Sectors & Industries IndustrialsAerospace & Defense
Best Defense Stocks to Buy Now (2025)
Top defense stocks in 2025 ranked by overall Zen Rating. "A" Rated stocks have returned an average of +32.52% per year, and are the best defense stocks to buy now. Learn More.

Industry: Aerospace & Defense

Overview Zen Rating Price Value Growth Financials Momentum

Sentiment Forecast Dividends Due Diligence

Defense is Zen Rated C and is the 62nd ranked industry out of 145 stock market industries

Ticker	Company	Price	Volume	Vol 1d %	SMA 10	SMA 20	SMA 50	SMA 100	SMA 200	RSI	Stochastic %K	Stochastic %D	StochRSI %K	StochRSI %D	MACD	MACD Signal	MACD Histogram	Beta
RGR	STURM RUGER & CO INC	$40.68	117,214	-6.42%	39.69	39.10	39.32	37.55	39.47	65.08	95.00	96.00	96.28	97.52	0.36	0.17	0.19	0.48
TATT	TAT TECHNOLOGIES LTD	$28.47	44,796	-64.65%	27.85	27.38	26.66	27.04	22.13	54.36	31.60	24.96	21.51	11.61	0.19	0.25	-0.06	0.48
ESLT	ELBIT SYSTEMS LTD	$388.31	46,652	-48.66%	388.56	387.93	367.21	322.86	264.90	53.68	42.97	41.70	25.85	15.83	3.44	6.43	-3.00	0.51
TXT	TEXTRON INC	$69.98	1,227,723	-23.78%	66.84	66.28	70.58	74.12	80.68	55.39	96.43	92.64	100.00	100.00	-0.71	-1.52	0.81	1.16
CAE	CAE INC	$24.44	515,858	100.86%	23.85	23.31	24.15	24.06	21.38	56.61	96.48	96.30	99.34	99.78	0.09	-0.14	0.22	1.24
CVU	CPI AEROSTRUCTURES INC	$3.30	62,579	148.02%	3.34	3.37	3.53	3.98	3.51	42.72	47.53	51.03	47.69	59.43	-0.07	-0.08	0.01	0.76
VVX	V2X INC	$50.22	108,939	1.10%	48.70	48.48	48.07	49.92	52.94	56.17	90.32	86.78	100.00	94.36	0.20	-0.02	0.22	0.82
LMT	LOCKHEED MARTIN CORP	$475.88	841,738	-27.43%	469.13	461.51	456.04	467.89	511.97	58.86	86.69	83.13	83.67	80.79	5.27	3.67	1.60	0.35
CDRE	CADRE HOLDINGS INC	$29.32	471,762	54.68%	29.95	29.77	31.60	33.51	34.72	42.51	47.28	55.04	55.36	67.28	-0.52	-0.61	0.08	0.80
AOUT	AMERICAN OUTDOOR BRANDS INC	$11.36	53,102	-30.95%	10.94	11.04	12.97	14.25	11.67	47.66	46.01	45.85	81.26	79.91	-0.49	-0.67	0.18	0.88
ATRO	ASTRONICS CORP	$22.64	242,495	-44.26%	21.63	22.27	22.72	19.79	19.63	51.89	61.90	48.25	88.33	70.44	-0.41	-0.39	-0.02	1.40
WWD	WOODWARD INC	$184.83	1,051,299	17.94%	174.59	172.60	179.44	180.36	173.73	58.50	89.75	91.75	99.43	99.62	0.14	-2.11	2.24	1.11
DRS	LEONARDO DRS INC	$37.15	628,721	31.37%	36.22	34.63	32.78	33.50	31.51	62.00	92.44	93.29	87.27	89.30	1.12	0.91	0.21	0.94
MRCY	MERCURY SYSTEMS INC	$50.16	425,408	38.70%	48.64	46.51	45.13	43.49	40.07	67.50	92.38	92.59	98.51	98.08	1.43	1.04	0.39	0.86
NPK	NATIONAL PRESTO INDUSTRIES INC	$85.35	19,567	-13.52%	83.96	84.30	89.79	92.50	83.74	48.05	56.39	55.10	100.00	99.90	-1.35	-1.83	0.49	0.61
