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 August 26, 2026, the strongest defense stock this year is Iridium Communications (IRDM, +172.2% YTD), while GE Aerospace leads on size at $377B. 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 | +172.2% | +89.4% | $5.3B |
| 2 | ViasatVSATSpace industry & satellites | +109.7% | +158.8% | $12B |
| 3 | FortinetFTNTNetwork security | +91.4% | +89.9% | $120B |
| 4 | Palo Alto NetworksPANWNetwork security | +90.5% | +88.8% | $323B |
| 5 | CrowdStrikeCRWDEndpoint security | +62.7% | +81.4% | $230B |
| 6 | OktaOKTAIdentity & access management | +51.5% | +42.3% | $26.1B |
| 7 | TenableTENBVulnerability management | +44.2% | +10.6% | $4.4B |
| 8 | CloudflareNETCloud security | +42.2% | +42.9% | $118B |
| 9 | SentinelOneSEndpoint security | +38.8% | +22.8% | $8.2B |
| 10 | GlobalstarGSATSpace industry & satellites | +34.5% | +207.5% | $10.7B |
Data as of 2026-08-26 · 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 | $377B | +2.3% | 42.0 |
| 2 | Palo Alto NetworksPANWNetwork security | $323B | −3.1% | 382.9 |
| 3 | RTXRTXDefense integrators | $297B | +0.5% | 38.4 |
| 4 | CrowdStrikeCRWDEndpoint security | $230B | −2.8% | — |
| 5 | BoeingBAMilitary platforms | $183B | +0.3% | 75.3 |
| 6 | Lockheed MartinLMTDefense integrators | $138B | −1.4% | 22.0 |
| 7 | FortinetFTNTNetwork security | $120B | +1.1% | 56.4 |
| 8 | CloudflareNETCloud security | $118B | −1.0% | — |
| 9 | Howmet AerospaceHWMMilitary platforms | $112B | +0.3% | 59.9 |
| 10 | General DynamicsGDDefense integrators | $107B | −1.9% | 23.8 |
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 | HoneywellHONDual-use technology | 8.6 | 1.9 | $74.2B |
| 2 | Booz Allen HamiltonBAHCommunications & defense data | 12.1 | 0.9 | $9.4B |
| 3 | LeidosLDOSCommunications & defense data | 12.9 | 1.0 | $17.7B |
| 4 | TextronTXTMilitary platforms | 16.2 | 1.0 | $15.2B |
| 5 | Northrop GrummanNOCDefense integrators | 18.3 | 1.9 | $82.1B |
| 6 | Huntington Ingalls IndustriesHIIMilitary platforms | 19.4 | 1.0 | $12.8B |
| 7 | Lockheed MartinLMTDefense integrators | 22.0 | 1.8 | $138B |
| 8 | General DynamicsGDDefense integrators | 23.8 | 1.9 | $107B |
| 9 | ElasticESTCSOC, XDR & threat detection | 24.1 | 5.1 | $8.9B |
| 10 | CACI InternationalCACICommunications & defense data | 27.8 | 1.6 | $14.9B |
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 →