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 +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 83rd ranked industry out of 145 stock market industries

Ticker	Company	Market Cap	ROE	ROA	ROCE	ROIC	D/E	Current Ratio	Gross Margin	Profit Margin	Operating Margin
SIF	SIFCO INDUSTRIES INC	$91.92M	9.40%	4.40%	10.45%	8.10%	0.94	1.72	16.90%	3.80%	6.29%
VVX	V2X INC	$1.97B	7.30%	2.50%	7.98%	14.80%	2.03	1.22	8.30%	1.70%	4.04%
ATRO	ASTRONICS CORP	$2.61B	14.90%	4.40%	7.87%	6.50%	4.05	3.10	29.90%	3.40%	5.16%
MOG.A	MOOG INC	$9.91B	14.20%	6.30%	13.87%	13.20%	1.33	1.68	27.40%	6.90%	10.77%
SWBI	SMITH & WESSON BRANDS INC	$667.41M	3.30%	2.20%	4.80%	4.10%	0.48	4.50	26.40%	2.50%	4.74%
WWD	WOODWARD INC	$21.76B	19.60%	10.50%	16.93%	22.00%	0.83	2.05	27.90%	12.90%	16.68%
PKE	PARK AEROSPACE CORP	$660.54M	8.20%	7.30%	11.69%	18.30%	0.11	15.84	31.30%	13.10%	19.96%
AIR	AAR CORP	$4.40B	12.10%	5.50%	11.57%	11.70%	1.03	2.70	19.00%	5.50%	9.89%
HII	HUNTINGTON INGALLS INDUSTRIES INC	$14.10B	12.30%	4.90%	9.09%	10.10%	1.51	1.13	12.70%	4.80%	7.07%
CW	CURTISS WRIGHT CORP	$26.45B	18.70%	9.50%	17.38%	25.60%	1.06	1.44	37.20%	13.80%	18.96%
HWM	HOWMET AEROSPACE INC	$97.20B	29.70%	13.70%	21.16%	26.60%	1.09	2.13	34.20%	18.30%	24.13%
RTX	RTX CORP	$234.67B	11.20%	4.30%	9.52%	17.10%	1.55	1.02	20.20%	8.00%	11.78%
TXT	TEXTRON INC	$15.32B	12.20%	5.30%	9.15%	9.80%	1.30	1.82	18.20%	6.20%	8.52%
CODA	CODA OCTOPUS GROUP INC	$138.25M	7.20%	6.60%	9.46%	23.50%	0.09	10.90	66.30%	14.80%	20.54%
ESLT	ELBIT SYSTEMS LTD	$38.13B	13.90%	4.40%	N/A	10.50%	2.07	N/A	24.40%	6.70%	9.18%
HXL	HEXCEL CORP	$6.74B	8.40%	4.30%	7.73%	6.10%	1.15	2.45	24.10%	6.10%	9.60%
ISSC	INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS & SUPPORT INC	$353.79M	31.10%	19.20%	29.58%	35.30%	0.60	2.96	50.80%	21.00%	29.61%
LHX	L3HARRIS TECHNOLOGIES INC	$59.30B	8.30%	3.90%	7.45%	14.30%	1.10	1.19	25.70%	7.30%	11.57%
DRS	LEONARDO DRS INC	$10.63B	10.50%	6.60%	10.57%	19.70%	0.64	1.89	23.80%	7.60%	9.43%
