Investing IdeasBrowse All StocksMarkets
Have your own idea? Try our Stock Screener
Header cover image

U.S. Aerospace & Defense Industry Analysis

UpdatedApr 24, 2026
DataAggregated Company Financials
Companies101
  • 7D-4.8%
  • 3M-7.4%
  • 1Y40.8%
  • YTD-1.2%

Over the last 7 days, the Aerospace & Defense industry has dropped 4.8%, driven by RTX declining 8.5%. On the other hand Boeing is actually up 7.0%. In the past year, the industry has gained 41%. As for the next few years, earnings are expected to grow by 18% per annum.

Industry Valuation and Performance

Has the U.S. Aerospace & Defense Industry valuation changed over the past few years?

DateMarket CapRevenueEarningsPEAbsolute PEPS
Fri, 24 Apr 2026US$1.6tUS$520.7bUS$37.3b37.7x42.5x3x
Sun, 22 Mar 2026US$1.6tUS$511.5bUS$35.4b40.3x45x3.1x
Tue, 17 Feb 2026US$1.7tUS$510.3bUS$35.6b40.7x47.2x3.3x
Thu, 15 Jan 2026US$1.5tUS$410.1bUS$32.0b41.6x46.7x3.6x
Sat, 13 Dec 2025US$1.3tUS$409.8bUS$32.0b38.7x41x3.2x
Mon, 10 Nov 2025US$1.3tUS$408.9bUS$32.1b38.5x41.2x3.2x
Wed, 08 Oct 2025US$1.3tUS$398.6bUS$31.3b39.4x42.7x3.4x
Fri, 05 Sep 2025US$1.2tUS$395.4bUS$31.1b34.6x38.8x3x
Sun, 03 Aug 2025US$1.2tUS$393.1bUS$31.4b35.1x37.9x3x
Tue, 01 Jul 2025US$1.1tUS$387.1bUS$29.9b36.5x38.3x3x
Thu, 29 May 2025US$1.1tUS$386.8bUS$30.0b33.3x35.7x2.8x
Sat, 26 Apr 2025US$928.3bUS$381.1bUS$28.8b31.5x32.2x2.4x
Mon, 24 Mar 2025US$937.1bUS$377.0bUS$29.1b32.2x32.2x2.5x
Wed, 19 Feb 2025US$920.4bUS$376.1bUS$30.0b34.2x30.7x2.4x
Fri, 17 Jan 2025US$908.9bUS$403.9bUS$27.9b34.3x32.5x2.3x
Sun, 15 Dec 2024US$898.0bUS$403.7bUS$27.9b34.4x32.1x2.2x
Tue, 12 Nov 2024US$967.1bUS$403.3bUS$27.9b36.3x34.6x2.4x
Thu, 10 Oct 2024US$949.6bUS$393.7bUS$23.6b34.3x40.2x2.4x
Sat, 07 Sep 2024US$865.8bUS$388.8bUS$23.3b32.8x37.2x2.2x
Mon, 05 Aug 2024US$844.9bUS$387.9bUS$23.1b32.9x36.6x2.2x
Wed, 03 Jul 2024US$785.4bUS$381.1bUS$24.0b32x32.7x2.1x
Fri, 31 May 2024US$806.5bUS$381.1bUS$23.9b31.2x33.8x2.1x
Sun, 28 Apr 2024US$789.4bUS$379.7bUS$23.5b31.2x33.6x2.1x
Tue, 26 Mar 2024US$597.9bUS$303.9bUS$18.8b32x31.7x2x
Thu, 22 Feb 2024US$569.4bUS$303.1bUS$18.5b29.6x30.7x1.9x
Sat, 20 Jan 2024US$578.2bUS$302.1bUS$20.9b29.2x27.7x1.9x
Mon, 18 Dec 2023US$566.6bUS$301.7bUS$20.9b27.7x27.1x1.9x
Wed, 15 Nov 2023US$553.9bUS$301.5bUS$20.7b28.6x26.8x1.8x
Fri, 13 Oct 2023US$538.1bUS$301.2bUS$22.4b26.9x24x1.8x
Sun, 10 Sep 2023US$538.2bUS$305.9bUS$22.9b24.5x23.5x1.8x
Tue, 08 Aug 2023US$559.7bUS$305.2bUS$22.8b26.6x24.5x1.8x
Thu, 06 Jul 2023US$578.8bUS$297.4bUS$21.7b24.8x26.6x1.9x
Sat, 03 Jun 2023US$558.5bUS$300.3bUS$21.9b24x25.6x1.9x
Mon, 01 May 2023US$572.8bUS$297.4bUS$22.0b22.1x26x1.9x
Price to Earnings Ratio

