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 October 9, 2026, the strongest defense stock this year is Iridium Communications (IRDM, +173.6% YTD), while Palo Alto Networks leads on size at $326B. Unlike a listicle written in January, this page re-ranks itself every trading day from real market data.
Screen all 40 defense stocks →
Top 10 by return this year
Share price change since the last close of last year. Dividends are not included.
| # | Company | YTD return | 1Y return | Market cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iridium CommunicationsIRDMSpace industry & satellites | +173.6% | +140.8% | $5B |
| 2 | OktaOKTAIdentity & access management | +154.7% | +137.7% | $40.1B |
| 3 | FortinetFTNTNetwork security | +138.1% | +118.7% | $139B |
| 4 | CrowdStrikeCRWDEndpoint security | +124.4% | +106.3% | $281B |
| 5 | Palo Alto NetworksPANWNetwork security | +116.3% | +83.0% | $326B |
| 6 | ViasatVSATSpace industry & satellites | +95.6% | +89.1% | $10.1B |
| 7 | CloudflareNETCloud security | +73.4% | +55.4% | $129B |
| 8 | SentinelOneSEndpoint security | +69.3% | +41.2% | $9.1B |
| 9 | TenableTENBVulnerability management | +65.8% | +30.5% | $4.5B |
| 10 | RubrikRBRKIncident response & recovery | +58.1% | +43.5% | $25.9B |
Data as of 2026-10-09 · 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 | Palo Alto NetworksPANWNetwork security | $326B | +5.1% | 1,061.8 |
| 2 | GE AerospaceGEDual-use technology | $317B | +0.8% | 35.3 |
| 3 | CrowdStrikeCRWDEndpoint security | $281B | +4.6% | 4,803.4 |
| 4 | RTXRTXDefense integrators | $251B | +0.9% | 32.4 |
| 5 | BoeingBAMilitary platforms | $150B | +1.4% | 61.5 |
| 6 | FortinetFTNTNetwork security | $139B | +3.0% | 65.7 |
| 7 | CloudflareNETCloud security | $129B | +5.6% | — |
| 8 | Lockheed MartinLMTDefense integrators | $117B | +0.3% | 18.7 |
| 9 | Howmet AerospaceHWMMilitary platforms | $89.9B | +1.2% | 48.0 |
| 10 | General DynamicsGDDefense integrators | $89.1B | +0.4% | 19.9 |
Lowest valuation (P/E)
Lowest positive trailing P/E; companies with negative earnings are left out. Cheap can be cheap for a reason; see each profile for the risks.
| # | Company | P/E | P/S | Market cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | HoneywellHONDual-use technology | 7.6 | 1.7 | $65.8B |
| 2 | LeidosLDOSCommunications & defense data | 11.0 | 0.9 | $15.1B |
| 3 | Booz Allen HamiltonBAHCommunications & defense data | 11.3 | 0.8 | $8.8B |
| 4 | TextronTXTMilitary platforms | 13.4 | 0.8 | $12.6B |
| 5 | Northrop GrummanNOCDefense integrators | 15.2 | 1.6 | $68.4B |
| 6 | Huntington Ingalls IndustriesHIIMilitary platforms | 15.8 | 0.8 | $10.4B |
| 7 | Lockheed MartinLMTDefense integrators | 18.7 | 1.5 | $117B |
| 8 | General DynamicsGDDefense integrators | 19.9 | 1.6 | $89.1B |
| 9 | L3HarrisLHXDefense integrators | 23.5 | 1.9 | $44.1B |
| 10 | CACI InternationalCACICommunications & defense data | 24.7 | 1.4 | $13.2B |