Sectors & Industries IndustrialsAerospace & Defense
Best Defense Stocks to Buy Now (2026)
Top defense stocks in 2026 ranked by overall Zen Rating. "A" Rated stocks have returned an average of +28.50% per year, and are the best defense stocks to buy now. Learn More.

Industry: Aerospace & Defense

Value Growth Financials Momentum Sentiment Forecast Dividends Due Diligence

Defense is Zen Rated D and is the 88th ranked industry out of 145 stock market industries

Ticker	Company	Price	1d %	1w %	1m %	3m %	6m %	1y %	3y %	5y %	10y %	52-week High	52-week Low	% off 52-week High	% off 52-week Low	Beta	Volume	Vol 1d %
SWBI	SMITH & WESSON BRANDS INC	$14.64	1.46%	-1.48%	-9.18%	-2.40%	30.83%	77.89%	13.05%	-37.25%	-50.15%	$17.56	$7.73	16.63%	89.39%	0.80	403,000	-13.70%
ATRO	ASTRONICS CORP	$69.85	-1.62%	3.85%	-17.69%	-4.62%	-9.96%	102.46%	232.78%	294.63%	158.68%	$99.89	$27.27	30.07%	156.14%	1.23	340,000	-40.25%
VVX	V2X INC	$83.57	-0.49%	10.53%	9.92%	32.04%	22.34%	72.88%	65.81%	88.52%	171.16%	$91.80	$46.27	8.97%	80.61%	0.77	3,877,000	377.46%
SIF	SIFCO INDUSTRIES INC	$25.99	4.25%	15.51%	25.98%	75.73%	323.98%	413.64%	978.42%	141.09%	188.78%	$27.24	$4.45	4.59%	484.04%	0.46	117,000	-4.88%
LMT	LOCKHEED MARTIN CORP	$582.60	2.46%	14.51%	18.50%	13.47%	0.16%	38.53%	27.54%	58.29%	127.92%	$692.00	$412.55	15.81%	41.22%	0.22	1,546,000	-52.65%
MOG.A	MOOG INC	$410.13	0.12%	4.28%	1.29%	31.07%	42.11%	120.68%	274.17%	411.45%	654.05%	$430.52	$179.42	4.74%	128.59%	0.99	133,000	-48.05%
GD	GENERAL DYNAMICS CORP	$386.75	1.30%	4.93%	12.32%	23.48%	6.38%	23.07%	77.70%	101.52%	169.10%	$388.12	$306.03	0.35%	26.38%	0.54	1,499,000	-10.93%
HXL	HEXCEL CORP	$110.28	0.35%	6.23%	15.50%	23.37%	34.46%	76.84%	47.63%	84.75%	150.98%	$111.01	$58.20	0.66%	89.48%	1.08	646,000	-55.14%
RTX	RTX CORP	$212.79	1.74%	9.96%	14.98%	22.11%	9.61%	37.09%	119.35%	147.57%	103.33%	$214.89	$150.61	0.98%	41.28%	0.57	5,876,000	-41.22%
CVU	CPI AEROSTRUCTURES INC	$4.71	3.06%	6.32%	-1.05%	25.60%	13.22%	38.53%	25.94%	40.60%	-28.53%	$5.63	$2.02	16.34%	133.17%	0.76	69,000	3.92%
HWM	HOWMET AEROSPACE INC	$289.26	0.76%	6.18%	4.78%	19.31%	34.30%	54.85%	477.71%	789.76%	819.16%	$293.00	$169.45	1.28%	70.71%	1.13	1,689,000	-31.87%
AOUT	AMERICAN OUTDOOR BRANDS INC	$12.95	1.17%	-6.77%	25.85%	36.03%	50.58%	36.17%	45.34%	-54.63%	N/A	$14.97	$6.26	13.49%	106.90%	0.96	81,000	-5.81%
