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Best Defense Stocks to Buy Now (2024)
Top defense stocks in 2024 ranked by overall Zen Score. See the best defense stocks to buy now, according to analyst forecasts for the aerospace & defense industry.

Industry: Aerospace & Defense
Ticker
Company
Exchange
Industry
Zen Score
Market Cap
Price
1d %
EBITDA
P/E
D/E
LHX
L3HARRIS TECHNOLOGIES INC
NYSE
Aerospace & Defense
$40.40B$212.500.65%$2.96B32.84x1.22
NOC
NORTHROP GRUMMAN CORP
NYSE
Aerospace & Defense
$71.62B$477.361.59%$4.23B35.18x2.15
GD
GENERAL DYNAMICS CORP
NYSE
Aerospace & Defense
$77.24B$281.901.28%$4.94B23.22x1.57
HII
HUNTINGTON INGALLS INDUSTRIES INC
NYSE
Aerospace & Defense
$11.47B$289.75-0.04%$1.30B16.97x1.74
LMT
LOCKHEED MARTIN CORP
NYSE
Aerospace & Defense
$110.38B$456.782.42%$10.44B16.52x6.68
ISSC
INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS & SUPPORT INC
NASDAQ
Aerospace & Defense
$123.97M$7.10-1.93%$9.84M19.19x0.40
CW
CURTISS WRIGHT CORP
NYSE
Aerospace & Defense
$9.69B$253.570.94%$630.64M27.38x0.99
VTSI
VIRTRA INC
NASDAQ
Aerospace & Defense
$114.28M$10.30-4.19%$10.71M16.09x0.73
WWD
WOODWARD INC
NASDAQ
Aerospace & Defense
$9.36B$155.282.53%$521.20M31.82x0.89
OPXS
OPTEX SYSTEMS HOLDINGS INC
NASDAQ
Aerospace & Defense
$52.68M$7.720.52%$3.97M17.95x0.46
NPK
NATIONAL PRESTO INDUSTRIES INC
NYSE
Aerospace & Defense
$582.64M$81.860.55%$48.44M16.84x0.24
AXON
AXON ENTERPRISE INC
NASDAQ
Aerospace & Defense
$23.77B$315.64-1.10%$194.48M134.31x1.13
MOG.A
MOOG INC
NYSE
Aerospace & Defense
$5.07B$158.511.18%$378.00M29.25x1.34
HXL
HEXCEL CORP
NYSE
Aerospace & Defense
$6.14B$72.800.51%$276.60M58.24x0.70
KAMN
KAMAN CORP
NYSE
Aerospace & Defense
$1.30B$45.860.15%$100.72M163.79x1.17
VSEC
VSE CORP
NASDAQ
Aerospace & Defense
$1.26B$79.941.00%$107.39M28.86x1.19
CVU
CPI AEROSTRUCTURES INC
NYSEMKT
Aerospace & Defense
$29.02M$2.290.88%$6.34M3.09x7.12
PKE
PARK AEROSPACE CORP
NYSE
Aerospace & Defense
$331.34M$16.361.55%$10.47M34.81x0.14
TXT
TEXTRON INC
NYSE
Aerospace & Defense
$18.56B$96.250.30%$1.56B20.88x1.41
RTX
RTX CORP
NYSE
Aerospace & Defense
$129.30B$97.451.45%$9.37B43.50x1.68
ESLT
ELBIT SYSTEMS LTD
NASDAQ
Aerospace & Defense
$9.38B$211.153.22%$540.67M43.54x2.30
BWXT
BWX TECHNOLOGIES INC
NYSE
Aerospace & Defense
$9.31B$101.931.67%$446.53M38.03x1.94
SPCE
VIRGIN GALACTIC HOLDINGS INC
NYSE
Aerospace & Defense
$584.06M$1.465.04%-$475.64M-0.98x1.33
RGR
STURM RUGER & CO INC
NYSE
Aerospace & Defense
$816.62M$46.230.52%$81.41M16.93x0.20
ASTC
ASTROTECH CORP
NASDAQ
Aerospace & Defense
$14.98M$8.80-0.23%-$9.59M-1.40x0.06
PL
PLANET LABS PBC
NYSE
Aerospace & Defense
$733.45M$2.551.59%-$101.71M-4.72x0.34
SWBI
SMITH & WESSON BRANDS INC
NASDAQ
Aerospace & Defense
$802.46M$17.630.28%$69.18M30.93x0.52
BYRN
BYRNA TECHNOLOGIES INC
NASDAQ
Aerospace & Defense
$315.29M$14.335.14%-$6.10M-38.73x0.24
HWM
HOWMET AEROSPACE INC
NYSE
Aerospace & Defense
$27.93B$68.080.64%$1.47B36.80x1.58
RKLB
ROCKET LAB USA INC
NASDAQ
Aerospace & Defense
$2.03B$4.141.97%-$139.14M-10.89x0.70
DRS
LEONARDO DRS INC
NASDAQ
Aerospace & Defense
$5.73B$21.83-0.09%$313.00M34.11x0.69
AIR
AAR CORP
NYSE
Aerospace & Defense
$2.13B$60.180.33%$137.60M35.40x0.73
TATT
TAT TECHNOLOGIES LTD
NASDAQ
Aerospace & Defense
$121.43M$12.02-0.33%$11.64M23.12x0.61
