HWM (Howmet Aerospace) Debt-to-EBITDA : 1.42 (As of Mar. 2026) — 66% Below Median

Author: Vera Yuan Vera Yuan
Vera Yuan
Vera Yuan
Director of Data and Quant Analytics at GuruFocus
Focused on building reliable datasets, financial models, and research tools for value-minded investors. Committed to turning complex data into practical guidance for value-investing and long-term wealth.
Reviewed by: Charlie Tian Charlie Tian
Charlie Tian
Charlie Tian
Founder & CEO of GuruFocus
Dr. Charlie Tian is the founder and CEO of GuruFocus.com, a leading global investment research platform established in 2004. With a Ph.D. in physics, Dr. Tian transitioned from science to finance, applying a data-driven, disciplined approach to value investing.

HWM Howmet Aerospace Inc HWM
82 GF Score
Price $271.19
GF Value $140.73
Valuation Significantly Overvalued
! 5 Warning Signs
View Full Analysis

What is Howmet Aerospace Debt-to-EBITDA?

Howmet Aerospace HWM -2.88% 82 Debt-to-EBITDA is 1.42 as of Mar. 2026, which is 66% below its 10-year median of 4.23. GuruFocus rates HWM with a GF Score™ of 82/100 and a GF Value™ of $140.73 (Significantly Overvalued). The stock has 5 warning signs investors should review. Among 254 Aerospace & Defense companies, Howmet Aerospace ranks worse than 50.79% on this metric.

Debt-to-EBITDA measures a company's ability to pay off its debt.

Howmet Aerospace's Short-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation for the quarter that ended in Mar. 2026 was $636 Mil. Howmet Aerospace's Long-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation for the quarter that ended in Mar. 2026 was $4,050 Mil. Howmet Aerospace's annualized EBITDA for the quarter that ended in Mar. 2026 was $3,300 Mil. Howmet Aerospace's annualized Debt-to-EBITDA for the quarter that ended in Mar. 2026 was 1.42.

A high Debt-to-EBITDA ratio generally means that a company may spend more time to paying off its debt. According to Joel Tillinghast's BIG MONEY THINKS SMALL: Biases, Blind Spots, and Smarter Investing, a ratio of Debt-to-EBITDA exceeding four is usually considered scary unless tangible assets cover the debt.

The historical rank and industry rank for Howmet Aerospace's Debt-to-EBITDA or its related term are showing as below:

HWM' s Debt-to-EBITDA Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: 1.41   Med: 4.23   Max: 6.31
Current: 1.84

During the past 12 years, the highest Debt-to-EBITDA Ratio of Howmet Aerospace was 6.31. The lowest was 1.41. And the median was 4.23.

HWM's Debt-to-EBITDA is ranked worse than
50.79% of 254 companies
in the Aerospace & Defense industry
Industry Median: 1.82 vs HWM: 1.84

Howmet Aerospace  (NYSE:HWM) Debt-to-EBITDA Explanation

In the calculation of Debt-to-EBITDA, we use the total of Short-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation and Long-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation divided by EBITDA. In some calculations, Total Liabilities is used to for calculation.


Be Aware

A high Debt-to-EBITDA ratio generally means that a company may spend more time to paying off its debt.

According to Joel Tillinghast's BIG MONEY THINKS SMALL: Biases, Blind Spots, and Smarter Investing, a ratio of Debt-to-EBITDA exceeding four is usually considered scary unless tangible assets cover the debt.


Howmet Aerospace Debt-to-EBITDA Related Terms


Howmet Aerospace Debt-to-EBITDA Historical Data

* Premium members only.

The historical data trend for Howmet Aerospace's Debt-to-EBITDA can be seen below:

* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD.
* For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.

Howmet Aerospace Debt-to-EBITDA Chart

Howmet Aerospace Annual Data
Trend Dec16 Dec17 Dec18 Dec19 Dec20 Dec21 Dec22 Dec23 Dec24 Dec25
Debt-to-EBITDA
Get a 7-Day Free Trial Premium Member Only Premium Member Only 5.10 3.89 2.62 1.88 1.41

Howmet Aerospace Quarterly Data
Jun21 Sep21 Dec21 Mar22 Jun22 Sep22 Dec22 Mar23 Jun23 Sep23 Dec23 Mar24 Jun24 Sep24 Dec24 Mar25 Jun25 Sep25 Dec25 Mar26
Debt-to-EBITDA Get a 7-Day Free Trial Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only 1.57 1.41 1.39 1.49 1.42

HWM vs LMT, GD, TDG: Debt-to-EBITDA Comparison

For the Aerospace & Defense subindustry, Howmet Aerospace's Debt-to-EBITDA, along with its competitors' market caps and Debt-to-EBITDA data, can be viewed below:

* Competitive companies are chosen from companies within the same industry, with headquarter located in same country, with closest market capitalization; x-axis shows the market cap, and y-axis shows the term value; the bigger the dot, the larger the market cap. Note that "N/A" values will not show up in the chart.


Howmet Aerospace Debt-to-EBITDA vs Aerospace & Defense Industry

For the Aerospace & Defense industry and Industrials sector, Howmet Aerospace's Debt-to-EBITDA distribution charts can be found below:

* The bar in red indicates where Howmet Aerospace's Debt-to-EBITDA falls into.


HWM
82GF Score
Howmet Aerospace Inc HWM
Debt-to-EBITDA is just one metric. See GF Score™, valuation, warning signs, and more.
View Full Analysis

Howmet Aerospace Debt-to-EBITDA Calculation

Debt-to-EBITDA measures a company's ability to pay off its debt.