WWD	WOODWARD INC	$419.00	1.71%	6.65%	-3.19%	14.81%	26.52%	64.16%	248.06%	247.08%	626.30%	$450.92	$233.31	7.08%	79.59%	1.01	425,000	-37.50%
LHX	L3HARRIS TECHNOLOGIES INC	$300.21	0.18%	6.45%	4.50%	-5.45%	-15.24%	9.88%	49.60%	32.84%	251.12%	$379.23	$267.25	20.84%	12.33%	0.41	1,018,000	-49.83%
RGR	STURM RUGER & CO INC	$38.23	0.45%	1.00%	-0.83%	-9.98%	0.90%	8.92%	-28.26%	-49.80%	-44.32%	$48.18	$28.33	20.65%	34.95%	0.51	72,000	-29.41%
TXT	TEXTRON INC	$95.53	2.51%	4.43%	10.39%	8.61%	0.94%	18.04%	40.53%	40.20%	144.01%	$101.57	$75.80	5.95%	26.03%	1.01	841,000	-46.64%
CW	CURTISS WRIGHT CORP	$750.19	0.02%	5.98%	-1.67%	4.55%	15.47%	56.70%	288.94%	540.59%	771.71%	$808.16	$464.91	7.17%	61.36%	0.92	110,000	-45.00%
DRS	LEONARDO DRS INC	$48.10	-0.12%	8.97%	7.63%	20.31%	18.39%	1.37%	184.62%	N/A	N/A	$50.59	$32.43	4.92%	48.32%	0.94	688,000	-26.02%
ESLT	ELBIT SYSTEMS LTD	$820.21	1.44%	10.61%	9.23%	-0.21%	15.65%	82.15%	288.25%	546.14%	742.97%	$1.02k	$432.85	19.28%	89.49%	0.43	72,000	-18.64%
PKE	PARK AEROSPACE CORP	$34.24	-0.17%	5.55%	7.88%	3.29%	41.72%	92.36%	132.14%	131.66%	105.65%	$39.86	$17.25	14.10%	98.49%	0.74	251,000	-22.05%
BWXT	BWX TECHNOLOGIES INC	$174.52	-1.22%	1.95%	-15.14%	-21.79%	-15.30%	21.33%	149.85%	202.99%	384.37%	$241.82	$143.07	27.83%	21.98%	0.88	503,000	-29.85%
AIR	AAR CORP	$129.05	-0.32%	-4.65%	-2.93%	16.75%	23.78%	66.52%	121.47%	254.73%	433.04%	$146.75	$71.43	12.06%	80.67%	1.11	374,000	-45.56%
HEI	HEICO CORP	$349.61	2.66%	2.03%	4.27%	32.41%	4.00%	9.12%	96.70%	157.58%	942.18%	$369.48	$256.11	5.38%	36.51%	0.87	325,000	-41.76%
DCO	DUCOMMUN INC	$177.44	1.10%	5.32%	7.34%	27.28%	60.64%	100.07%	264.88%	229.08%	807.16%	$196.63	$84.76	9.76%	109.34%	0.92	164,000	-53.41%
MRCY	MERCURY SYSTEMS INC	$103.27	-2.89%	7.48%	-1.65%	32.41%	4.43%	96.85%	184.33%	55.79%	304.19%	$128.45	$50.13	19.60%	106.00%	0.96	409,000	-48.68%
EMBJ	EMBRAER SA	$64.93	-0.82%	1.31%	5.29%	3.69%	-16.03%	36.38%	318.36%	337.83%	209.93%	$80.75	$46.54	19.59%	39.51%	1.28	982,000	-28.22%
NOC	NORTHROP GRUMMAN CORP	$542.24	1.64%	3.96%	7.80%	-5.72%	-17.96%	-4.62%	19.91%	51.35%	147.45%	$774.00	$479.02	29.94%	13.20%	0.21	655,000	-39.58%
CODA	CODA OCTOPUS GROUP INC	$10.04	-1.08%	0.20%	6.81%	-18.11%	-4.29%	31.41%	11.87%	11.43%	N/A	$17.28	$7.01	41.90%	43.22%	0.48	35,300	-46.92%
