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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
Forecast Score
Market Cap
Price
Price Target
Upside/Downside
Top Analysts Upside/Downside
Consensus
Top Analysts Consensus
Analysts
Top Analysts
Fore. Revenue Growth
Fore. Earnings Growth
Forecast ROE
Forecast ROA
LHX
L3HARRIS TECHNOLOGIES INC
$40.51B$213.10$237.5611.48%Strong Buy96.79%97.32%N/AN/A
GD
GENERAL DYNAMICS CORP
$77.40B$282.49$289.002.30%Strong Buy56.69%27.52%N/AN/A
NOC
NORTHROP GRUMMAN CORP
$71.82B$478.66$482.570.82%Buy74.95%85.45%N/AN/A
LMT
LOCKHEED MARTIN CORP
$109.92B$454.87$496.179.08%Buy63.64%3.81%N/AN/A
HII
HUNTINGTON INGALLS INDUSTRIES INC
$11.54B$291.47$292.500.35%Buy23.40%16.77%N/AN/A
ISSC
INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS & SUPPORT INC
$127.81M$7.32$12.0063.93%Strong Buy1N/AN/AN/AN/A
CW
CURTISS WRIGHT CORP
$9.78B$255.94$252.50-1.34%Strong Buy25.04%0.64%N/AN/A
WWD
WOODWARD INC
$9.29B$154.12$155.671.00%Buy64.73%-1.67%N/AN/A
VTSI
VIRTRA INC
$114.05M$10.28$13.7533.75%Strong Buy2N/AN/AN/AN/A
OPXS
OPTEX SYSTEMS HOLDINGS INC
$52.13M$7.64N/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A
ESLT
ELBIT SYSTEMS LTD
$9.35B$210.23N/AN/AN/AN/A4.52%74.39%N/AN/A
NPK
NATIONAL PRESTO INDUSTRIES INC
$596.44M$83.80N/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A
MOG.A
MOOG INC
$5.10B$159.65$151.50-5.10%Buy24.01%18.26%N/AN/A
AXON
AXON ENTERPRISE INC
$23.56B$312.88$311.25-0.52%Strong Buy822.22%N/AN/AN/A
HXL
HEXCEL CORP
$6.15B$72.85$75.333.41%Hold910.21%73.21%N/AN/A
KAMN
KAMAN CORP
$1.30B$45.87N/AN/AN/AN/A1.59%775.00%N/AN/A
CVU
CPI AEROSTRUCTURES INC
$29.65M$2.34N/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A
VSEC
VSE CORP
$1.26B$80.00$80.330.42%Strong Buy321.51%N/AN/AN/A
PKE
PARK AEROSPACE CORP
$336.81M$16.63N/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A
RTX
RTX CORP
$129.41B$97.53$98.631.12%Hold89.61%120.79%N/AN/A
TXT
TEXTRON INC
$18.50B$95.93$92.00-4.10%Buy85.97%10.90%N/AN/A
BWXT
BWX TECHNOLOGIES INC
$9.37B$102.62$97.33-5.15%Buy35.65%21.19%N/AN/A
SPCE
VIRGIN GALACTIC HOLDINGS INC
$592.06M$1.48$1.9229.53%Sell3130.42%N/AN/AN/A
RGR
STURM RUGER & CO INC
$815.20M$46.15N/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A
ASTC
ASTROTECH CORP
$15.23M$8.95N/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A
SWBI
SMITH & WESSON BRANDS INC
$790.17M$17.36$17.00-2.07%Strong Buy2N/AN/AN/AN/A
PL
PLANET LABS PBC
$733.45M$2.55$5.0096.08%Buy223.01%N/AN/AN/A
BYRN
BYRNA TECHNOLOGIES INC
$306.49M$13.93$8.00-42.57%Strong Buy126.29%N/AN/AN/A
HWM
HOWMET AEROSPACE INC
$28.08B$68.43$67.86-0.84%Strong Buy78.05%9.82%N/AN/A
RKLB
ROCKET LAB USA INC
$2.01B$4.11$6.6762.21%Strong Buy354.42%N/AN/AN/A
DRS
LEONARDO DRS INC
$5.80B$22.09$25.0013.17%Strong Buy3N/AN/AN/AN/A
AIR
AAR CORP
$2.12B$59.87$76.7528.19%Strong Buy48.95%64.59%N/AN/A
TATT
TAT TECHNOLOGIES LTD
$122.34M$12.11N/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A
CODA
CODA OCTOPUS GROUP INC
$64.47M$5.77N/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A
CDRE
CADRE HOLDINGS INC
$1.36B$36.20$41.2513.95%Strong Buy412.13%N/AN/AN/A
EH
EHANG HOLDINGS LTD
$1.29B$20.57N/AN/AN/AN/A1,136.05%N/A536.48%191.59%
RDW
REDWIRE CORP
$287.89M$4.39$5.0013.90%Strong Buy117.93%N/AN/AN/A
HEI
HEICO CORP
$26.43B$191.00$209.609.74%Buy510.63%0.00%N/AN/A
KTOS
KRATOS DEFENSE & SECURITY SOLUTIONS INC
$2.39B$18.38$22.0019.70%Buy59.44%N/AN/AN/A
POWW
AMMO INC
$326.32M$2.75N/AN/AN/AN/A2.50%N/AN/AN/A
CAE
CAE INC
$6.57B$20.64N/AN/AN/AN/A3.78%29.61%N/AN/A
LUNR
INTUITIVE MACHINES INC
$762.43M$6.25$11.3381.33%Strong Buy3151.51%N/AN/AN/A
TDG
TRANSDIGM GROUP INC
$68.48B$1,231.60$1.17k-5.03%Buy99.25%-0.94%N/AN/A
AVAV
AEROVIRONMENT INC
$4.31B$153.28$155.331.34%Buy36.31%N/AN/AN/A
DCO
DUCOMMUN INC
$751.09M$51.30$65.6728.01%Strong Buy34.77%N/AN/AN/A
ATRO
ASTRONICS CORP
$657.29M$19.04$18.00-5.46%Hold17.70%N/AN/AN/A
ERJ
EMBRAER SA
$4.89B$26.64$31.9019.74%Strong Buy524.32%N/AN/AN/A
SATL
SATELLOGIC INC
$152.42M$1.70N/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A
KWE
KWESST MICRO SYSTEMS INC
$7.02M$1.25N/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A
MRCY
MERCURY SYSTEMS INC
$1.75B$29.50$27.80-5.76%Sell5-1.40%N/AN/AN/A
SPR
SPIRIT AEROSYSTEMS HOLDINGS INC
$4.19B$36.07$32.58-9.67%Buy1219.57%N/AN/AN/A
DPRO
DRAGANFLY INC
$9.35M$0.19$2.501,215.79%Buy1184.04%N/AN/AN/A
LLAP
TERRAN ORBITAL CORP
$254.74M$1.31$3.67179.92%Buy3133.91%N/AN/AN/A
BA
BOEING CO
$117.75B$192.99$241.9425.36%Strong Buy1611.65%N/A-52.24%6.57%
AULT
AULT ALLIANCE INC
$1.04M$0.38N/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A
AIRI
AIR INDUSTRIES GROUP
$15.52M$4.70N/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A
SKYH
SKY HARBOUR GROUP CORP
$848.20M$12.77$13.001.80%Strong Buy2173.24%N/AN/AN/A
KITT
NAUTICUS ROBOTICS INC
$16.01M$0.32N/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A
SPPL
SIMPPLE LTD
N/A$0.80N/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A
VVX
V2X INC
$1.46B$46.71$56.7521.49%Buy44.54%N/AN/AN/A
MNTS
MOMENTUS INC
$2.83M$0.43N/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A-5,504.19%-705.43%
ACHR
ARCHER AVIATION INC
$1.43B$4.62$10.00116.45%Strong Buy1N/AN/AN/AN/A
TGI
TRIUMPH GROUP INC
$1.16B$15.04$18.8825.50%Buy83.74%N/AN/AN/A
SIDU
SIDUS SPACE INC
$14.17M$3.39N/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A
EVEX
EVE HOLDING INC
$1.45B$5.40$7.0029.63%Hold1N/AN/AN/AN/A
AZ
A2Z SMART TECHNOLOGIES CORP
$21.55M$0.58N/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A
SIF
SIFCO INDUSTRIES INC
$19.59M$3.18N/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A
ASTR
ASTRA SPACE INC
$15.34M$0.68N/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A-1,297.32%-104.84%
EVTL
VERTICAL AEROSPACE LTD
$252.22M$1.14$1.5031.58%Strong Buy1N/AN/AN/AN/A
LILM
LILIUM NV
$505.52M$0.96N/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A
HOVR
NEW HORIZON AIRCRAFT LTD
$40.06M$2.40N/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A

