Applied Aerospace & Defense (AADX) vs Willdan Group (WLDN)
Head-to-head comparison of performance, valuation, growth, profitability and dividends. Prices delayed 15 minutes; data as of Oct 9, 2026.
Summary
Applied Aerospace & Defense is the larger company by market cap ($1.92 billion vs $1.14 billion), about 1.7 times the size. On valuation, Willdan Group trades at a lower forward P/E (13.8x vs 28.1x for Applied Aerospace & Defense).
Summary generated from market data by MetaCap's automated system. Methodology
Relative performance
Percent change in share price from the first common trading day shown; excludes dividends.
Head-to-head
| Metric | AADX | WLDN |
|---|---|---|
| Share price | $11.15 | $74.71 |
| Market cap | $1.92B | $1.14B |
| 1-day change | -0.98% | +1.76% |
| YTD return | — | -27.93% |
| 1-year return | — | -21.58% |
| 5-year return | — | +122.22% |
| P/E ratio (TTM) | — | 17.54 |
| Forward P/E | 28.05 | 13.77 |
| EPS (TTM) | $-1.42 | $4.26 |
| Dividend yield | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Annual dividend | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| 52-week high | $24.24 | $137.00 |
| 52-week low | $10.94 | $64.67 |
| Distance from 52-week high | -54.00% | -45.47% |
| Analyst consensus | strong_buy | strong_buy |
| Avg. price target upside | +125.38% | +84.04% |
| Average volume | 1.60M | 233.30K |
| Shares outstanding | 172.39M | 15.23M |
| Employees | 1,542 | 1,814 |
| Sector | Industrials | Consumer Discretionary |
| Industry | Military/Government/Technical | Military/Government/Technical |
Highlighted cells mark the higher value for growth, returns, margins and yield, and the lower value for P/E ratios. Highlighting is a mechanical comparison, not a recommendation.
Key differences
- The two companies sit in different sectors: Applied Aerospace & Defense in Industrials and Willdan Group in Consumer Discretionary.
About Applied Aerospace & Defense
AADX stock →Applied Aerospace & Defense, Inc. designs, engineers, and manufactures integrated aerospace and defense subsystems for space and defense applications.
Industrials · Military/Government/Technical · 1,542 employees
About Willdan Group
WLDN stock →Willdan Group, Inc., a technical services company, focuses on the provision of energy and infrastructure solutions in the United States and Canada. The company operates in two segments: Energy, and Engineering and Consulting.
Consumer Discretionary · Military/Government/Technical · 1,814 employees
AADX vs WLDN FAQ
Which is bigger, Applied Aerospace & Defense or Willdan Group?
Applied Aerospace & Defense (AADX) is larger, with a market capitalization of $1.92B compared with $1.14B for Willdan Group (WLDN).
Are Applied Aerospace & Defense and Willdan Group in the same industry?
Yes. Both are classified in the Military/Government/Technical industry within the Industrials sector.