DCO	DUCOMMUN INC	$2.09B	-5.00%	-2.90%	-3.09%	-3.80%	0.79	3.50	26.90%	-4.10%	-3.78%
RGR	STURM RUGER & CO INC	$677.15M	-1.50%	-1.20%	-2.46%	-2.50%	0.21	3.87	14.90%	-0.80%	-1.29%
SARO	STANDARDAERO INC	$8.16B	10.90%	4.20%	10.51%	11.80%	1.46	2.20	14.80%	4.60%	9.09%
OPXS	OPTEX SYSTEMS HOLDINGS INC	$73.61M	19.40%	15.50%	21.50%	26.40%	0.22	5.87	28.40%	10.70%	13.15%
MDA	MDA SPACE LTD	N/A	N/A	N/A	8.31%	N/A	1.48	0.47	25.10%	6.60%	10.37%
KTOS	KRATOS DEFENSE & SECURITY SOLUTIONS INC	$10.43B	1.20%	0.90%	1.30%	2.60%	0.24	4.06	22.90%	1.60%	2.09%
LMT	LOCKHEED MARTIN CORP	$118.38B	74.50%	8.00%	18.25%	16.40%	6.91	1.14	9.80%	6.40%	9.03%
HEI	HEICO CORP	$36.84B	16.80%	8.30%	12.15%	21.30%	0.89	3.06	39.60%	15.40%	21.59%
NOC	NORTHROP GRUMMAN CORP	$81.68B	28.10%	9.10%	16.65%	18.50%	1.92	1.15	20.50%	10.80%	14.61%
GD	GENERAL DYNAMICS CORP	$84.60B	17.60%	7.40%	13.39%	23.20%	1.23	1.44	15.10%	8.00%	10.31%
MRCY	MERCURY SYSTEMS INC	$4.68B	-2.10%	-1.20%	-0.24%	-0.40%	0.71	2.96	28.20%	-3.20%	-0.55%
BWXT	BWX TECHNOLOGIES INC	$20.41B	27.70%	8.90%	12.26%	11.80%	2.47	2.32	22.90%	10.30%	13.80%
AIRI	AIR INDUSTRIES GROUP	$15.20M	-7.60%	-2.40%	1.96%	0.90%	2.04	1.24	17.10%	-2.70%	0.85%
KRMN	KARMAN HOLDINGS INC	$9.31B	4.80%	1.80%	7.59%	9.80%	1.89	3.29	40.30%	3.70%	16.35%
AVEX	AEVEX CORP	N/A	N/A	N/A	2.77%	N/A	1.72	3.04	21.80%	-3.90%	3.61%
EMBJ	EMBRAER SA	$11.31B	10.80%	2.80%	10.73%	14.40%	2.64	1.50	17.50%	4.60%	11.55%
GE	GE AEROSPACE	$296.93B	46.20%	6.70%	12.29%	12.80%	6.10	1.01	36.10%	17.90%	22.49%
POWW	OUTDOOR HOLDING CO	$232.23M	-36.40%	-30.10%	-32.98%	-577.20%	0.15	4.00	-1,027.40%	1,694.00%	1,681.59%
TDG	TRANSDIGM GROUP INC	$64.84B	-24.40%	7.90%	20.04%	13.60%	-3.56	2.75	59.60%	19.80%	46.68%
CAE	CAE INC	$8.14B	7.50%	3.40%	8.24%	9.00%	1.12	0.91	28.40%	7.70%	14.69%
CDRE	CADRE HOLDINGS INC	$1.26B	13.50%	5.90%	11.24%	14.10%	1.42	3.50	42.50%	7.20%	12.26%
AOUT	AMERICAN OUTDOOR BRANDS INC	$119.91M	-5.80%	-4.10%	-4.84%	-4.90%	0.36	5.65	43.10%	-4.80%	-4.64%
