Howmet vs. L3Harris: Which Aerospace & Defense Stock Has Greater Upside?

Howmet Aerospace (HWM) is showing strong commercial aerospace momentum with Q3 2025 commercial revenues up 15% YoY (exceeding $1.1B, 53% of sales) and defense revenue up 24% (17% of sales), supported by a record backlog, $659M cash, $1.23B operating cash in the first 9 months of 2025 and $901M free cash flow; it returned $131M in dividends and repurchased $500M in shares and raised its dividend 20% to $0.48 annualized. L3Harris (LHX) benefits from defense programs (HBTSS, Golden Dome pipeline), a >$2.26B South Korea award and ~21.5% international revenues, but carries a heavier leverage profile (cash $340M vs. long-term debt ~$11B) and faces supply-chain and labor constraints. Zacks estimates show 2026 sales/EPS growth of 12.2%/20.3% for HWM versus 6.4%/17.3% for LHX; HWM trades at a premium (forward P/E ~50.1x vs LHX ~27.6x), and the article favors HWM as the better 2026 upside candidate.

Analysis

Market structure: Commercial aerospace spares (Howmet HWM) and niche space/ISR tech (L3Harris LHX) are the direct winners — HWM benefits from +15% commercial aerospace revenue growth in Q3 2025 and a record backlog, while LHX captures hypersonic/space spend (HBTSS/Golden Dome). Losers include OEM-dependent supply-chain suppliers (Forged Wheels at HWM exposure) and highly leveraged primes if rates rise; pricing power shifts toward suppliers with unique IP (LHX in space sensors) and cash/FCF strength (HWM: $659m cash, $901m FCF YTD). Supply/demand is tight for spares and on-orbit sensors but OEM build-rate constraints (Boeing recovery risk) cap upside; credit-sensitive instruments (LHX credit spreads) will widen if debt/EBITDA crosses ~5x, pressuring debt markets and stock implied vols.

Risk assessment: Tail risks include a Boeing production setback (reducing HWM spares demand by >10% YoY), DoD program cancellation or export controls on space tech, and a sharp rate shock that stresses LHX’s $11B long-term debt. Short-term (days–weeks) risks center on earnings beats/misses and defense funding headlines; medium-term (3–9 months) hinge on backlog conversion and labor constraints; long-term (12–36 months) depend on program awards and secular air travel recovery. Hidden dependencies: HWM’s commercial upside is contingent on Airbus/ Boeing build rates and spare-parts cadence; LHX depends on sustained DoD top-line awards and international procurement cycles. Key catalysts: FY26 defense appropriations, Boeing monthly build updates (next 30–60 days), and Q4 2025 earnings revisions.

Trade implications: Tactical: establish a 2–3% long HWM equity position (12-month horizon) to capture estimated EPS growth (+20% for 2026) while hedging downside with a 12–15 month 10–15% OTM put or a call spread to cap premium. Hedge/short: initiate a small 1–1.5% short or buy 9–12 month 10% OTM puts on LHX to reflect refinancing/leverage risk; upsize if credit spread widens >100bps or net cash falls below $200m. Pair trade: long HWM / short LHX size 1:0.6 to express relative earnings-growth differential (HWM sales est +12.2% vs LHX +6.4%) and neutralize macro; roll on earnings or if Zacks EPS revisions diverge >5% in 60 days.

Contrarian angles: The market may be underpricing LHX’s leverage fragility and overpricing HWM’s recovery — HWM’s 50x forward P/E implies perfect execution (vs three-year median 31.8x) so downside of a 15–25% pullback is plausible if Boeing slips. Historical parallel: post-2016 defense spending spikes showed multiple compression when budgets normalized; a similar re-rating could hit LHX equity with stretched debt. Unintended consequence: faster DoD hypersonic/space procurement could concentrate revenues into a few primes, increasing single-contractor program risk and political/contractual scrutiny that can delay cash flows.

Key Decisions for Investors

• Establish a 2.5% portfolio long position in HWM with a 12-month target return of +30%; hedge with a 12–18 month 10–15% OTM put or buy a Jan 2027 call spread to limit premium. Exit/trim if HWM misses revenue backlog conversion by >5% QoQ or forward P/E expands above 60x.
• Initiate a 1%–1.5% short or buy 9–12 month puts 8%–12% OTM on LHX to reflect refinancing and execution risk; increase position if LHX credit spread widens >100bps or net cash falls below $200m on next balance sheet. Cover if DoD awards >$2bn undisputed new awards within 90 days.
• Construct a pair trade: long HWM / short LHX at a 1:0.6 ratio sized to 2% net exposure; rebalance on quarterly earnings or if consensus 2026 EPS revisions diverge by >5% in 60 days.
• Monitor two specific 30–60 day triggers before scaling: (a) Boeing 737/MAX monthly build rate announcements — reduce HWM by 50% if builds miss consensus by >10%; (b) FY26 defense appropriations language for hypersonics/space — increase LHX exposure only if program funding for Golden Dome/HBTSS is 1) appropriated and 2) unobligated funding >$1bn.