CODA
CODA OCTOPUS GROUP INC
NASDAQ
Aerospace & Defense
$63.91M$5.720.00%$3.54M27.24x0.06
RDW
REDWIRE CORP
NYSE
Aerospace & Defense
$289.20M$4.413.76%-$6.00M-6.04x-5.02
EH
EHANG HOLDINGS LTD
NASDAQ
Aerospace & Defense
$1.18B$18.797.99%N/A-27.27x1.80
HEI
HEICO CORP
NYSE
Aerospace & Defense
$26.90B$194.432.07%$783.98M62.92x1.12
CDRE
CADRE HOLDINGS INC
NYSE
Aerospace & Defense
$1.35B$35.810.51%$73.19M34.77x1.19
KTOS
KRATOS DEFENSE & SECURITY SOLUTIONS INC
NASDAQ
Aerospace & Defense
$2.36B$18.131.91%$65.20M-259.00x0.65
POWW
AMMO INC
NASDAQ
Aerospace & Defense
$337.00M$2.842.16%$3.57M-18.93x0.11
CAE
CAE INC
NYSE
Aerospace & Defense
$6.53B$20.500.84%$662.00M31.83x1.24
LUNR
INTUITIVE MACHINES INC
NASDAQ
Aerospace & Defense
$839.28M$6.88-3.51%$65.04M2.01x-0.53
TDG
TRANSDIGM GROUP INC
NYSE
Aerospace & Defense
$68.61B$1,233.800.87%$3.36B52.37x-6.89
AVAV
AEROVIRONMENT INC
NASDAQ
Aerospace & Defense
$4.20B$149.28-0.98%-$16.74M-33.85x0.21
DCO
DUCOMMUN INC
NYSE
Aerospace & Defense
$738.65M$50.451.92%$77.94M43.49x0.76
ATRO
ASTRONICS CORP
NASDAQ
Aerospace & Defense
$653.15M$18.924.01%$28.21M-23.65x1.54
SATL
SATELLOGIC INC
NASDAQ
Aerospace & Defense
$151.53M$1.690.60%-$36.84M-2.64x0.37
ERJ
EMBRAER SA
NYSE
Aerospace & Defense
$4.89B$26.65-0.41%$268.00M-26.65x2.85
KWE
KWESST MICRO SYSTEMS INC
NASDAQ
Aerospace & Defense
$7.08M$1.26-4.91%-$4.57M-1.21x1.51
DPRO
DRAGANFLY INC
NASDAQ
Aerospace & Defense
$9.11M$0.192.78%-$17.02M-0.45x19.43
SPR
SPIRIT AEROSYSTEMS HOLDINGS INC
NYSE
Aerospace & Defense
$4.14B$35.651.51%$40.60M-6.17x-14.90
MRCY
MERCURY SYSTEMS INC
NASDAQ
Aerospace & Defense
$1.71B$28.865.60%-$11.73M-19.50x0.62
BA
BOEING CO
NYSE
Aerospace & Defense
$117.12B$191.952.37%$2.34B-52.30x-8.95
LLAP
TERRAN ORBITAL CORP
NYSE
Aerospace & Defense
$245.02M$1.265.88%-$89.61M-1.35x-2.43
AULT
AULT ALLIANCE INC
NYSEMKT
Aerospace & Defense
$995.40k$0.36-0.82%-$183.91M-0.00x2.87
SKYH
SKY HARBOUR GROUP CORP
NYSEMKT
Aerospace & Defense
$846.61M$13.252.47%-$948.00k-40.15x10.81
KITT
NAUTICUS ROBOTICS INC
NASDAQ
Aerospace & Defense
$14.06M$0.285.64%-$10.71M4.01x-22.05
AIRI
AIR INDUSTRIES GROUP
NYSEMKT
Aerospace & Defense
$16.15M$4.890.00%$1.72M-4.94x2.33
VVX
V2X INC
NYSE
Aerospace & Defense
$1.45B$46.372.61%$210.76M-63.52x2.11
MNTS
MOMENTUS INC
NASDAQ
Aerospace & Defense
$2.94M$0.453.70%-$73.97M-0.01x6.80
SPPL
SIMPPLE LTD
NASDAQ
Aerospace & Defense
N/A$0.842.07%-$166.31k-20.98x17.05
ACHR
ARCHER AVIATION INC
NYSE
Aerospace & Defense
$1.47B$4.74-1.04%-$463.50M-2.80x0.51
TGI
TRIUMPH GROUP INC
NYSE
Aerospace & Defense
$1.12B$14.512.04%$137.96M-19.09x-3.50
SIDU
SIDUS SPACE INC
NASDAQ
Aerospace & Defense
$14.63M$3.50-4.63%-$12.45M-0.15x1.71
EVEX
EVE HOLDING INC
NYSE
Aerospace & Defense
$1.48B$5.4810.48%-$125.57M-11.91x0.49
AZ
A2Z SMART TECHNOLOGIES CORP
NASDAQ
Aerospace & Defense
$22.25M$0.6030.87%-$11.80M-1.38x3.19
SIF
SIFCO INDUSTRIES INC
NYSEMKT
Aerospace & Defense
$19.59M$3.18-0.03%-$1.48M-1.98x2.25
ASTR
ASTRA SPACE INC
NASDAQ
Aerospace & Defense
$14.37M$0.643.23%-$122.31M-0.09x11.38
EVTL
VERTICAL AEROSPACE LTD
NYSE
Aerospace & Defense
$258.86M$1.176.36%-$76.65M-2.98x-2.69
LILM
LILIUM NV
NASDAQ
Aerospace & Defense
$502.88M$0.962.03%-$266.34M-1.24x7.42
HOVR
NEW HORIZON AIRCRAFT LTD
NASDAQ
Aerospace & Defense
$42.07M$2.523.92%N/AN/A-2.61