HWM	HOWMET AEROSPACE INC	$137.50	2,436,268	-15.37%	128.82	126.35	128.94	124.15	111.50	61.16	92.76	94.07	100.00	100.00	1.79	0.04	1.75	1.30
DCO	DUCOMMUN INC	$57.49	32,030	-23.73%	56.36	56.18	58.13	61.75	62.81	51.92	71.40	67.61	98.51	95.99	-0.51	-0.85	0.33	1.05
ISSC	INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS & SUPPORT INC	$6.93	61,925	42.44%	6.37	6.18	6.67	8.00	7.41	59.61	96.60	96.93	100.00	100.00	-0.02	-0.20	0.17	0.62
GD	GENERAL DYNAMICS CORP	$272.08	994,460	-3.55%	273.13	270.10	263.89	263.39	279.83	53.12	73.67	74.27	56.10	61.15	2.06	2.47	-0.40	0.63
RTX	RTX CORP	$125.73	4,061,348	-25.62%	124.47	125.45	128.24	124.55	121.71	49.20	70.82	62.93	87.18	79.91	-1.47	-1.43	-0.03	0.74
BWXT	BWX TECHNOLOGIES INC	$109.24	481,324	-15.31%	105.37	101.81	101.57	109.25	109.81	61.23	94.00	95.01	98.54	99.01	1.90	0.82	1.08	0.79
KTOS	KRATOS DEFENSE & SECURITY SOLUTIONS INC	$34.42	1,461,529	-3.35%	33.11	31.84	29.96	29.94	26.59	63.57	90.34	88.08	97.27	94.59	0.94	0.78	0.16	1.21
PKE	PARK AEROSPACE CORP	$13.29	31,817	-4.55%	13.21	13.06	13.42	14.01	13.84	50.57	83.10	82.47	97.61	98.50	-0.05	-0.11	0.06	0.72
HEI	HEICO CORP	$249.87	370,406	-17.22%	245.43	248.89	251.86	246.15	249.23	50.08	64.57	60.22	88.49	82.56	-2.39	-2.44	0.06	0.93
ERJ	EMBRAER SA	$45.59	742,405	-15.13%	43.96	43.42	46.58	42.74	38.27	53.15	94.81	90.36	100.00	100.00	-0.50	-0.97	0.48	1.41
LOAR	LOAR HOLDINGS INC	$96.55	740,673	-34.74%	89.12	83.94	74.13	76.19	75.32	70.85	90.07	91.10	90.97	87.80	6.02	4.87	1.15	1.46
LHX	L3HARRIS TECHNOLOGIES INC	$221.23	1,272,983	1.35%	217.59	214.15	210.57	212.99	225.85	61.13	80.59	75.80	71.66	68.37	2.26	1.90	0.36	0.49
EH	EHANG HOLDINGS LTD	$16.73	538,786	-9.82%	15.83	16.30	20.46	18.48	16.47	44.65	86.90	80.19	98.11	99.37	-1.07	-1.44	0.37	1.68
SARO	STANDARDAERO INC	$26.93	3,228,133	238.46%	25.75	25.22	26.71	26.30	N/A	55.80	98.36	95.88	100.00	100.00	-0.09	-0.42	0.33	1.08
CW	CURTISS WRIGHT CORP	$340.32	126,263	-7.82%	327.83	318.18	320.10	339.07	332.01	61.87	90.36	92.68	100.00	100.00	4.45	0.97	3.47	1.01
TDG	TRANSDIGM GROUP INC	$1,407.89	157,877	-7.30%	1,355.11	1,334.81	1,343.40	1,321.62	1,320.42	61.07	97.65	94.78	100.00	99.57	10.78	0.69	10.09	1.10
MOG.A	MOOG INC	$166.21	154,982	0.09%	165.01	164.03	169.58	183.87	190.76	48.95	67.22	75.47	84.31	92.48	-1.49	-2.40	0.91	1.10
AIR	AAR CORP	$53.88	271,920	32.83%	52.54	52.67	60.13	63.15	63.99	44.53	77.05	72.43	100.00	98.35	-2.25	-2.85	0.60	1.26
BYRN	BYRNA TECHNOLOGIES INC	$22.53	232,932	-31.31%	21.82	19.32	21.16	24.43	19.35	59.72	91.16	93.00	92.09	96.14	0.77	0.13	0.64	0.76