TDG	TRANSDIGM GROUP INC	$1,236.71	1.88%	1.83%	-6.50%	7.71%	-13.88%	-22.67%	40.21%	90.08%	351.58%	$1.62k	$1.12k	23.84%	10.07%	0.98	265,000	6.85%
AVEX	AEVEX CORP	$14.29	-5.55%	-1.45%	-6.84%	-51.89%	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	$42.34	$13.07	66.25%	9.33%	2.02	1,018,000	-50.07%
GE	GE AEROSPACE	$353.73	1.36%	1.40%	-3.32%	24.29%	19.88%	31.98%	220.84%	242.23%	39.75%	$382.97	$261.71	7.64%	35.16%	1.09	2,956,000	-22.64%
LOAR	LOAR HOLDINGS INC	$70.89	1.11%	1.29%	-3.94%	23.67%	-1.39%	-3.01%	N/A	N/A	N/A	$83.43	$53.16	15.03%	33.35%	1.42	426,000	16.39%
CAE	CAE INC	$25.18	1.41%	1.98%	0.92%	-0.55%	-22.95%	-11.65%	15.08%	-17.71%	96.72%	$34.24	$22.76	26.46%	10.63%	1.17	381,000	-43.05%
ISSC	INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS & SUPPORT INC	$19.14	-2.55%	3.68%	15.02%	-3.82%	-6.63%	24.61%	141.36%	167.69%	583.57%	$30.94	$8.13	38.14%	135.42%	0.83	286,000	10.00%
OPXS	OPTEX SYSTEMS HOLDINGS INC	$11.10	-4.72%	-13.01%	-11.16%	4.62%	-26.15%	-11.83%	231.34%	N/A	N/A	$17.76	$9.74	37.50%	13.96%	0.75	113,000	576.65%
SARO	STANDARDAERO INC	$28.70	1.56%	7.37%	5.83%	16.95%	-12.29%	1.23%	N/A	N/A	N/A	$34.48	$23.84	16.76%	20.39%	1.16	2,164,000	-51.39%
VSEC	VSE CORP	$195.42	-0.98%	-2.10%	-10.23%	9.28%	-6.23%	45.75%	272.94%	272.87%	450.01%	$240.56	$135.44	18.76%	44.29%	1.32	359,000	-5.77%
ARXS	ARXIS INC	$42.40	-0.59%	1.37%	-1.60%	21.14%	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	$48.68	$33.15	12.90%	27.90%	1.37	312,000	-8.50%
HII	HUNTINGTON INGALLS INDUSTRIES INC	$287.59	0.17%	6.86%	2.85%	-19.96%	-30.46%	9.21%	24.38%	40.17%	70.67%	$460.00	$256.45	37.48%	12.14%	0.57	325,000	-53.51%
CDRE	CADRE HOLDINGS INC	$30.86	1.28%	6.19%	7.34%	4.75%	-27.29%	-8.43%	34.76%	N/A	N/A	$48.76	$25.73	36.71%	19.94%	0.88	387,000	18.35%
HONA	HONEYWELL AEROSPACE INC	$204.07	4.19%	-3.57%	-7.32%	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	$266.62	$192.03	23.46%	6.27%	0.89	2,706,000	-17.93%
MDA	MDA SPACE LTD	$29.57	-4.24%	-2.22%	-21.36%	-8.31%	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	$49.37	$23.23	40.11%	27.29%	2.50	1,439,000	32.63%
POWW	OUTDOOR HOLDING CO	$2.06	-1.90%	-8.85%	-11.97%	4.04%	21.89%	60.94%	-0.96%	-71.55%	N/A	$2.60	$1.10	20.77%	87.27%	1.26	446,000	-9.53%