LOAR	LOAR HOLDINGS INC	$5.37B	6.30%	4.40%	5.40%	16.50%	0.73	4.70	52.70%	14.50%	21.41%
VSEC	VSE CORP	$5.01B	1.10%	0.70%	2.67%	4.00%	0.41	3.76	14.20%	1.10%	4.30%
RKLB	ROCKET LAB CORP	$42.56B	-19.20%	-10.80%	-10.02%	-20.00%	0.35	4.08	34.40%	-32.90%	-33.14%
NPK	NATIONAL PRESTO INDUSTRIES INC	$1.03B	8.70%	6.90%	10.38%	10.70%	0.27	4.25	16.00%	6.60%	8.36%
CVU	CPI AEROSTRUCTURES INC	$49.54M	-3.40%	-1.20%	-0.34%	-0.30%	1.92	1.89	15.20%	-1.20%	-0.25%
AXON	AXON ENTERPRISE INC	$31.93B	4.30%	1.90%	2.05%	2.30%	1.16	2.53	59.70%	4.50%	4.07%
AZ	A2Z CUST2MATE SOLUTIONS CORP	$333.11M	-71.40%	-60.30%	-47.65%	-128.00%	0.11	11.42	13.80%	-487.10%	-471.65%
EH	EHANG HOLDINGS LTD	$762.37M	-22.50%	-12.50%	-16.94%	-17.20%	0.84	2.12	62.00%	-45.20%	-43.97%
BETA	BETA TECHNOLOGIES INC	$3.51B	-85.50%	-69.50%	-36.07%	-146.10%	0.16	22.77	72.20%	-2,704.50%	-2,055.65%
BA	BOEING CO	$183.23B	-7,396.20%	1.20%	8.90%	6.30%	26.52	1.18	4.80%	2.10%	5.72%
SATL	SATELLOGIC INC	$882.67M	N/A	-5.40%	-3.19%	-4.00%	1.50	5.12	72.50%	-27.00%	-23.21%
TATT	TAT TECHNOLOGIES LTD	$466.87M	10.70%	8.10%	10.36%	13.10%	0.29	4.89	24.80%	9.40%	11.22%
YSS	YORK SPACE SYSTEMS INC	$3.96B	-10.30%	-6.10%	-5.34%	-35.20%	0.54	1.61	19.50%	-22.00%	-17.77%
PL	PLANET LABS PBC	$12.27B	-69.60%	-27.40%	-35.31%	-53.00%	5.08	1.65	56.10%	-80.20%	-77.59%
SIDU	SIDUS SPACE INC	$227.50M	-108.50%	-69.50%	-57.54%	-157.30%	0.31	3.38	-168.20%	-871.00%	-868.36%
VWAV	VISIONWAVE HOLDINGS INC	$114.80M	N/A	-231.20%	-417.53%	260.90%	5.00	0.26	N/A	N/A	N/A
FLY	FIREFLY AEROSPACE INC	$5.62B	-349.70%	-33.50%	-19.48%	-108.40%	0.53	4.51	19.20%	-208.90%	-196.37%
AVAV	AEROVIRONMENT INC	$9.80B	-6.40%	-5.00%	-4.88%	-14.40%	0.28	5.51	24.70%	-13.90%	-15.59%
PRZO	PARAZERO TECHNOLOGIES LTD	$16.84M	-380.50%	-98.00%	-136.10%	-389.20%	0.68	3.64	4.80%	-517.10%	-517.09%
MNTS	MOMENTUS INC	$32.43M	-24,322.10%	-151.30%	-122.85%	-616.00%	1.35	1.39	99.80%	-2,755.40%	-2,683.87%
RDW	REDWIRE CORP	$1.86B	-38.50%	-23.10%	-16.38%	-87.70%	0.29	1.63	5.20%	-81.20%	-63.17%