AXON	AXON ENTERPRISE INC	$611.13	397,397	-12.88%	579.22	559.46	551.55	590.76	504.10	62.22	95.83	95.25	99.36	98.99	12.48	5.45	7.04	1.19
AZ	A2Z CUST2MATE SOLUTIONS CORP	$7.26	180,124	163.94%	7.56	7.32	7.20	7.00	5.07	48.74	43.31	47.89	18.94	25.98	0.10	0.13	-0.03	1.07
KRMN	KARMAN HOLDINGS INC	$34.85	565,600	-43.65%	34.36	32.57	32.44	N/A	N/A	57.31	91.75	91.88	86.00	88.51	0.76	0.50	0.26	1.31
SATL	SATELLOGIC INC	$4.04	698,426	-44.89%	3.78	3.69	3.58	3.45	2.26	55.30	57.48	50.86	53.83	47.26	0.07	0.06	0.01	0.95
BA	BOEING CO	$182.00	6,764,988	-27.28%	168.66	161.08	166.59	170.00	165.73	63.97	95.07	95.30	99.44	99.81	3.55	0.11	3.44	1.33
VSEC	VSE CORP	$115.88	170,486	-19.51%	110.49	112.00	113.23	108.08	101.43	54.42	76.32	70.04	100.00	94.52	-0.51	-1.05	0.54	1.20
POWW	AMMO INC	$1.88	706,418	8.98%	1.67	1.50	1.51	1.45	1.44	73.06	93.39	92.94	86.93	90.52	0.11	0.05	0.06	1.10
HXL	HEXCEL CORP	$49.80	1,183,181	-7.61%	50.55	51.00	55.97	60.34	61.16	40.47	57.81	57.42	77.39	80.84	-1.72	-1.91	0.20	1.20
SPAI	SAFE PRO GROUP INC	$3.30	20,024	-18.41%	3.00	2.54	3.00	3.26	N/A	57.62	65.23	70.46	62.21	69.99	0.17	0.02	0.15	1.10
NOC	NORTHROP GRUMMAN CORP	$482.10	888,257	-51.12%	497.70	503.74	488.70	482.26	493.96	44.55	31.08	25.35	23.80	16.59	-4.31	1.65	-5.97	0.31
EVTL	VERTICAL AEROSPACE LTD	$3.83	125,874	-32.44%	3.55	3.40	3.82	5.82	6.53	54.99	90.60	90.61	95.67	96.80	-0.04	-0.15	0.11	0.95
AVAV	AEROVIRONMENT INC	$153.24	291,881	28.21%	147.35	137.58	136.49	152.28	173.22	63.39	87.70	86.22	94.59	92.45	5.05	3.09	1.96	1.08
HII	HUNTINGTON INGALLS INDUSTRIES INC	$230.37	476,361	-29.86%	221.27	210.58	198.57	194.25	221.96	70.84	95.75	96.45	100.00	97.48	8.08	6.54	1.54	0.63
SKYH	SKY HARBOUR GROUP CORP	$10.78	75,245	-67.70%	10.99	11.32	11.26	11.54	11.28	44.09	31.85	34.25	41.88	49.74	-0.19	-0.11	-0.08	0.21
MNTS	MOMENTUS INC	$1.85	41,533	-16.50%	1.84	1.88	2.19	4.44	6.36	42.05	33.77	34.63	74.02	74.63	-0.13	-0.18	0.04	1.66
PRZO	PARAZERO TECHNOLOGIES LTD	$0.75	882,231	-85.08%	0.65	0.64	0.78	1.29	0.96	53.90	78.64	70.07	96.36	95.11	-0.03	-0.06	0.03	0.37
SPCE	VIRGIN GALACTIC HOLDINGS INC	$2.97	1,088,437	-31.67%	2.72	2.69	3.29	4.44	5.55	50.67	88.07	88.69	94.30	97.14	-0.13	-0.23	0.10	1.87
DPRO	DRAGANFLY INC	$2.80	15,610	-43.94%	2.68	2.47	2.59	3.18	3.16	55.99	85.86	85.49	98.52	97.04	0.04	-0.02	0.06	0.98
SWBI	SMITH & WESSON BRANDS INC	$9.60	367,893	19.06%	9.46	9.24	9.80	10.23	12.08	53.87	81.89	82.66	89.03	90.42	-0.02	-0.11	0.09	0.78
PL	PLANET LABS PBC	$3.43	2,227,471	-34.14%	3.24	3.28	3.88	4.29	3.36	48.77	63.17	59.40	100.00	96.04	-0.16	-0.23	0.07	1.70
