Comprehensive Stock Comparison
Compare Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises, I (BWNB) vs NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA) Stock
Analyze side-by-side fundamentals, valuation, growth, and profitability to decide which stock is the better buy.
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Quick Verdict
| Category | Winner | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Growth | NVDA | 65.5% revenue growth vs BWNB's -1.4% |
| Quality / Margins | NVDA | 55.6% net margin vs BWNB's -20.1% |
| Stability / Safety | BWNB | Beta 0.50 vs NVDA's 1.73 |
| Dividends | BWNB | 0.8% yield, 1-year raise streak, vs NVDA's 0.0% |
| Momentum (1Y) | NVDA | +41.9% vs BWNB's +28.2% |
| Efficiency (ROA) | NVDA | 58.1% ROA vs BWNB's -16.5%, ROIC 81.8% vs 8.8% |
Who Each Stock Is For
Income & stability
Growth exposure
Long-term compounding (10Y)
Sleep-well-at-night portfolio
Defensive / Recession hedge
Business Model
What each company does and how it makes money
Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises is an industrial technology company that provides energy generation, emissions control, and environmental solutions to utilities, industrial facilities, and municipalities worldwide. It makes money through three main segments: Thermal (steam generation systems), Environmental (emissions control technologies), and Renewable (waste-to-energy and biomass systems) — with Thermal typically being the largest revenue contributor. The company's key advantage is its century-long expertise in steam generation and emissions control technologies, creating deep customer relationships and technical barriers to entry in specialized industrial markets.
NVIDIA designs and sells graphics processing units (GPUs) and accelerated computing platforms that power artificial intelligence, gaming, and professional visualization applications. The company generates revenue primarily through its Data Center segment — which includes AI chips and systems — accounting for over 70% of sales, supplemented by its Gaming GPU business and professional visualization offerings. NVIDIA's competitive moat stems from its CUDA software ecosystem — which locks developers into its hardware architecture — and its years of architectural leadership in parallel processing for AI workloads.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
How each company's revenue is distributed across its business units
Financial Metrics Comparison
Side-by-side fundamentals across 2 stocks. BestLagging
Financial Scorecard
NVDA leads in 3 of 6 categories (Financial Metrics, Profitability & Efficiency). BWNB leads in 2 (Valuation Metrics, Risk & Volatility). 1 tied.
Financial Metrics (TTM)
NVDA is the larger business by revenue, generating $215.9B annually — 399.5x BWNB's $541M. NVDA is the more profitable business, keeping 55.6% of every revenue dollar as net income compared to BWNB's -20.1%. On growth, NVDA holds the edge at +73.2% YoY revenue growth, suggesting stronger near-term business momentum.
| Metric | BWNBBabcock & Wilcox … | NVDANVIDIA Corporation |
|---|---|---|
| RevenueTrailing 12 months | $541M | $215.9B |
| EBITDAEarnings before interest/tax | $12M | $133.2B |
| Net IncomeAfter-tax profit | -$108M | $120.1B |
| Free Cash FlowCash after capex | -$102M | $96.7B |
| Gross MarginGross profit ÷ Revenue | +26.8% | +71.1% |
| Operating MarginEBIT ÷ Revenue | +0.2% | +60.4% |
| Net MarginNet income ÷ Revenue | -20.1% | +55.6% |
| FCF MarginFCF ÷ Revenue | -18.9% | +44.8% |
| Rev. Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | -29.0% | +73.2% |
| EPS Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | +4.0% | +97.8% |
Valuation Metrics
On an enterprise value basis, NVDA's 32.3x EV/EBITDA is more attractive than BWNB's 69.2x.
| Metric | BWNBBabcock & Wilcox … | NVDANVIDIA Corporation |
|---|---|---|
| Market CapShares × price | $2.4B | $4.31T |
| Enterprise ValueMkt cap + debt − cash | $2.9B | $4.31T |
| Trailing P/EPrice ÷ TTM EPS | -30.45x | 36.16x |
| Forward P/EPrice ÷ next-FY EPS est. | — | 21.88x |
| PEG RatioP/E ÷ EPS growth rate | — | 0.38x |
| EV / EBITDAEnterprise value multiple | 69.15x | 32.33x |
| Price / SalesMarket cap ÷ Revenue | 3.31x | 19.94x |
| Price / BookPrice ÷ Book value/share | — | 27.52x |
| Price / FCFMarket cap ÷ FCF | — | 44.54x |
Profitability & Efficiency
On the Piotroski fundamental quality scale (0–9), NVDA scores 4/9 vs BWNB's 3/9, reflecting mixed financial health.