26x


Total Market Cap: US$572.8bTotal Earnings: US$22.0bTotal Revenue: US$297.4bTotal Market Cap vs Earnings and Revenue0%0%0%
U.S. Aerospace & Defense Industry Price to Earnings3Y Average 34x202420252026
Current Industry PE
  • Investors are optimistic on the American Aerospace & Defense industry, and appear confident in long term growth rates.
  • The industry is trading at a PE ratio of 42.5x which is higher than its 3-year average PE of 34.0x.
  • The 3-year average PS ratio of 2.4x is lower than the industry's current PS ratio of 3.0x.
Past Earnings Growth
  • The earnings for companies in the Aerospace & Defense industry have grown 19% per year over the last three years.
  • Revenues for these companies have grown 21% per year.
  • This means that more sales are being generated by these companies overall, and subsequently their profits are increasing too.

Industry Trends

Which industries have driven the changes within the U.S. Industrials industry?

US Market0.69%
Industrials2.20%
Aerospace & Defense-4.84%
Aerospace and Defense-4.84%
Industry PEThere are no additional sub-industries under this industry.
Forecasted GrowthThere are no additional sub-industries under this industry.

Top Stock Gainers and Losers

Which companies have driven the market over the last 7 days?

CompanyLast Price7D1YValuation
BA BoeingUS$234.157.0%
+US$12.5b		32.8%PE96x
RKLB Rocket LabUS$84.602.0%
+US$965.3m		286.7%PS81.3x
HXL HexcelUS$91.3210.0%
+US$628.0m		82.0%PE58.5x
CW Curtiss-WrightUS$725.500.8%
+US$203.4m		116.2%PE55.3x
DCO DucommunUS$143.164.8%
+US$98.2m		154.1%PS2.6x

Latest News

LHX
US$330.22
L3Harris Technologies
7D
-6.6%
1Y
52.7%
HXL
US$91.32
Hexcel
7D
10.0%
1Y
82.0%
LMT
US$529.79
Lockheed Martin
7D
-12.8%
1Y
13.5%
NOC
US$587.66
Northrop Grumman
7D
-12.7%
1Y
26.9%

Northrop Grumman: The Nuclear Triad Winner Is Now A Strong Buy

Apr 23
BA
US$234.15
Boeing
7D
7.0%
1Y
32.8%
GD
US$318.71
General Dynamics
7D
-4.8%
1Y
17.3%
RTX
US$179.30
RTX
7D
-8.5%
1Y
47.0%

RTX Corporation: Flying High Operationally, Grounded Temporarily By Expectations

Apr 22
GE
US$282.34
General Electric
7D
-5.3%
1Y
43.0%

GE Aerospace: One Of My Highest Conviction Long-Term Compounders

Apr 21
CRS
US$426.66
Carpenter Technology
7D
0.1%
1Y
114.0%
TXT
US$90.37
Textron
7D
0.1%
1Y
33.0%

TXT: Fair View Will Weigh Mixed EPS Delivery Against 2026 Margin Execution

Textron's updated analyst price target has been adjusted by a small amount in recent weeks as analysts weigh mixed target revisions, along with shifts in discount rate, revenue growth, profit margin expectations, and future P/E assumptions. Analyst Commentary Recent Street research on Textron points to a mixed setup, with some firms lifting price targets while others trim them or initiate with more muted views.
TDG
US$1,165.76
TransDigm Group
7D
-5.1%
1Y
-14.8%
RKLB
US$84.60
Rocket Lab
7D
2.0%
1Y
286.7%

Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (RKLB): The "End-to-End" Space Sovereign and the Neutron Inflection

Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (RKLB) , the most consistent challenger to the SpaceX orbital monopoly, reached a critical high-water mark on Friday, April 17, 2026.
HEI
US$268.74
HEICO
7D
-5.6%
1Y
8.7%
CW
US$725.50
Curtiss-Wright
7D
0.8%
1Y
116.2%

CW: Defense And Aerospace Contracts Will Support Stable Long Term Returns

Analysts have nudged their price target for Curtiss-Wright up by $10 to $780, citing updated assumptions for slightly higher revenue growth, profit margins and a modestly lower discount rate, along with a broadly similar future P/E outlook. What's in the News Averna partnered with Curtiss-Wright to develop five custom aerospace test systems, with a focus on precision load applications, repeatability, scalability and secure data handling integrated into Curtiss-Wright's manufacturing execution systems (Key Developments).
DCO
US$143.16
Ducommun
7D
4.8%
1Y
154.1%

DCO: Defense Exposure And Vision 2032 Plan Will Shape Balanced Outlook

Analysts have made a slight trim to the Ducommun price target, lowering it by about $0.40. They are balancing recent target hikes tied to defense exposure, missile demand and margin plans with a modest reset following the latest Citi update.
CVU
US$3.80
CPI Aerostructures
7D
12.8%
1Y
13.4%