SPCE	VIRGIN GALACTIC HOLDINGS INC	$210.03M	-107.70%	-32.20%	-44.80%	-28.90%	1.93	1.78	-4,613.00%	-18,063.90%	-17,232.71%
DPRO	DRAGANFLY INC	$172.25M	-48.00%	-43.00%	-24.87%	-1,086.30%	0.05	21.63	17.10%	-297.30%	-311.34%
FJET	STARFIGHTERS SPACE INC	$261.07M	N/A	N/A	-63.04%	N/A	0.14	6.60	N/A	N/A	N/A
VTSI	VIRTRA INC	$51.77M	0.60%	0.40%	0.27%	0.30%	0.43	4.01	67.90%	1.20%	0.66%
BYRN	BYRNA TECHNOLOGIES INC	$139.52M	13.80%	11.00%	15.80%	19.90%	0.20	4.96	60.30%	7.30%	8.87%
LUNR	INTUITIVE MACHINES INC	$5.53B	N/A	-13.50%	-11.89%	-33.20%	-0.73	4.96	4.30%	-39.90%	-35.78%
KITT	NAUTICUS ROBOTICS INC	$13.38M	N/A	-92.90%	-443.67%	-123.30%	5.07	0.26	-133.90%	-774.00%	-608.47%
PEW	GRABAGUN DIGITAL HOLDINGS INC	$87.64M	-4.80%	-2.30%	-2.18%	-5.40%	0.22	7.20	11.70%	-2.60%	-2.59%
AIRO	AIRO GROUP HOLDINGS INC	$249.28M	-0.60%	-0.50%	1.71%	232.60%	0.05	3.45	59.90%	-4.50%	14.01%
SKYH	SKY HARBOUR GROUP CORP	$802.74M	16.40%	3.30%	N/A	2.30%	3.30	N/A	7.60%	68.30%	73.26%
SPAI	SAFE PRO GROUP INC	$91.08M	-182.60%	-159.00%	-80.11%	-3,976.50%	0.08	14.33	33.30%	-2,360.80%	-2,358.73%
VOYG	VOYAGER TECHNOLOGIES INC	$1.69B	-29.50%	-16.40%	-10.73%	-43.00%	1.62	4.37	18.00%	-69.70%	-59.15%
ACHR	ARCHER AVIATION INC	$4.24B	-37.80%	-32.90%	-26.17%	-80.90%	0.12	19.89	0.00%	-206,066.70%	-205,966.67%
HOVR	NEW HORIZON AIRCRAFT LTD	$86.45M	-314.90%	-181.20%	-159.22%	3,878.40%	0.55	14.81	N/A	N/A	N/A
EVEX	EVE HOLDING INC	$964.80M	-225.70%	-62.30%	-68.72%	-59.80%	2.51	3.29	N/A	N/A	N/A
EVTL	VERTICAL AEROSPACE LTD	$240.80M	-217.30%	224.50%	-171.85%	-558.20%	-1.87	0.45	N/A	N/A	N/A
DFSC	DEFSEC TECHNOLOGIES INC	$4.53M	-125.00%	-75.10%	-84.60%	-259.20%	0.56	4.25	32.40%	-154.00%	-151.25%
GPUS	HYPERSCALE DATA INC	$68.11M	-160.10%	-30.40%	-34.90%	-40.80%	1.57	0.76	21.10%	-73.50%	-48.99%
ARXS	ARXIS INC	N/A	N/A	N/A	4.48%	N/A	1.11	3.16	47.40%	2.90%	17.76%
ASTC	ASTROTECH CORP	$6.00M	-68.50%	-57.30%	-78.40%	-65.90%	0.27	7.56	42.30%	-1,163.90%	-1,163.72%
MRLN	MERLIN INC	$405.44M	-64.60%	2.30%	2.31%	2.30%	-1.08	0.27	N/A	N/A	N/A

