WinstonWınston
BAE Systems logo

BAE Systems

BAESY
55
Aerospace & Defense · Industrials
Price
$100.99
+1.92 (+1.94%)
Market Cap
$74.03B
Exchange
Other OTC
Winston Score
55
Winston is curious
A decent business — some strong pillars, some weaker.

Share count falling — buybacks

5.6% over 4y

The company has reduced its share count over this period, returning value to shareholders through buybacks.

Diluted shares outstanding: 802.8M (2021) → 757.8M (2025)

BAE Systems is a British defense company that builds weapons, military vehicles, warships, and electronic systems for governments and armed forces. Its customers are mainly NATO member countries, with the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia being its largest clients. BAE is one of the largest defense contractors in the world and makes everything from fighter jet components and submarines to cybersecurity tools for militaries.

The company earns money through long-term government contracts, which tend to be stable and hard to cancel once signed. BAE operates across North America, Europe, and the Indo-Pacific, generating roughly $30 billion in annual sales. Its main competitive advantage is deep, long-standing relationships with government defense ministries and the high security clearances required to compete for contracts. The key growth driver is rising global defense budgets, particularly in Europe, where NATO members are increasing military spending in response to ongoing geopolitical tensions — though any slowdown in government defense budgets would be the primary risk to its business.

Winston Score History

Growth Profile

When traditional metrics don't capture the full picture, these are the signals growth stock investors use instead.

Revenue Growth

+6.7% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Slow revenue growth

EPS Growth

+9.1% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Slow EPS growth

R&D Spend

$396M/ year

1.4% of revenue

Below sector average (4%)

Research and development spending

Insider Activity

2.4%ownership

Relatively low insider ownership

Cash Position

Cash flow positive

$5.7B cash & investments

Quarterly Free Cash Flow

↑ Burn rate improving

Company generates more cash than it spends — no dilution risk from fundraising

Growth context

BAE Systems is growing revenue at 7% year-over-year. The Winston Score measures business quality today — these growth metrics show what could matter tomorrow.

The Winston Score above measures business quality today. Growth stocks often score lower because they invest in the future rather than maximising current profits. These metrics show what matters most for evaluating that future.

Score breakdown

Every number that matters to educated investors.

Each metric is explained in plain language so you know exactly what you're looking at. Start your free trial now.

Quality

Gross Margin
42.9%
Healthy — 42.9% gross margin
Operating Margin
8.7%
Modest — 8.7% operating margin
ROCE
6.7%
Weak — 6.7% return on capital

ROIC between 5% and 15%. They earn 5 to 15 cents back per year on every dollar invested.

Full breakdown available with your free trial

See every metric, trend, and what it means for this stock.

Try free

Growth

Sales YoY
+23.3%
Fast-growing sales (23.3% YoY)
EPS YoY
+17.9%
Earnings growing fast (17.9% YoY)

Healthy double-digit earnings growth — what compounders look like.

EPS Consistency
6/8 quarters
Earnings grew in most of the last 8 quarters

Full breakdown available with your free trial

See every metric, trend, and what it means for this stock.

Try free

Cash Flow

Cash Conversion
178%
Turns 178% of profit into real cash
FCF Margin
9.3%
Modest free cash flow (9.3%)

FCF margin between 0% and 10%. Some cash from sales, but not a lot.

Full breakdown available with your free trial

See every metric, trend, and what it means for this stock.

Try free

Stability

Debt / Equity
0.62
Moderate — manageable debt (0.62)
Interest Cover
5.19x
Adequate interest coverage (5.2x)

Interest coverage between 3 and 8. Profits cover interest several times over.

Full breakdown available with your free trial

See every metric, trend, and what it means for this stock.

Try free

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)
19.1x
Fair value — P/E 19.1

P/E in the normal range. Price is roughly $15 for every $1 of yearly profit.

P/E vs Forward
-4.3
SLOWING
Earnings expected to fall — forward P/E higher than today

Full breakdown available with your free trial

See every metric, trend, and what it means for this stock.

Try free

Dividends

Dividend Yield
1.90%
Small dividend — 1.90% yield

Modest yield. The bulk of any return needs to come from price appreciation.

Dividend Growth
+29.1%
Dividend growing fast (29.1% YoY)

Full breakdown available with your free trial

See every metric, trend, and what it means for this stock.

Try free
🔒 See full fundamentals and if they are improving or declining — click here for your free trial now.
Start free trial