KITT	NAUTICUS ROBOTICS INC	$1.07	1,920,791	-45.23%	1.00	1.00	1.06	1.42	1.64	52.00	44.70	54.95	84.81	88.55	-0.01	-0.04	0.02	0.65
RKLB	ROCKET LAB USA INC	$22.40	6,441,782	-50.97%	20.81	19.68	19.88	23.25	16.52	59.56	87.08	90.06	96.83	97.33	0.61	0.13	0.48	1.81
SIDU	SIDUS SPACE INC	$1.57	135,753	-8.24%	1.48	1.40	1.70	2.30	2.40	52.52	84.91	88.71	93.73	97.05	-0.03	-0.09	0.06	1.65
HOVR	NEW HORIZON AIRCRAFT LTD	$0.53	88,727	-61.38%	0.48	0.46	0.49	0.64	0.61	57.49	90.20	88.09	97.51	97.51	-0.00	-0.01	0.01	0.62
LUNR	INTUITIVE MACHINES INC	$8.60	3,511,485	-10.83%	7.92	7.77	9.88	13.82	10.48	51.34	92.15	90.72	99.79	99.86	-0.34	-0.67	0.33	0.50
EVEX	EVE HOLDING INC	$3.78	99,240	6.84%	3.69	3.55	3.69	4.26	3.69	54.06	80.15	81.54	74.73	79.30	0.02	-0.02	0.04	0.65
VTSI	VIRTRA INC	$4.57	155,354	87.41%	3.92	4.13	4.93	5.78	6.38	55.34	59.11	40.25	100.00	75.98	-0.25	-0.34	0.10	0.63
SPR	SPIRIT AEROSYSTEMS HOLDINGS INC	$35.99	1,173,857	-51.73%	34.35	33.20	33.80	33.75	33.50	65.70	97.29	96.58	99.91	99.60	0.48	0.08	0.40	1.43
RDW	REDWIRE CORP	$11.23	716,452	-15.34%	10.36	9.54	11.59	14.61	11.19	55.27	91.36	93.56	99.90	99.94	-0.10	-0.54	0.44	1.76
ACHR	ARCHER AVIATION INC	$8.99	21,296,200	30.56%	7.86	7.38	7.88	8.56	6.23	64.89	92.67	93.54	98.81	99.21	0.21	-0.04	0.25	1.84
SHMD	SCHMID GROUP NV	$3.84	26,864	52.81%	3.33	3.28	3.05	2.86	3.20	66.62	82.64	81.01	98.77	98.92	0.15	0.08	0.06	0.06
TGI	TRIUMPH GROUP INC	$25.45	1,116,858	-55.66%	25.06	25.02	25.22	22.61	18.77	61.92	97.87	93.01	100.00	97.76	0.08	0.03	0.05	1.65
SIF	SIFCO INDUSTRIES INC	$2.69	16,696	94.50%	2.51	2.58	2.82	3.27	3.62	51.93	73.67	66.70	94.04	94.04	-0.07	-0.11	0.04	0.24
RAIN	RAIN ENHANCEMENT TECHNOLOGIES HOLDCO INC	$3.57	113,165	27.89%	2.86	2.55	2.33	4.70	7.90	76.58	81.21	83.83	100.00	97.53	0.23	0.11	0.12	-0.02
AIRI	AIR INDUSTRIES GROUP	$3.63	10,153	-18.77%	3.28	3.28	3.64	3.98	4.53	58.58	97.29	87.74	100.00	100.00	-0.07	-0.14	0.07	0.50
OPXS	OPTEX SYSTEMS HOLDINGS INC	$6.43	12,318	-58.15%	5.94	5.78	5.77	6.46	7.31	66.32	84.65	86.00	85.69	90.18	0.12	0.02	0.10	0.34
KWE	KWESST MICRO SYSTEMS INC	$4.27	92,059	-43.81%	4.72	4.77	7.08	9.95	22.81	38.88	22.39	36.95	55.88	73.76	-0.60	-0.75	0.15	1.14
ASTC	ASTROTECH CORP	$5.95	2,672	15.07%	5.90	6.04	6.30	6.58	7.46	43.39	26.39	29.06	60.43	66.98	-0.12	-0.14	0.01	0.40
GPUS	HYPERSCALE DATA INC	$1.42	65,804	-60.42%	1.96	2.21	2.52	3.70	5.77	28.22	2.42	6.78	0.00	1.40	-0.27	-0.20	-0.07	1.47
CODA	CODA OCTOPUS GROUP INC	$6.90	52,921	-71.41%	6.48	6.32	6.70	7.49	7.61	60.44	81.15	71.84	100.00	93.02	0.01	-0.10	0.11	0.43