Defense Stocks FAQ

What are the best defense stocks to buy right now in Mar 2024?

According to Zen Score, the 3 best defense stocks to buy right now are:

1. L3harris Technologies (NYSE:LHX)


L3harris Technologies (NYSE:LHX) is the top defense stock with a Zen Score of 53, which is 24 points higher than the defense industry average of 29. It passed 19 out of 38 due diligence checks and has strong fundamentals. L3harris Technologies has seen its stock return 9.23% over the past year, underperforming other defense stocks by -1 percentage points.

L3harris Technologies has an average 1 year price target of $237.56, an upside of 11.79% from L3harris Technologies's current stock price of $212.50.

L3harris Technologies stock has a consensus Strong Buy recommendation according to Wall Street analysts. Of the 9 analysts covering L3harris Technologies, 55.56% have issued a Strong Buy rating, 33.33% have issued a Buy, 11.11% have issued a hold, while 0% have issued a Sell rating, and 0% have issued a Strong Sell.

2. Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC)


Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) is the second best defense stock with a Zen Score of 49, which is 20 points higher than the defense industry average of 29. It passed 17 out of 38 due diligence checks and has strong fundamentals. Northrop Grumman has seen its stock return 4.17% over the past year, underperforming other defense stocks by -6 percentage points.

Northrop Grumman has an average 1 year price target of $482.57, an upside of 1.09% from Northrop Grumman's current stock price of $477.36.

Northrop Grumman stock has a consensus Buy recommendation according to Wall Street analysts. Of the 7 analysts covering Northrop Grumman, 28.57% have issued a Strong Buy rating, 0% have issued a Buy, 57.14% have issued a hold, while 14.29% have issued a Sell rating, and 0% have issued a Strong Sell.

