025 | $3.55 | +35% |
| Q2 2025 | $3.41 | +51% |
| Q1 2025 | $3.06 | +48% |
| Q4 2024 | $2.81 | +54% |
HWM's earnings per share have climbed steadily: $5.11 over the past year, up 44% from the year before, and higher year over year for 19 quarters in a row.
VRT Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $9.14 | +71% |
| Q3 2026 | $5.35 | +102% |
| Q2 2026 | $4.42 | +111% |
| Q1 2026 | $3.98 | +131% |
| Q4 2025 | $3.41 | +166% |
| Q3 2025 | $2.65 | +75% |
| Q2 2025 | $2.09 | +62% |
| Q1 2025 | $1.72 | +64% |
| Q4 2024 | $1.28 | +7.6% |
VRT has the edge over HWM on earnings, with stronger typical year-over-year growth.
HWM Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $2.7B | +29% |
| Q2 2026 | $2.5B | +24% |
| Q1 2026 | $2.3B | +19% |
| Q4 2025 | $2.2B | +15% |
| Q3 2025 | $2.1B | +14% |
| Q2 2025 | $2.1B | +9.2% |
| Q1 2025 | $1.9B | +6.5% |
| Q4 2024 | $1.9B | +9.2% |
HWM's revenue has grown year over year for 21 quarters in a row: $2.7B last quarter, up 29% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 29% | +2.8 points |
| Q2 2026 | 28% | +2.5 points |
| Q1 2026 | 33% | +7.1 points |
| Q4 2025 | 23% | -1 points |
| Q3 2025 | 26% | +3 points |
| Q2 2025 | 25% | +4.2 points |
| Q1 2025 | 25% | +5.2 points |
| Q4 2024 | 24% | +4.7 points |
HWM has the edge over VRT on profitability, with a higher operating margin.
VRT Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $4.3B | +61% |
| Q2 2026 | $3.3B | +24% |
| Q1 2026 | $2.6B | +30% |
| Q4 2025 | $2.9B | +23% |
| Q3 2025 | $2.7B | +29% |
| Q2 2025 | $2.6B | +35% |
| Q1 2025 | $2B | +24% |
| Q4 2024 | $2.3B | +26% |
VRT has the edge over HWM on sales, with stronger typical year-over-year growth.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 23% | +3.5 points |
| Q2 2026 | 19% | +2.7 points |
| Q1 2026 | 17% | +2.3 points |
| Q4 2025 | 20% | +0.7 points |
| Q3 2025 | 19% | +1.4 points |
| Q2 2025 | 17% | -0.4 points |
| Q1 2025 | 14% | +1.9 points |
| Q4 2024 | 19% | +4.2 points |
VRT's operating margin was 23% last quarter, up 3.5 points from the same quarter a year ago, near the top of its range since 2020.
HWM Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $562M | +33% |
| Q2 2026 | $479M | +39% |
| Q1 2026 | $359M | +168% |
| Q4 2025 | $530M | +40% |
| Q3 2025 | $423M | +161% |
| Q2 2025 | $344M | +0.6% |
| Q1 2025 | $134M | +41% |
| Q4 2024 | $378M | -6.2% |
HWM generated $1.9B in free cash flow over the past year, up 51% from the year before.
VRT Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $654.9M | +41% |
| Q2 2026 | $926.5M | +233% |
| Q1 2026 | $654.2M | +145% |
| Q4 2025 | $885.6M | +143% |
| Q3 2025 | $463.5M | +36% |
| Q2 2025 | $277.9M | -19% |
| Q1 2025 | $266.8M | +162% |
| Q4 2024 | $364.5M | +18% |
VRT has the edge over HWM on cash flow, with stronger typical year-over-year growth.
HWM Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | -0.5% | -2M shares |
| 1 year | -1.2% | -5M shares |
| 3 years | -3.6% | -15M shares |
| 5 years | -7.8% | -34M shares |
| Available history | -14% | -63M shares |
HWM has the edge over VRT on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $500M |
| Q2 2026 | $300M |
| Q1 2026 | $300M |
| Q4 2025 | $200M |
| Q3 2025 | $200M |
| Q2 2025 | $175M |
| Q1 2025 | $125M |
| Q4 2024 | $190M |
HWM spent $1.3B buying back its own shares over the past year, up 88% from the year before.
