AA vs HII Comparison

Alcoa is a vertically integrated aluminum company whose operations include bauxite mining, alumina refining, and manufacturing primary aluminum. It is the world's largest bauxite miner and alumina refiner by production volume, and the eighth-largest aluminum producer. Profits are closely tied to prevailing commodity prices along the aluminum supply chain.Alcoa was the first mass producer of aluminum, launching the world-changing Hall-Heroult smelting process in the 1880s, making aluminum affordable. It listed as a public company in 1925. In 2016, Alcoa spun off its automotive and aerospace metal parts segment to focus on mining, smelting, and refining. It bought the 40% unowned balance of AWAC in mid-2024, meaning refining assets are now predominantly wholly owned, as with smelting.

Huntington Ingalls Industries is the largest independent military shipbuilder in the US, spun out from Northrop Grumman in 2011. It operates three segments, two of which are storied shipyards: Ingalls produces non-nuclear-powered ships including amphibious landing ships and Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, while Newport News produces nuclear-powered ships as the only producer of Gerald Ford-class aircraft carriers and a major subcontractor on Virginia- and Columbia-class nuclear submarines. HII shares production of destroyers and nuclear submarines with General Dynamics' Bath Iron Works and Electric Boat shipyards, respectively. The company's mission technologies segment produces uncrewed sea vessels and provides a range of IT and other services to US government agencies.