3. General Dynamics (NYSE:GD)


General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) is the third best defense stock with a Zen Score of 49, which is 20 points higher than the defense industry average of 29. It passed 17 out of 38 due diligence checks and has strong fundamentals. General Dynamics has seen its stock return 25.27% over the past year, overperforming other defense stocks by 15 percentage points.

General Dynamics has an average 1 year price target of $286.00, an upside of 1.45% from General Dynamics's current stock price of $281.90.

General Dynamics stock has a consensus Strong Buy recommendation according to Wall Street analysts. Of the 6 analysts covering General Dynamics, 66.67% have issued a Strong Buy rating, 16.67% have issued a Buy, 16.67% have issued a hold, while 0% have issued a Sell rating, and 0% have issued a Strong Sell.

What are the defense stocks with highest dividends?

Out of 21 defense stocks that have issued dividends in the past year, the 3 defense stocks with the highest dividend yields are:

1. National Presto Industries (NYSE:NPK)


National Presto Industries (NYSE:NPK) has an annual dividend yield of 5.5%, which is 4 percentage points higher than the defense industry average of 1.54%. National Presto Industries's dividend payout is not stable, having dropped more than 10% two times in the last 10 years. National Presto Industries's dividend has shown consistent growth over the last 10 years.

National Presto Industries's dividend payout ratio of 92.6% indicates that its high dividend yield might not be sustainable for the long-term.

2. Park Aerospace (NYSE:PKE)


Park Aerospace (NYSE:PKE) has an annual dividend yield of 3.06%, which is 2 percentage points higher than the defense industry average of 1.54%. Park Aerospace's dividend payout is not stable, having dropped more than 10% three times in the last 10 years. Park Aerospace's dividend has shown consistent growth over the last 10 years.

Park Aerospace's dividend payout ratio of 319.1% indicates that its dividend yield might not be sustainable for the long-term.

3. Transdigm Group (NYSE:TDG)


Transdigm Group (NYSE:TDG) has an annual dividend yield of 2.84%, which is 1 percentage points higher than the defense industry average of 1.54%.

Transdigm Group's dividend payout ratio of 148.6% indicates that its dividend yield might not be sustainable for the long-term.

Why are defense stocks up?

Defense stocks were up 1.15% in the last day, and up 1.51% over the last week.

We couldn't find a catalyst for why defense stocks are up.

What are the most undervalued defense stocks?

Based on WallStreetZen's Valuation Score, the 3 most undervalued defense stocks right now are:

1. Cpi Aerostructures (NYSEMKT:CVU)


Cpi Aerostructures (NYSEMKT:CVU) is the most undervalued defense stock based on WallStreetZen's Valuation Score. Cpi Aerostructures has a valuation score of 71, which is 49 points higher than the defense industry average of 22. It passed 5 out of 7 valuation due diligence checks.

Cpi Aerostructures's stock has dropped -37.26% in the past year. It has underperformed other stocks in the defense industry by -47 percentage points.

2. Innovative Solutions & Support (NASDAQ:ISSC)


Innovative Solutions & Support (NASDAQ:ISSC) is the second most undervalued defense stock based on WallStreetZen's Valuation Score. Innovative Solutions & Support has a valuation score of 71, which is 49 points higher than the defense industry average of 22. It passed 5 out of 7 valuation due diligence checks.

Innovative Solutions & Support's stock has dropped -7.43% in the past year. It has underperformed other stocks in the defense industry by -18 percentage points.

3. L3harris Technologies (NYSE:LHX)


L3harris Technologies (NYSE:LHX) is the third most undervalued defense stock based on WallStreetZen's Valuation Score. L3harris Technologies has a valuation score of 57, which is 35 points higher than the defense industry average of 22. It passed 4 out of 7 valuation due diligence checks.

L3harris Technologies's stock has gained 9.23% in the past year. It has underperformed other stocks in the defense industry by -1 percentage points.

Are defense stocks a good buy now?

48.89% of defense stocks rated by analysts are a strong buy right now. On average, analysts expect defense stocks to rise by 1.6% over the next year.

What is the average p/e ratio of the aerospace & defense industry?

The average P/E ratio of the aerospace & defense industry is 22.45x.
WallStreetZen does not provide financial advice and does not issue recommendations or offers to buy stock or sell any security.

Information is provided 'as-is' and solely for informational purposes and is not advice. WallStreetZen does not bear any responsibility for any losses or damage that may occur as a result of reliance on this data.