Aerospace & Defense: The Boeing Company owns the largest revenue base; AeroVironment, Inc. has the fastest current growth.
The industry itself · before any single company
How has Aerospace & Defense moved against S&P 500?
The line below covers 5.2 years. Over the most recent two of them this industry is 84% ahead of S&P 500. Earnings across its companies grew 16% on average over the last four reported quarters.
BASING · +8 joined✓Price and the fundamentals both up24 of 59 companies ahead of S&P 500 by 5% or more over three months2 are 20% or more behind over a year while earnings grew 20% or more
Aerospace & Defense, equal-weighted, based at 200S&P 500, same base, same starttrailing 12-month earnings per share risingfalling
Strength anatomyMixedHow much of the industry is participating, how recently, and whether the movers score well.
Together24 of 59 stocks moving
Fresh12 crossed in the last 4 weeks
Backed by scoresmovers score +8 vs the industry average
Down the cap ladder — bar is now, tick is four weeks ago
Large8/12+4
Mid10/21+4
Small6/260
Participation is not spreading downward this month; the larger companies are still carrying most of it.
Both lines start at 200 in the same week, so the distance between them is the whole story: the industry line is an equal-weighted index of its 59 companies. The bars underneath are trailing 12-month earnings per share, one bar per reported quarter, each member rebased to 100 at the start and the industry taking the median — so a price line pulling away from flat bars is a re-rating, not earnings. A bar turns red when that figure is lower than the quarter before. Rules are fixed and applied identically everywhere on this site: ahead by 5% or more over three months, or behind by 20% or more over a year while earnings grew 20% or more. Hover any point to read both values and the gap. This is a description of what the numbers did, not advice.
Sector relative strength · before individual stocks
Is Aerospace & Defense outperforming S&P 500?
Aerospace & Defense has outperformed S&P 500 by 10.2% over the last 52 weeks. Over 13 weeks the gap is a lead of 1%. 13 of 27 covered companies currently beat the S&P 500 on Mansfield relative strength, so leadership inside the sector is selective. Hexcel Corporation is the strongest against the sector itself at +27.2%.
+1.0%Sector vs S&P 500 · 13 weeks
+10.2%Sector vs S&P 500 · 52 weeks
13/27Stocks leading S&P 500
13/27Stocks leading sector
Sector metric: — as of latest available · unclassified · direction unavailable.
The central tension: the companies with the most scale are not necessarily the companies creating the most change.
Start with scale. Then earnings trajectory. Then business quality. Only after those three agree should price leadership carry much weight.
Bottom line
Aerospace & Defense has outperformed S&P 500 by 10.2% over 52 weeks and 1% over 13 weeks. 13 of 27 covered companies beat the S&P 500 on Mansfield relative strength, while 13 of 27 beat the sector itself. The Boeing Company leads with revenue of $92,184 million, based on 22 of 30 comparable companies through Mar 2026.
Is the Aerospace & Defense sector outperforming S&P 500?
Aerospace & Defense has outperformed S&P 500 by 10.2% over 52 weeks and 1% over 13 weeks. 13 of 27 covered companies beat the S&P 500 on Mansfield relative strength, while 13 of 27 beat the sector itself.
Which Aerospace & Defense company is largest by revenue?
The Boeing Company leads with revenue of $92,184 million, based on 22 of 30 comparable companies through Mar 2026.
Which Aerospace & Defense company is growing fastest?
AeroVironment, Inc. has the fastest current revenue growth at 100%, across 22 of 30 comparable companies.
Which Aerospace & Defense company has the strongest 4-Factor Sector Score?
Howmet Aerospace Inc. ranks first at 70.3/100 with 82% evidence confidence. The score prioritizes research; it is not a buy recommendation.
Which Aerospace & Defense company reports the most CAPEX?
Space Exploration Technologies Corp. reports the largest latest CAPEX at $8,919 million, with 30 of 30 companies comparable.
Which Aerospace & Defense company has the least gross debt?
Rocket Lab Corporation has the lowest comparable gross debt at $139 million. The Boeing Company has the highest at $47,209 million.
Which Aerospace & Defense company has the lowest comparable PEG?
Embraer S.A. has the lowest comparable Guarded PEG at 0.51, among 14 of 30 companies that pass the metric’s comparability rules.