AXON	AXON ENTERPRISE INC	$502.34	2.12%	-1.56%	9.99%	26.50%	-16.98%	-29.17%	181.74%	175.95%	1,662.60%	$885.92	$339.23	43.30%	48.08%	1.19	707,000	24.25%
BA	BOEING CO	$209.52	0.14%	-2.11%	-4.87%	-9.86%	-15.66%	-9.40%	-2.94%	-7.23%	57.60%	$254.35	$176.77	17.63%	18.53%	1.14	3,167,000	-34.62%
TATT	TAT TECHNOLOGIES LTD	$41.83	-0.81%	4.05%	-1.67%	16.32%	-20.06%	29.28%	461.10%	553.59%	374.26%	$64.50	$30.36	35.15%	37.80%	0.65	119,000	-65.00%
AADX	APPLIED AEROSPACE & DEFENSE INC	$18.01	-5.71%	5.94%	-1.32%	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	$24.23	$16.57	25.67%	8.69%	2.14	939,000	-32.35%
KTOS	KRATOS DEFENSE & SECURITY SOLUTIONS INC	$47.35	-4.23%	2.87%	-1.25%	-22.71%	-57.46%	-19.28%	224.98%	73.44%	940.66%	$134.00	$45.58	64.66%	3.88%	1.24	2,782,000	-41.91%
NPK	NATIONAL PRESTO INDUSTRIES INC	$124.40	1.98%	2.43%	-1.26%	-13.10%	2.23%	18.75%	60.04%	30.93%	35.81%	$149.86	$91.28	16.99%	36.28%	0.61	43,000	-32.39%
KRMN	KARMAN HOLDINGS INC	$47.44	-4.59%	2.75%	5.80%	-32.44%	-56.36%	-3.99%	N/A	N/A	N/A	$118.38	$43.68	59.93%	8.61%	1.61	2,794,000	10.13%
RKLB	ROCKET LAB CORP	$63.91	-8.69%	-5.49%	-25.17%	-19.79%	-20.59%	32.79%	764.82%	505.21%	N/A	$151.00	$37.57	57.68%	70.11%	2.11	18,547,000	31.61%
AZ	A2Z CUST2MATE SOLUTIONS CORP	$5.59	5.27%	1.45%	3.52%	-26.35%	-25.27%	-47.41%	14.67%	N/A	N/A	$10.71	$4.97	47.82%	12.47%	1.20	251,000	81.88%
AVAV	AEROVIRONMENT INC	$149.51	-5.81%	5.14%	5.16%	-23.83%	-50.60%	-44.87%	55.08%	57.05%	441.11%	$417.86	$135.20	64.22%	10.58%	1.11	1,107,000	-32.83%
SPAI	SAFE PRO GROUP INC	$3.64	-1.09%	-6.43%	-10.78%	-16.51%	-32.09%	-3.19%	N/A	N/A	N/A	$9.16	$2.86	60.26%	27.27%	1.51	94,000	-3.09%
DPC	DPC HOLDINGS LTD	$49.91	2.04%	7.87%	6.46%	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	$53.00	$43.00	5.83%	16.07%	1.81	1,336,000	61.94%
SIDU	SIDUS SPACE INC	$1.85	-6.09%	-1.07%	-31.73%	-45.91%	-47.29%	-9.31%	-90.25%	N/A	N/A	$6.79	$0.63	72.75%	194.59%	1.83	2,710,000	-29.34%
BETA	BETA TECHNOLOGIES INC	$18.21	-0.87%	2.53%	16.14%	19.10%	-25.18%	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	$39.50	$13.43	53.90%	35.59%	2.83	943,000	-18.57%
PL	PLANET LABS PBC	$20.47	-8.45%	-8.90%	-22.17%	-42.24%	-20.87%	199.27%	512.87%	107.19%	N/A	$51.75	$5.87	60.44%	248.72%	1.85	13,184,000	131.95%
VWAV	VISIONWAVE HOLDINGS INC	$2.96	-9.76%	-15.67%	-33.48%	-49.49%	-71.97%	28.70%	-72.15%	N/A	N/A	$15.80	$2.91	81.27%	1.72%	0.20	499,000	-55.88%