Defense Stocks FAQ

What are the best defense stocks to buy right now in Apr 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. Sifco Industries (NYSEMKT:SIF)

Sifco Industries (NYSEMKT:SIF) is the #1 top defense stock out of 83 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 Sifco Industries (NYSEMKT:SIF) is: Value: B, Growth: A, Momentum: A, Sentiment: C, Safety: C, Financials: A, and AI: D.

Sifco Industries (NYSEMKT:SIF) has a Due Diligence Score of 34, which is equal to the defense industry average of 34.

SIF passed 10 out of 33 due diligence checks and has average fundamentals. Sifco Industries has seen its stock return 456.02% over the past year, overperforming other defense stocks by 426 percentage points.

2. V2x (NYSE:VVX)

V2x (NYSE:VVX) is the #2 top defense stock out of 83 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 V2x (NYSE:VVX) is: Value: A, Growth: B, Momentum: C, Sentiment: B, Safety: B, Financials: C, and AI: B.

V2x (NYSE:VVX) has a Due Diligence Score of 46, which is 12 points higher than the defense industry average of 34.

VVX passed 15 out of 33 due diligence checks and has strong fundamentals. V2x has seen its stock return 28.04% over the past year, underperforming other defense stocks by -2 percentage points.

V2x has an average 1 year price target of $70.57, an upside of 11.5% from V2x's current stock price of $63.29.

V2x stock has a consensus Hold recommendation according to Wall Street analysts. Of the 7 analysts covering V2x, 28.57% have issued a Strong Buy rating, 0% have issued a Buy, 42.86% have issued a hold, while 0% have issued a Sell rating, and 28.57% have issued a Strong Sell.

3. Astronics (NASDAQ:ATRO)

Astronics (NASDAQ:ATRO) is the #3 top defense stock out of 83 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 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 36, which is 2 points higher than the defense industry average of 34.

ATRO passed 12 out of 33 due diligence checks and has average fundamentals. Astronics has seen its stock return 245.42% over the past year, overperforming other defense stocks by 215 percentage points.

Astronics has an average 1 year price target of $86.00, an upside of 17.44% from Astronics's current stock price of $73.23.

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.

What are the defense stocks with highest dividends?

Out of 23 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 3.47%, which is 3 percentage points higher than the defense industry average of 0.96%. 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 200% 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 1.99%, which is 1 percentage points higher than the defense industry average of 0.96%. 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 65.1% indicates that its dividend yield is sustainable for the long-term.

3. General Dynamics (NYSE:GD)

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) has an annual dividend yield of 1.94%, which is 1 percentage points higher than the defense industry average of 0.96%. General Dynamics's dividend payout is stable, having never dropped by more than 10% in the last 10 years. General Dynamics's dividend has shown consistent growth over the last 10 years.

General Dynamics's dividend payout ratio of 38.3% indicates that its dividend yield is sustainable for the long-term.

Why are defense stocks down?

Defense stocks were down -1.87% in the last day, and down -7.35% over the last week. Lockheed Martin was the among the top losers in the aerospace & defense industry, dropping -3.08% yesterday.

Lockheed Martin shares are trading lower after RBC Capital and Susquehanna lowered their respective price targets on the stock.

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

Textron's stock has gained 29.49% in the past year. It has underperformed other stocks in the defense industry by -1 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 57, which is 37 points higher than the defense industry average of 20. It passed 4 out of 7 valuation due diligence checks.

V2x's stock has gained 28.04% in the past year. It has underperformed other stocks in the defense industry by -2 percentage points.

3. Sifco Industries (NYSEMKT:SIF)

Sifco Industries (NYSEMKT:SIF) 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.

Sifco Industries 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.

Sifco Industries's stock has gained 456.02% in the past year. It has overperformed other stocks in the defense industry by 426 percentage points.

Are defense stocks a good buy now?

67.69% of defense stocks rated by analysts are a strong buy right now. On average, analysts expect defense stocks to rise by 21.81% over the next year.

10.26% of defense stocks have a Zen Rating of A (Strong Buy), 15.38% of defense stocks are rated B (Buy), 48.72% are rated C (Hold), 19.23% are rated D (Sell), and 6.41% 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 43.53x.

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 +32.52% per year, and are the best defense stocks to buy now. Learn More.

Defense Stocks FAQ

1. Sifco Industries (NYSEMKT:SIF)

2. V2x (NYSE:VVX)

3. Astronics (NASDAQ:ATRO)

1. Smith & Wesson Brands (NASDAQ:SWBI)

2. Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT)

3. General Dynamics (NYSE:GD)

1. Textron (NYSE:TXT)

2. V2x (NYSE:VVX)

3. Sifco Industries (NYSEMKT:SIF)

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 +32.52% per year, and are the best defense stocks to buy now. Learn More.

Defense Stocks FAQ

1. Sifco Industries (NYSEMKT:SIF)

2. V2x (NYSE:VVX)

3. Astronics (NASDAQ:ATRO)

1. Smith & Wesson Brands (NASDAQ:SWBI)

2. Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT)

3. General Dynamics (NYSE:GD)

1. Textron (NYSE:TXT)

2. V2x (NYSE:VVX)

3. Sifco Industries (NYSEMKT:SIF)

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 +32.52% per year, and are the best defense stocks to buy now. Learn More.