VRT Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | 0% | -64.9K shares |
| 1 year | +0.4% | +1.8M shares |
| 3 years | +1.1% | +4.4M shares |
| 5 years | +10% | +36M shares |
| Available history | +63% | +152M shares |
VRT has 393M diluted shares, about the same as a year ago.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q4 2025 | — |
| Q3 2025 | — |
| Q2 2025 | — |
| Q1 2025 | — |
| Q4 2024 | — |
| Q3 2024 | — |
| Q2 2024 | — |
| Q1 2024 | $599.9M |
HWM Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 1.3x | Healthy |
| Q2 2026 | 1.4x | Healthy |
| Q1 2026 | 0.9x | Very low |
| Q4 2025 | 1.0x | Very low |
| Q3 2025 | 1.1x | Healthy |
| Q2 2025 | 1.3x | Healthy |
| Q1 2025 | 1.4x | Healthy |
| Q4 2024 | 1.4x | Healthy |
HWM's net debt is about 1.3 years of its operating earnings (EBITDA), up from 1.1 years a year ago.
VRT Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | -0.2x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2026 | 0.1x | Very low |
| Q1 2026 | 0.3x | Very low |
| Q4 2025 | 0.6x | Very low |
| Q3 2025 | 0.8x | Very low |
| Q2 2025 | 0.7x | Very low |
| Q1 2025 | 0.8x | Very low |
| Q4 2024 | 1.0x | Healthy |
VRT has the edge over HWM on leverage, with a lower net debt burden relative to earnings.
HWM Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 44.8 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 22.0 | Neutral |
HWM's weekly RSI is 45 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 22 (neutral).
VRT Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 43.0 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 26.4 | Neutral |
VRT's weekly RSI is 43 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 26 (neutral).
HWM PE vs Industrials Sector
| Metric | HWM | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 44x | 24x | 81% above |
| PE % | 51 | 58 | 7 pts below |
HWM is trading at 44x earnings, a 81% premium to the Industrials sector's median of 24x.
VRT PE vs Industrials Sector
| Metric | VRT | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 39x | 24x | 63% above |
| PE % | 3 | 58 | 55 pts below |
VRT has the edge over HWM on valuation relative to its sector.
HWM Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $215.5 | 3.5% above |
| 20 week MA | $246.8 | 9.6% below |
| 50 week MA | $241.8 | 7.7% below |
| 100 week MA | $201.1 | 11% above |
| 200 week MA | $133.0 | 68% above |
HWM has the edge over VRT on trend strength, trading above more of its moving averages.
VRT Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $221.8 | 5.5% below |
| 20 week MA | $254.4 | 18% below |
| 50 week MA | $253.9 | 17% below |
| 100 week MA | $189.1 | 11% above |
| 200 week MA | $123.5 | 70% above |
VRT has pulled back, but its long-term trend is still up: it's below its 8-, 20- and 50-week averages, but 70% above its 200-week average.
HWM Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $31.1 | $27.4 | -12% |
| 2021 | $27.4 | $31.1 | +14% |
| 2022 | $31.1 | $39.1 | +25% |
| 2023 | $39.1 | $54.1 | +39% |
| 2024 | $54.1 | $111.2 | +106% |
| 2025 | $111.2 | $211.2 | +90% |
| 2026 YTD | $211.2 | $223.1 | +5.6% |
HWM has finished higher in five of the last six years, two of them by more than 50%. It's up 5.6% so far in 2026.
VRT Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $10.9 | $18.9 | +73% |
| 2021 | $18.9 | $24.9 | +31% |
| 2022 | $24.9 | $12.8 | -48% |
| 2023 | $12.8 | $48.0 | +275% |
| 2024 | $48.0 | $115.1 | +140% |
| 2025 | $115.1 | $167.6 | +46% |
| 2026 YTD | $167.6 | $209.6 | +25% |
VRT has the edge over HWM on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.