| Metric | BWNBBabcock & Wilcox … | NVDANVIDIA Corporation |
|---|---|---|
| ROE (TTM)Return on equity | — | +76.3% |
| ROA (TTM)Return on assets | -16.5% | +58.1% |
| ROICReturn on invested capital | +8.8% | +81.8% |
| ROCEReturn on capital employed | +6.6% | +97.2% |
| Piotroski ScoreFundamental quality 0–9 | 3 | 4 |
| Debt / EquityFinancial leverage | — | 0.07x |
| Net DebtTotal debt minus cash | $515M | $807M |
| Cash & Equiv.Liquid assets | $23M | $10.6B |
| Total DebtShort + long-term debt | $538M | $11.4B |
| Interest CoverageEBIT ÷ Interest expense | -0.79x | 545.03x |
Total Returns (with DRIP)
A $10,000 investment in NVDA five years ago would be worth $128,116 today (with dividends reinvested), compared to $12,748 for BWNB. Over the past 12 months, NVDA leads with a +41.9% total return vs BWNB's +28.2%. The 3-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) favors NVDA at 96.9% vs BWNB's 9.5% — a key indicator of consistent wealth creation.
| Metric | BWNBBabcock & Wilcox … | NVDANVIDIA Corporation |
|---|---|---|
| YTD ReturnYear-to-date | +2.2% | -6.2% |
| 1-Year ReturnPast 12 months | +28.2% | +41.9% |
| 3-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | +31.2% | +663.5% |
| 5-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | +27.5% | +1181.2% |
| 10-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | +27.5% | +22525.7% |
| CAGR (3Y)Annualised 3-year return | +9.5% | +96.9% |
Risk & Volatility
BWNB is the less volatile stock with a 0.50 beta — it tends to amplify market swings less than NVDA's 1.73 beta. A beta below 1.0 means the stock typically moves less than the S&P 500. BWNB currently trades 98.3% from its 52-week high vs NVDA's 83.5% drawdown — a narrower gap to the peak suggests stronger recent price momentum.
| Metric | BWNBBabcock & Wilcox … | NVDANVIDIA Corporation |
|---|---|---|
| Beta (5Y)Sensitivity to S&P 500 | 0.50x | 1.73x |
| 52-Week HighHighest price in past year | $25.40 | $212.19 |
| 52-Week LowLowest price in past year | $6.05 | $86.62 |
| % of 52W HighCurrent price vs 52-week peak | +98.3% | +83.5% |
| RSI (14)Momentum oscillator 0–100 | 60.3 | 47.4 |
| Avg Volume (50D)Average daily shares traded | 14K | 136.2M |
Analyst Outlook
BWNB is the only dividend payer here at 0.81% yield — a key consideration for income-focused portfolios.
| Metric | BWNBBabcock & Wilcox … | NVDANVIDIA Corporation |
|---|---|---|
| Analyst RatingConsensus buy/hold/sell | — | Buy |
| Price TargetConsensus 12-month target | — | $271.00 |
| # AnalystsCovering analysts | — | 79 |
| Dividend YieldAnnual dividend ÷ price | +0.8% | +0.0% |
| Dividend StreakConsecutive years of raises | 1 | 2 |
| Dividend / ShareAnnual DPS | $0.20 | $0.04 |
| Buyback YieldShare repurchases ÷ mkt cap | +0.0% | +0.9% |
Historical Charts
Charts are rendered on first load. Hover for details.
Chart 1Total Return — 5 Years (Rebased to 100)
| Stock | Dec 21 | Feb 26 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Babcock & Wilcox En… (BWNB) | 100 | 99.64 | -0.4% |
| NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA) | 100 | 616.24 | +516.2% |
NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA) returned +1.2K% over 5 years vs Babcock & Wilcox En… (BWNB)'s +27%. A $10,000 investment in NVDA 5 years ago would be worth $128,116 today (including dividends reinvested).
Chart 2Revenue Growth — 10 Years
| Stock | 2017 | 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Babcock & Wilcox En… (BWNB) | $1.6B | $717M | -54.0% |
| NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA) | $6.9B | $215.9B | +3025.0% |
NVIDIA Corporation's revenue grew from $6.9B (2017) to $215.9B (2026) — a 46.6% CAGR.