YSS	YORK SPACE SYSTEMS INC	$17.06	-3.18%	-4.85%	-30.48%	-45.07%	-49.24%	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	$44.54	$16.53	61.70%	3.21%	2.50	610,000	-28.24%
SPCE	VIRGIN GALACTIC HOLDINGS INC	$2.49	-3.49%	-2.73%	-8.79%	-3.49%	-17.28%	-42.36%	-96.70%	-99.59%	N/A	$8.90	$2.13	72.02%	16.90%	2.10	4,591,000	-11.95%
SATL	SATELLOGIC INC	$3.59	-5.77%	-6.02%	-28.77%	-41.82%	-21.62%	1.41%	83.16%	-63.59%	N/A	$12.00	$1.26	70.08%	186.06%	1.26	3,113,000	14.41%
MNTS	MOMENTUS INC	$4.71	-3.68%	-5.04%	-39.62%	-16.78%	-37.86%	-77.83%	-99.90%	-100.00%	N/A	$43.55	$3.12	89.19%	50.96%	2.18	700,000	35.40%
SPCX	SPACE EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGIES CORP	$115.07	-2.68%	-7.19%	-25.54%	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	$225.64	$110.85	49.00%	3.81%	3.90	53,998,000	-27.32%
RDW	REDWIRE CORP	$8.69	-6.36%	2.84%	-23.64%	-10.23%	-20.71%	-45.76%	160.18%	-13.10%	N/A	$26.62	$4.87	67.36%	78.44%	2.12	11,938,000	-20.89%
LUNR	INTUITIVE MACHINES INC	$12.92	-5.76%	-4.44%	-32.46%	-49.39%	-29.86%	1.02%	51.11%	N/A	N/A	$46.75	$7.78	72.36%	66.07%	0.92	6,760,000	20.95%
DFSC	DEFSEC TECHNOLOGIES INC	$1.51	-2.58%	-19.25%	-49.83%	-33.48%	-21.35%	-66.44%	-99.64%	N/A	N/A	$6.00	$1.51	74.83%	0.00%	1.32	23,400	-48.00%
HOVR	NEW HORIZON AIRCRAFT LTD	$1.78	-3.78%	13.38%	-5.32%	-6.81%	-17.59%	9.20%	-82.93%	N/A	N/A	$4.18	$1.16	57.42%	53.45%	1.29	822,000	-31.61%
HAWK	HAWKEYE 360 INC	$19.38	-5.46%	3.69%	-7.14%	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	$35.65	$17.08	45.64%	13.47%	1.49	654,000	-40.38%
PEW	GRABAGUN DIGITAL HOLDINGS INC	$2.33	-2.10%	-5.67%	0.87%	-21.55%	-25.08%	-68.13%	N/A	N/A	N/A	$7.25	$2.25	67.86%	3.79%	0.36	866,000	199.65%
DPRO	DRAGANFLY INC	$4.22	-3.65%	0.72%	-17.25%	-28.11%	-47.58%	-31.72%	-84.65%	N/A	N/A	$14.40	$3.85	70.69%	9.61%	1.25	488,000	-18.26%
FJET	STARFIGHTERS SPACE INC	$3.43	-7.55%	-10.91%	-17.94%	-41.96%	-64.27%	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	$31.50	$3.39	89.11%	1.18%	3.36	614,000	-30.31%
EH	EHANG HOLDINGS LTD	$4.90	-3.73%	-4.30%	-26.09%	-52.01%	-63.54%	-75.38%	-71.33%	-80.99%	N/A	$20.33	$4.89	75.90%	0.31%	1.72	594,000	10.61%
KITT	NAUTICUS ROBOTICS INC	$0.77	0.39%	-2.65%	-30.63%	-74.92%	-92.42%	-98.94%	-99.99%	-100.00%	N/A	$82.80	$0.76	99.07%	1.85%	0.97	62,000	-42.59%