Howmet Aerospace's Debt-to-EBITDA for the fiscal year that ended in Dec. 2025 is calculated as

Debt-to-EBITDA=Total Debt / EBITDA
=(Short-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation + Long-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation) / EBITDA
=(233 + 2980) / 2274
=1.41

Howmet Aerospace's annualized Debt-to-EBITDA for the quarter that ended in Mar. 2026 is calculated as

Debt-to-EBITDA=Total Debt / EBITDA
=(Short-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation + Long-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation) / EBITDA
=(636 + 4050) / 3300
=1.42

* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD.
* For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.

In the calculation of annual Debt-to-EBITDA, the EBITDA of the last fiscal year is used. In calculating the annualized quarterly data, the EBITDA data used here is four times the quarterly (Mar. 2026) EBITDA data.

Frequently Asked Questions Learn more about Debt-to-EBITDA →
What does a Debt-to-EBITDA of 1.42 mean?
Howmet Aerospace (HWM) has a Debt-to-EBITDA of 1.42 as of Mar. 2026. Debt-to-EBITDA ratio represents the ratio of total debt to total earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization. View historical data on Howmet Aerospace. This is 66% below median its historical median of 4.23. Over the past decade, Howmet Aerospace's Debt-to-EBITDA has ranged from 1.41 to 6.31. According to the industry distribution chart, Howmet Aerospace ranks #129 out of 254 companies in the Aerospace & Defense industry, placing it in the top 50.8%.
Is Howmet Aerospace's Debt-to-EBITDA too high?
Howmet Aerospace's current Debt-to-EBITDA of 1.42 is 66% below median its 10-year median of 4.23. Over the past 10 years, this metric has ranged from a low of 1.41 to a high of 6.31. The Aerospace & Defense industry median Debt-to-EBITDA is 1.82. Howmet Aerospace's value of 1.42 is 22% below this industry median. Based on the distribution chart, Howmet Aerospace ranks #129 out of 254 companies in the Aerospace & Defense industry, which is below the industry midpoint. Overall, Howmet Aerospace has a GF Score™ of 82/100 and is considered Significantly Overvalued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Howmet Aerospace's Debt-to-EBITDA compare to LMT and GD?
According to the Aerospace & Defense industry distribution chart, Howmet Aerospace ranks #129 out of 254 companies for Debt-to-EBITDA. This places Howmet Aerospace in the lower half of its industry. The industry median Debt-to-EBITDA is 1.82. Howmet Aerospace's value of 1.42 is 22% below this benchmark. Historically, Howmet Aerospace's own Debt-to-EBITDA has ranged from 1.41 to 6.31 over the past decade. While the company's 10-year median is 4.23 vs. the industry median of 1.82, Howmet Aerospace has consistently been below the industry average. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Debt-to-EBITDA for an Aerospace & Defense company?
The median Debt-to-EBITDA among Aerospace & Defense companies is 1.82, based on 254 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Debt-to-EBITDA significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Debt-to-EBITDA should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Howmet Aerospace's current Debt-to-EBITDA of 1.42 is 22% below the industry median. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high Debt-to-EBITDA mean?
A high Debt-to-EBITDA can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. Debt-to-EBITDA ratio represents the ratio of total debt to total earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization. View historical data on Howmet Aerospace. For the Aerospace & Defense industry, the median Debt-to-EBITDA is 1.82 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. Howmet Aerospace's current Debt-to-EBITDA is 1.42, which is 66% below median its own 10-year median of 4.23. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is Howmet Aerospace stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Howmet Aerospace (HWM) is currently considered Significantly Overvalued. The stock's GF Value™ is $140.73, compared to a current price of $271.19 — trading 92.7% above its estimated fair value. The current Debt-to-EBITDA is 1.42, which is 66% below median its 10-year median of 4.23 and 22% below the Aerospace & Defense industry median of 1.82. Howmet Aerospace's overall GF Score™ is 82/100 with 5 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Debt-to-EBITDA calculated?
Debt-to-EBITDA is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Howmet Aerospace (HWM), the current Debt-to-EBITDA is 1.42 as of Mar. 2026. GuruFocus calculates this using data sourced from SEC filings and annual reports. See the calculation section and 30-year financial data on this page for the full breakdown.

Is Howmet Aerospace (HWM) Overvalued in 2026?

Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Howmet Aerospace stock appears to be overvalued. The current stock price of $271.19 is trading 92.7% above its estimated GF Value™ of $140.73. GuruFocus considers Howmet Aerospace to be Significantly Overvalued.

Key valuation signals for HWM:

  • Debt-to-EBITDA: 1.42 (66% below median its 10-year median of 4.23)
  • GF Value™: $140.73 vs. price of $271.19 (92.7% above fair value)
  • GF Score™: 82/100 with 5 warning signs
  • Industry Position: 22% below the Aerospace & Defense median (#129 of 254)

No single metric tells the full story. See the HWM stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.


Howmet Aerospace Business Description

Address 201 Isabella Street, Suite 200, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, 15212-5872
Howmet Aerospace Inc offers engineered solutions for the aerospace and transportation industries. The company's products and solutions include investment castings for jet engines and industrial gas turbines; seamless rolled rings for jet engines; fastening systems for aerospace, industrial and commercial transportation applications; forged jet engine components (e.g., jet engine disks); machined and forged aircraft parts; and forged aluminum commercial vehicle wheels, all of which are sold directly to customers or through distributors. It has four reportable segments: Engine Products, which derives key revenue, Fastening Systems, Engineered Structures, and Forged Wheels. Geographically, the company derives maximum revenue from the USA, followed by France, Japan, Germany, and other markets.
82GF Score

Get the complete analysis for HWM

Debt-to-EBITDA is just one metric. See GF Value™, 30-year financials, guru trades, warning signs, and more.

$271.19
Price
$140.73
GF Value