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 11.02% over the past year, overperforming other defense stocks by 1 percentage points.

L3harris Technologies has an average 1 year price target of $237.56, an upside of 11.48% from L3harris Technologies's current stock price of $213.10.

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 4.28% over the past year, underperforming other defense stocks by -5 percentage points.

Northrop Grumman has an average 1 year price target of $482.57, an upside of 0.82% from Northrop Grumman's current stock price of $478.66.

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 16 percentage points.

General Dynamics has an average 1 year price target of $289.00, an upside of 2.3% from General Dynamics's current stock price of $282.49.

General Dynamics stock has a consensus Strong Buy recommendation according to Wall Street analysts. Of the 5 analysts covering General Dynamics, 60% have issued a Strong Buy rating, 20% have issued a Buy, 20% 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 5.37%, which is 4 percentage points higher than the defense industry average of 1.53%. 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 3.01%, which is 1 percentage points higher than the defense industry average of 1.53%. 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 1.53%.

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 0.12% in the last day, and up 1.11% 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. Innovative Solutions & Support (NASDAQ:ISSC)


Innovative Solutions & Support (NASDAQ:ISSC) is the 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 -4.69% in the past year. It has underperformed other stocks in the defense industry by -14 percentage points.

2. Cpi Aerostructures (NYSEMKT:CVU)


Cpi Aerostructures (NYSEMKT:CVU) is the second 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 -36.93% in the past year. It has underperformed other stocks in the defense industry by -47 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 11.02% in the past year. It has overperformed 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 2.78% 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 22.25x.
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.