ASTC	ASTROTECH CORP	$7.20	-4.76%	-6.86%	-29.38%	111.14%	103.97%	28.11%	-43.40%	-77.57%	-97.32%	$68.85	$1.92	89.54%	275.98%	0.46	45,400	-72.65%
FLY	FIREFLY AEROSPACE INC	$19.69	-4.88%	2.18%	-21.18%	-43.95%	-21.87%	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	$73.80	$16.00	73.32%	23.06%	3.15	2,579,000	-9.76%
ACHR	ARCHER AVIATION INC	$4.77	-6.65%	7.43%	-5.54%	-16.32%	-40.60%	-56.60%	4.15%	-51.72%	N/A	$14.62	$4.31	67.37%	10.67%	2.10	32,851,000	8.22%
BYRN	BYRNA TECHNOLOGIES INC	$3.54	5.04%	5.99%	-37.79%	-42.44%	-76.48%	-84.96%	-12.81%	-84.63%	47.50%	$30.62	$3.17	88.44%	11.85%	1.18	1,665,000	220.19%
AIRO	AIRO GROUP HOLDINGS INC	$6.80	-4.76%	4.13%	-3.27%	-14.25%	-40.61%	-71.03%	N/A	N/A	N/A	$25.90	$5.71	73.75%	19.09%	2.79	349,000	33.72%
SKYH	SKY HARBOUR GROUP CORP	$10.18	-0.20%	-2.30%	7.27%	-3.42%	9.82%	-4.68%	133.49%	1.19%	N/A	$11.17	$8.22	8.87%	23.84%	0.34	71,000	7.58%
EVTL	VERTICAL AEROSPACE LTD	$1.38	-8.61%	-6.76%	-25.81%	-41.77%	-73.96%	-78.03%	-92.16%	-98.60%	N/A	$7.33	$1.37	81.17%	0.73%	1.40	2,268,000	26.28%
EVEX	EVE HOLDING INC	$2.29	-5.37%	5.05%	-12.93%	-17.33%	-45.22%	-68.19%	-75.84%	-77.17%	N/A	$7.00	$2.10	67.29%	9.05%	0.91	748,000	-35.85%
MRLN	MERLIN INC	$3.47	-1.56%	-3.34%	-38.37%	-71.11%	-67.30%	-66.44%	N/A	N/A	N/A	$17.00	$3.27	79.59%	6.12%	0.31	947,000	-64.14%
VOYG	VOYAGER TECHNOLOGIES INC	$25.24	-4.32%	-2.55%	-16.86%	-11.99%	-24.11%	-40.93%	N/A	N/A	N/A	$52.40	$17.41	51.83%	44.97%	2.99	780,000	-15.68%
VTSI	VIRTRA INC	$3.18	1.28%	2.42%	-0.78%	-30.68%	-36.75%	-48.79%	-57.84%	-53.85%	N/A	$7.47	$2.94	57.50%	7.99%	0.71	45,500	-13.66%
PRZO	PARAZERO TECHNOLOGIES LTD	$0.49	-3.16%	-5.39%	-4.10%	-31.71%	-59.08%	-75.08%	-86.36%	N/A	N/A	$1.98	$0.45	75.14%	9.11%	0.82	441,000	126.15%
GPUS	HYPERSCALE DATA INC	$0.13	0.00%	0.00%	-33.16%	-21.88%	-44.20%	-85.71%	-100.00%	-100.00%	-100.00%	$0.83	$0.11	84.92%	13.64%	1.42	20,031,000	23.63%
DUKR	DUKE ROBOTICS CORP	$5.45	-1.27%	0.18%	-12.80%	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	$7.93	$4.75	31.27%	14.74%	1.83	15,200	-44.32%
FACT	FACT II ACQUISITION CORP	$10.65	0.00%	0.09%	-0.04%	0.90%	1.82%	3.45%	N/A	N/A	N/A	$13.34	$5.55	20.15%	92.03%	0.27	91,500	3,288.89%
AIRI	AIR INDUSTRIES GROUP	$2.72	1.87%	2.84%	-9.93%	-14.47%	-18.56%	-21.39%	-20.47%	-77.89%	-94.21%	$3.95	$2.55	31.14%	6.67%	0.50	4,300	-83.65%