Defense Stocks FAQ

What are the best defense stocks to buy right now in May 2025?

According to Zen Ratings, our proprietary rating system that evaluates 115 factors proven to drive growth in stocks and assigns each stock in our system an overall letter grade as well as 7 individual Component Grades for Value, Growth, Momentum, Sentiment, Safety, Financials, and proprietary AI algorithms, the 3 best defense stocks to buy right now are:

1. Sturm Ruger & Co (NYSE:RGR)

Sturm Ruger & Co (NYSE:RGR) is the #1 top defense stock out of 74 with a Zen Rating of A. Stocks with a rating of A have had an average return of +32.52% per year. Learn more.

The Component Grade breakdown for Sturm Ruger & Co (NYSE:RGR) is: Value: B, Growth: C, Momentum: C, Sentiment: C, Safety: B, Financials: B, and AI: B.

Sturm Ruger & Co (NYSE:RGR) has a Due Diligence Score of 38, which is 7 points higher than the defense industry average of 31.

RGR passed 13 out of 38 due diligence checks and has average fundamentals. Sturm Ruger & Co has seen its stock lose -12.06% over the past year, underperforming other defense stocks by -26 percentage points.

2. Tat Technologies (NASDAQ:TATT)

Tat Technologies (NASDAQ:TATT) is the #2 top defense stock out of 74 with a Zen Rating of A. Stocks with a rating of A have had an average return of +32.52% per year. Learn more.

The Component Grade breakdown for Tat Technologies (NASDAQ:TATT) is: Value: C, Growth: B, Momentum: A, Sentiment: B, Safety: C, Financials: C, and AI: B.

Tat Technologies (NASDAQ:TATT) has a Due Diligence Score of 39, which is 8 points higher than the defense industry average of 31.

TATT passed 16 out of 38 due diligence checks and has average fundamentals. Tat Technologies has seen its stock return 141.27% over the past year, overperforming other defense stocks by 128 percentage points.

Tat Technologies has an average 1 year price target of $35.00, an upside of 22.94% from Tat Technologies's current stock price of $28.47.

Tat Technologies stock has a consensus Strong Buy recommendation according to Wall Street analysts. Of the 1 analyst covering Tat Technologies, 100% have issued a Strong Buy rating, 0% have issued a Buy, 0% have issued a hold, while 0% have issued a Sell rating, and 0% have issued a Strong Sell.

3. Elbit Systems (NASDAQ:ESLT)

Elbit Systems (NASDAQ:ESLT) is the #3 top defense stock out of 74 with a Zen Rating of A. Stocks with a rating of A have had an average return of +32.52% per year. Learn more.

The Component Grade breakdown for Elbit Systems (NASDAQ:ESLT) is: Value: C, Growth: B, Momentum: A, Sentiment: B, Safety: A, Financials: C, and AI: A.