Chart 3Net Margin Trend — 10 Years
| Stock | 2017 | 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Babcock & Wilcox En… (BWNB) | -24.4% | -8.4% | +65.7% |
| NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA) | 24.1% | 55.6% | +130.6% |
NVIDIA Corporation's net margin went from 24% (2017) to 56% (2026).
Chart 4P/E Ratio History — 10 Years
| Stock | 2017 | 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA) | 75.6 | 36.2 | -52.1% |
NVIDIA Corporation has traded in a 28x–291x P/E range over 10 years; current trailing P/E is ~36x.
Chart 5EPS Growth — 10 Years
| Stock | 2017 | 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Babcock & Wilcox En… (BWNB) | -40.34 | -0.82 | +98.0% |
| NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA) | 0.06 | 4.9 | +7556.3% |
NVIDIA Corporation's EPS grew from $0.06 (2017) to $4.90 (2026) — a 62% CAGR.
Chart 6Free Cash Flow — 5 Years
Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises, I generated $-130M FCF in 2024 (-10% vs 2021). NVIDIA Corporation generated $97B FCF in 2026 (+1960% vs 2021).
BWNB vs NVDA: Frequently Asked Questions
7 questions · data-driven answers · updated daily
01Is BWNB or NVDA a better buy right now?
NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA) offers the better valuation at 36.2x trailing P/E (21.9x forward), making it the more compelling value choice. Analysts rate NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA) a "Buy" — based on 79 analyst ratings — the highest consensus in this comparison. The "better buy" depends entirely on your goals: growth investors should weight revenue trajectory, value investors should weight P/E and PEG, and income investors should weight dividend yield and streak.
02Which is the better long-term investment — BWNB or NVDA?
Over the past 5 years, NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA) delivered a total return of +1181%, compared to +27.5% for Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises, I (BWNB). A $10,000 investment in NVDA five years ago would be worth approximately $128K today (assuming dividends reinvested). Over 10 years, the gap is even starker: NVDA returned +225.3% versus BWNB's +27.5%. Past returns do not guarantee future results, and the stock with the higher historical return may already have its best growth priced in.
03Which is safer — BWNB or NVDA?
By beta (market sensitivity over 5 years), Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises, I (BWNB) is the lower-risk stock at 0.50β versus NVIDIA Corporation's 1.73β — meaning NVDA is approximately 242% more volatile than BWNB relative to the S&P 500.
04Which has better profit margins — BWNB or NVDA?
NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA) is the more profitable company, earning 55.6% net margin versus -8.4% for Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises, I — meaning it keeps 55.6% of every revenue dollar as bottom-line profit. Operating margin tells a similar story: NVDA leads at 60.4% versus 3.5% for BWNB. At the gross margin level — before operating expenses — NVDA leads at 71.1%, reflecting greater pricing power or product mix advantage. Stronger margins indicate durable pricing power, lower cost of revenue, or higher mix of software/services. They are one of the clearest signs of business quality.
05Which pays a better dividend — BWNB or NVDA?
In this comparison, BWNB (0.8% yield) pays a dividend. NVDA does not pay a meaningful dividend and should not be held primarily for income.
06Is BWNB or NVDA better for a retirement portfolio?
For long-horizon retirement investors, Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises, I (BWNB) is the stronger choice — it scores higher on the combination of lower volatility, dividend reliability, and long-term compounding (low volatility (β 0.50), 0.8% yield). NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA) carries a higher beta of 1.73 — meaning larger drawdowns in market downturns, which matters significantly when you cannot wait years for a recovery. Both have compounded well over 10 years (BWNB: +27.5%, NVDA: +225.3%), confirming both are viable long-term holds — but the lower-volatility option typically results in less emotional selling during corrections. Retirement portfolios generally favour predictability over maximum returns. Consult a financial advisor before making allocation decisions.
07What are the main differences between BWNB and NVDA?
Both stocks operate in the Technology sector, making this a peer-level intra-sector comparison — the same macro tailwinds and headwinds will affect both. BWNB pays a dividend while NVDA does not, making them suitable for different income and tax situations. These fundamental differences mean investors should not choose between them on a single metric — the "better stock" depends entirely on which of these characteristics aligns with your investment strategy.
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