Defense Stocks FAQ

What are the best defense stocks to buy right now in Jul 2026?

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. Smith & Wesson Brands (NASDAQ:SWBI)

Smith & Wesson Brands (NASDAQ:SWBI) is the #1 top defense stock out of 90 with a Zen Rating of A. Stocks with a rating of A have had an average return of +28.5% per year. Learn more.

The Component Grade breakdown for Smith & Wesson Brands (NASDAQ:SWBI) is: Value: C, Growth: B, Momentum: C, Sentiment: B, Safety: C, Financials: A, and AI: B.

Smith & Wesson Brands (NASDAQ:SWBI) has a Due Diligence Score of 51, which is 19 points higher than the defense industry average of 32.

SWBI passed 18 out of 38 due diligence checks and has strong fundamentals. Smith & Wesson Brands has seen its stock return 77.89% over the past year, overperforming other defense stocks by 64 percentage points.

Smith & Wesson Brands has an average 1 year price target of $16.50, an upside of 12.7% from Smith & Wesson Brands's current stock price of $14.64.

Smith & Wesson Brands stock has a consensus Strong Buy recommendation according to Wall Street analysts. Of the 1 analyst covering Smith & Wesson Brands, 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.

2. Astronics (NASDAQ:ATRO)

Astronics (NASDAQ:ATRO) is the #2 top defense stock out of 90 with a Zen Rating of A. Stocks with a rating of A have had an average return of +28.5% per year. Learn more.

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

Astronics (NASDAQ:ATRO) has a Due Diligence Score of 41, which is 9 points higher than the defense industry average of 32.

ATRO passed 14 out of 33 due diligence checks and has strong fundamentals. Astronics has seen its stock return 102.46% over the past year, overperforming other defense stocks by 89 percentage points.

Astronics has an average 1 year price target of $103.50, an upside of 48.17% from Astronics's current stock price of $69.85.

Astronics stock has a consensus Strong Buy recommendation according to Wall Street analysts. Of the 2 analysts covering Astronics, 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. V2x (NYSE:VVX)

V2x (NYSE:VVX) is the #3 top defense stock out of 90 with a Zen Rating of A. Stocks with a rating of A have had an average return of +28.5% per year. Learn more.

The Component Grade breakdown for V2x (NYSE:VVX) is: Value: B, Growth: A, Momentum: C, Sentiment: B, Safety: B, Financials: C, and AI: C.

V2x (NYSE:VVX) has a Due Diligence Score of 45, which is 13 points higher than the defense industry average of 32.

VVX passed 15 out of 33 due diligence checks and has strong fundamentals. V2x has seen its stock return 72.88% over the past year, overperforming other defense stocks by 59 percentage points.

V2x has an average 1 year price target of $79.44, a downside of -4.94% from V2x's current stock price of $83.57.

V2x stock has a consensus Buy recommendation according to Wall Street analysts. Of the 9 analysts covering V2x, 33.33% have issued a Strong Buy rating, 11.11% have issued a Buy, 44.44% have issued a hold, while 0% have issued a Sell rating, and 11.11% have issued a Strong Sell.

What are the defense stocks with highest dividends?

Out of 24 defense stocks that have issued dividends in the past year, the 3 defense stocks with the highest dividend yields are:

1. Smith & Wesson Brands (NASDAQ:SWBI)

Smith & Wesson Brands (NASDAQ:SWBI) has an annual dividend yield of 3.55%, which is 3 percentage points higher than the defense industry average of 0.95%. 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 123.8% indicates that its dividend yield might not be sustainable for the long-term.

2. Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT)

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) has an annual dividend yield of 2.34%, which is 1 percentage points higher than the defense industry average of 0.95%. Lockheed Martin's dividend payout is stable, having never dropped by more than 10% in the last 10 years. Lockheed Martin's dividend has shown consistent growth over the last 10 years.

