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 1.68 and HWM reads 10.12; on p/b, BDC reads 3.47 and HWM reads 16.10. 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 somewhat stretched bet versus history (whole-company basis). The bull and bear cases for each are in their full reports below.
| Metric | BDC | HWM |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $122.23 | $229.59 |
| Market cap | $4.8B | $92.3B |
| Sector | Steel | Steel |
| Stage | Cyclical | Cyclical |
| Implied growth (priced in) | +15.2% | — |
| P/E | 19.9 | 49.5 |
| P/B | 3.47 | 16.10 |
| P/S | 1.68 | 10.12 |
| EV/EBITDA | 12.0 | 34.4 |
| Revenue growth | +9.4% | +17.9% |
| Gross margin | 39.1% | — |
| Operating margin | 13.2% | 27.9% |
| Net margin | 8.5% | 20.5% |
| Return on equity | 17.6% | 32.6% |
| Return on assets | 6.8% | 14.1% |
| Return on invested capital | 10.5% | 20.1% |
| FCF yield | 4.4% | 1.9% |
| Dividend yield | 0.2% | 0.2% |
| Debt / equity | 0.89 | 0.79 |
| Current ratio | 2.14 | 1.82 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 7.74 | 7.58 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 8 / 9 | 7 / 9 |
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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.