BELDEN INC. vs HOWMET AEROSPACE INC., two Steel stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
Where BDC and HWM diverge most: on p/s, BDC reads 1.45 and HWM reads 13.53; on p/b, BDC reads 3.15 and HWM reads 21.12. The rest of the comparable metrics sit closer together. What BDC's price implies is a bet that sits within the historical range (whole-company basis). What HWM's price implies is a demanding bet versus history and the cohort (whole-company basis). The bull and bear cases for each are in their full reports below.
| Metric | BDC | HWM |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $102.72 | $289.40 |
| Market cap | $4.0B | $116.6B |
| Sector | Steel | Steel |
| Stage | Cyclical | Cyclical |
| Implied growth (priced in) | +10.7% | — |
| P/E | 17.3 | 67.2 |
| P/B | 3.15 | 21.12 |
| P/S | 1.45 | 13.53 |
| EV/EBITDA | 11.1 | 45.9 |
| Revenue growth | +9.3% | +14.2% |
| Gross margin | 37.1% | — |
| Operating margin | 11.2% | 32.6% |
| Net margin | 8.5% | 20.2% |
| Return on equity | 18.4% | 31.6% |
| Return on assets | 6.8% | 13.3% |
| Return on invested capital | 10.3% | 18.5% |
| FCF yield | 4.5% | 1.4% |
| Dividend yield | 0.2% | 0.1% |
| Debt / equity | 0.98 | 0.85 |
| Current ratio | 2.09 | 2.44 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 7.70 | 7.65 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 4 / 9 | 4 / 9 |
Each week boothcheck ranks the stocks whose prices are betting on the most. Read the most stretched bets archive →
boothcheck is also on Android. Get the app on Google Play →
The stronger value is highlighted per metric where one is strictly better on that single number; it is not an overall verdict on either company. For informational and research purposes only. Not investment advice. Not a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security. boothcheck is not a registered investment adviser. Past performance does not guarantee future results.