Lockheed Martin's dividend payout ratio of 50.1% indicates that its dividend yield is sustainable for the long-term.

3. Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC)

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) has an annual dividend yield of 1.73%, which is 1 percentage points higher than the defense industry average of 0.95%. Northrop Grumman's dividend payout is stable, having never dropped by more than 10% in the last 10 years. Northrop Grumman's dividend has shown consistent growth over the last 10 years.

Northrop Grumman's dividend payout ratio of 29.8% indicates that its dividend yield is sustainable for the long-term.

Why are defense stocks up?

Defense stocks were up 0.71% in the last day, and up 4.08% 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 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. Textron (NYSE:TXT)

Textron (NYSE:TXT) 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.

Textron has a valuation score of 29, which is 13 points higher than the defense industry average of 16. It passed 2 out of 7 valuation due diligence checks.

Textron's stock has gained 18.04% in the past year. It has overperformed other stocks in the defense industry by 5 percentage points.

2. Huntington Ingalls Industries (NYSE:HII)

Huntington Ingalls Industries (NYSE:HII) 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.

Huntington Ingalls Industries has a valuation score of 29, which is 13 points higher than the defense industry average of 16. It passed 2 out of 7 valuation due diligence checks.

Huntington Ingalls Industries's stock has gained 9.21% in the past year. It has underperformed other stocks in the defense industry by -4 percentage points.

3. V2x (NYSE:VVX)

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

V2x has a valuation score of 43, which is 27 points higher than the defense industry average of 16. It passed 3 out of 7 valuation due diligence checks.

V2x's stock has gained 72.88% in the past year. It has overperformed other stocks in the defense industry by 59 percentage points.

Are defense stocks a good buy now?

64.38% of defense stocks rated by analysts are a strong buy right now. On average, analysts expect defense stocks to rise by 19.74% over the next year.

8.33% of defense stocks have a Zen Rating of A (Strong Buy), 19.05% of defense stocks are rated B (Buy), 44.05% are rated C (Hold), 16.67% are rated D (Sell), and 11.9% 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 40.07x.

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.

Sectors & Industries IndustrialsAerospace & Defense
Best Defense Stocks to Buy Now (2026)
Top defense stocks in 2026 ranked by overall Zen Rating. "A" Rated stocks have returned an average of +28.50% per year, and are the best defense stocks to buy now. Learn More.

Defense Stocks FAQ

1. Smith & Wesson Brands (NASDAQ:SWBI)

2. Astronics (NASDAQ:ATRO)

3. V2x (NYSE:VVX)

1. Smith & Wesson Brands (NASDAQ:SWBI)

2. Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT)

3. Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC)

1. Textron (NYSE:TXT)

2. Huntington Ingalls Industries (NYSE:HII)

3. V2x (NYSE:VVX)

Company

Stock Tools

Stock Ideas

Sectors & IndustriesIndustrialsAerospace & DefenseBest Defense Stocks to Buy Now (2026)Top defense stocks in 2026 ranked by overall Zen Rating. "A" Rated stocks have returned an average of +28.50% per year, and are the best defense stocks to buy now. Learn More.

Defense Stocks FAQ

1. Smith & Wesson Brands (NASDAQ:SWBI)

2. Astronics (NASDAQ:ATRO)

3. V2x (NYSE:VVX)

1. Smith & Wesson Brands (NASDAQ:SWBI)

2. Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT)

3. Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC)

1. Textron (NYSE:TXT)

2. Huntington Ingalls Industries (NYSE:HII)

3. V2x (NYSE:VVX)

Company

Stock Tools

Stock Ideas

Sectors & Industries IndustrialsAerospace & Defense
Best Defense Stocks to Buy Now (2026)
Top defense stocks in 2026 ranked by overall Zen Rating. "A" Rated stocks have returned an average of +28.50% per year, and are the best defense stocks to buy now. Learn More.