Elbit Systems (NASDAQ:ESLT) has a Due Diligence Score of 44, which is 13 points higher than the defense industry average of 31.

ESLT passed 17 out of 38 due diligence checks and has strong fundamentals. Elbit Systems has seen its stock return 91.15% over the past year, overperforming other defense stocks by 78 percentage points.

What are the defense stocks with highest dividends?

Out of 20 defense stocks that have issued dividends in the past year, the 3 defense stocks with the highest dividend yields are:

1. Transdigm Group (NYSE:TDG)

Transdigm Group (NYSE:TDG) has an annual dividend yield of 5.33%, which is 4 percentage points higher than the defense industry average of 1.36%.

Transdigm Group's dividend payout ratio of 264.5% indicates that its high dividend yield might not be sustainable for the long-term.

2. Smith & Wesson Brands (NASDAQ:SWBI)

Smith & Wesson Brands (NASDAQ:SWBI) has an annual dividend yield of 4.06%, which is 3 percentage points higher than the defense industry average of 1.36%. Smith & Wesson Brands's dividend payout is stable, having never dropped by more than 10% in the last 10 years. Smith & Wesson Brands's dividend has shown consistent growth over the last 10 years.

Smith & Wesson Brands's dividend payout ratio of 78.5% indicates that its dividend yield is sustainable for the long-term.

3. Park Aerospace (NYSE:PKE)

Park Aerospace (NYSE:PKE) has an annual dividend yield of 2.86%, which is 2 percentage points higher than the defense industry average of 1.36%. Park Aerospace's dividend payout is not stable, having dropped more than 10% two 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 138.9% indicates that its dividend yield might not be sustainable for the long-term.

Why are defense stocks up?

Defense stocks were up 0.73% in the last day, and up 6.02% over the last week. Woodward was the among the top gainers in the aerospace & defense industry, gaining 1.86% yesterday.

Woodward shares are trading higher after the company reported better-than-expected Q2 financial results and raised its FY25 guidance. Additionally, UBS raised its price target on the stock from $200 to $220.

What are the most undervalued defense stocks?

Based on the Valuation rating, one of the 7 components of a stocks overall Zen Ratings grade, which evaluates factors including estimated earnings yield, earnings before interest and taxes/enterprise value, cash flow yield, free cash flow to price, and price-to-earnings growth (PEG ratio), 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 its Valuation Rating of A. Valuation is one of 7 Component Grades used to calculate the overall Zen Rating.

Cpi Aerostructures has a valuation score of 43, which is 23 points higher than the defense industry average of 20. It passed 3 out of 7 valuation due diligence checks.

Cpi Aerostructures's stock has gained 20% in the past year. It has overperformed other stocks in the defense industry by 7 percentage points.

2. V2x (NYSE:VVX)

V2x (NYSE:VVX) is the second most undervalued defense stock based on its Valuation Rating of A. Valuation is one of 7 Component Grades used to calculate the overall Zen Rating.

V2x has a valuation score of 29, which is 9 points higher than the defense industry average of 20. It passed 2 out of 7 valuation due diligence checks.

V2x's stock has gained 1.27% in the past year. It has underperformed other stocks in the defense industry by -12 percentage points.

3. Textron (NYSE:TXT)

Textron (NYSE:TXT) is the third most undervalued defense stock based on its Valuation Rating of A. Valuation is one of 7 Component Grades used to calculate the overall Zen Rating.

Textron has a valuation score of 57, which is 37 points higher than the defense industry average of 20. It passed 4 out of 7 valuation due diligence checks.

Textron's stock has dropped -19% in the past year. It has underperformed other stocks in the defense industry by -32 percentage points.

Are defense stocks a good buy now?

56.6% of defense stocks rated by analysts are a strong buy right now. On average, analysts expect defense stocks to rise by 10.83% over the next year.

6.25% of defense stocks have a Zen Rating of A (Strong Buy), 23.44% of defense stocks are rated B (Buy), 43.75% are rated C (Hold), 18.75% are rated D (Sell), and 7.81% are rated F (Strong Sell).

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

The average P/E ratio of the aerospace & defense industry is 41.26x.

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