Best defense stocks in 2026 — ranked by real data
Every listed company in the Defense, security & space value chain (40 stocks), mechanically ranked by actual market data — no opinions, no January listicle. Re-ranked every trading day.
As of July 12, 2026, the strongest defense stock this year is Iridium Communications (IRDM, +188.0% YTD), while GE Aerospace leads on size at $375B. Unlike a listicle written in January, this page re-ranks itself every trading day from real market data.
Top 10 by return this year
Total return YTD, prices adjusted for splits and dividends.
| # | Company | YTD return | 1Y return | Market cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iridium CommunicationsIRDMSpace industry & satellites | +188.0% | +56.1% | $5.3B |
| 2 | ViasatVSATSpace industry & satellites | +113.5% | +377.7% | $8.1B |
| 3 | FortinetFTNTNetwork security | +98.4% | +57.2% | $115B |
| 4 | Palo Alto NetworksPANWNetwork security | +76.9% | +69.7% | $266B |
| 5 | TenableTENBVulnerability management | +69.1% | +15.8% | $4.4B |
| 6 | OktaOKTAIdentity & access management | +60.3% | +46.8% | $24.1B |
| 7 | CrowdStrikeCRWDEndpoint security | +59.7% | +53.7% | $191B |
| 8 | CloudflareNETCloud security | +36.1% | +47.5% | $95.3B |
| 9 | Varonis SystemsVRNSData security | +35.8% | −13.4% | $5.1B |
| 10 | Howmet AerospaceHWMMilitary platforms | +32.1% | +51.7% | $108B |
Data as of 2026-07-12 · updates daily after U.S. close
The 10 largest by market cap
The heavyweights of the defense chain.
| # | Company | Market cap | Today | P/E |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GE AerospaceGEDual-use technology | $375B | +0.1% | 43.4 |
| 2 | Palo Alto NetworksPANWNetwork security | $266B | −3.7% | 315.2 |
| 3 | RTXRTXDefense integrators | $264B | +0.4% | 36.4 |
| 4 | CrowdStrikeCRWDEndpoint security | $191B | −5.7% | — |
| 5 | BoeingBAMilitary platforms | $175B | −0.4% | 77.3 |
| 6 | Lockheed MartinLMTDefense integrators | $121B | +1.0% | 25.2 |
| 7 | FortinetFTNTNetwork security | $115B | −3.8% | 59.0 |
| 8 | Howmet AerospaceHWMMilitary platforms | $108B | −1.1% | 62.1 |
| 9 | General DynamicsGDDefense integrators | $101B | +0.1% | 23.4 |
| 10 | CloudflareNETCloud security | $95.3B | −2.7% | — |
Lowest valuation (P/E)
Lowest positive trailing P/E — cheap can be cheap for a reason; see each profile for the risks.
| # | Company | P/E | P/S | Market cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Booz Allen HamiltonBAHCommunications & defense data | 8.8 | 0.7 | $7.5B |
| 2 | LeidosLDOSCommunications & defense data | 13.2 | 0.8 | $13.5B |
| 3 | HoneywellHONDual-use technology | 15.9 | 1.8 | $71.7B |
| 4 | Northrop GrummanNOCDefense integrators | 16.7 | 1.8 | $76.6B |
| 5 | TextronTXTMilitary platforms | 16.9 | 1.0 | $15.8B |
| 6 | ElasticESTCSOC, XDR & threat detection | 17.0 | 3.6 | $6.3B |
| 7 | Huntington Ingalls IndustriesHIIMilitary platforms | 18.6 | 0.9 | $11.3B |
| 8 | CACI InternationalCACICommunications & defense data | 20.0 | 1.2 | $10.7B |
| 9 | General DynamicsGDDefense integrators | 23.4 | 2.5 | $101B |
| 10 | Lockheed MartinLMTDefense integrators | 25.2 | 1.6 | $121B |
Methodology: the universe is Sectivia's curated Defense, security & space value chain — U.S.-listed companies grouped by their role in the chain. Rankings are purely mechanical from daily Finnhub data. "Best" here means best on the stated metric, not a recommendation. Companies without data for a metric are excluded from that table.
See all 40 companies on the interactive Defense value-chain map — segments, supply-chain links and daily metrics.Open the Defense map →