How much history does this Aerospace & Defense comparison include?
The page compares up to 20 reported quarters per company for fundamentals, CAPEX, debt and valuation, ending Jun 2026. Missing observations remain blank rather than being estimated.
How is the 4-Factor Sector Score calculated?
The four visible contributions add directly: growth and earnings up to 35 points, capital efficiency up to 25, valuation up to 20, and relative strength up to 20. Missing or stale evidence moves only the affected contribution toward neutral.
Companies
30
complete canonical membership
Combined market value
$3.4T
Space Exploration Technologies Corp.
Revenue growing
22/22
positive TTM year-on-year growth
Beating S&P 500
13/27
positive Mansfield relative strength
Global company selection
00 · research priority, made explicit
4-Factor Sector Score
An additive sector-relative research score. The four displayed point contributions always equal the total: Growth & earnings (35), Capital efficiency (25), Valuation (20), and Relative strength (20). Missing or stale evidence is absorbed inside the affected factor, never applied as a hidden adjustment.
Howmet Aerospace Inc. has the strongest current balance of earnings trajectory, business quality, valuation and price confirmation, with 82% evidence confidence.
Embraer S.A. looks inexpensive relative to peers or its own history, but its earnings trajectory has not yet earned the valuation signal.
Hexcel Corporation has stronger price confirmation than earnings confirmation; that is a research prompt, not permission to chase.
Missing observations are not scored as bad. Their missing weight lowers confidence and pulls the final score toward neutral. PEG is guarded: positive earnings, positive 5–60% three-year EPS growth, and a positive P/E are required.
Decision use: Acceleration candidate, not a confirmed leader: earnings are strong but sector-relative strength is -16.5% and the one-year return is 42.6%. Do not upgrade until sector-relative strength is above zero and another reported period confirms growth.
Decision use: Fill the missing evidence before acting; the ranking is deliberately pulled toward neutral.
16.0/35Growth & earnings
Revenue — · PAT — · OPM change -42.1 pp
13% evidence
5.3/25Capital efficiency
ROCE -5% · debt/equity 0.73×
80% evidence
10.0/20Valuation
P/E — · PEG —
0% evidence
10.0/20Relative strength
RS sector — · RS bench — · 1Y —
0% evidence
01 · compare level, then change
Revenue Scale & Growth Durability
The Boeing Company has the highest Revenue among the 30 Aerospace & Defense companies compared here, at $92,184 million. RTX Corporation is next at $90,373 million. AeroVironment, Inc. has the highest Revenue growth at the 100% top of the scoring scale, so level and change sit with different companies. Its Revenue series carries 19 reported observations across the 20-quarter window.
What the numbers say: The Boeing Company is the scale leader at $92,184 million, 2% ahead of RTX Corporation. AeroVironment, Inc.'s growth is stored at the ≥100% scoring cap; the uncapped TTM change is 141.2% from a $1,978 million base, with 20 reported observations in the 20-quarter window. Treat the growth leader as an acceleration candidate, not as equally proven scale.
LeaderThe Boeing Company · $92,184 million
Gap2% versus #2 · RTX Corporation
Persistence5/8 recent comparable periods
Coverage22/30 companies · 524 observations
Investor read: The Boeing Company is the scale benchmark; AeroVironment, Inc. is the acceleration watch. Promote the challenger only if growth persists and converts into margin and returns.
This conclusion weakens if: The Boeing Company's growth falls below AeroVironment, Inc.'s for two consecutive comparable reports while operating margin also compresses.
Revenue is compared on a common reported-currency basis. Growth is year-on-year, so seasonality does not masquerade as progress.
Revenuelargest
1The Boeing Company BA$92.2B
2RTX Corporation RTX$90.4B
3GE Aerospace GE$50.6B
4Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. HII$12.8B
5TransDigm Group Incorporated TDG$9.5B
Revenue growthfastest growers
1AeroVironment, Inc. AVAV100%
2FTAI Aviation Ltd. FTAI48%
3Rocket Lab Corporation RKLB46%
4Axon Enterprise, Inc. AXON34%
5Planet Labs PBC PL34%
Revenue · company comparison
22/30 level · 22/30 change
Solid lines show level; dotted lines show change when “Both” is selected. Missing reports break the line rather than being invented.
All-company data · latest reported quarter
Each figure is the company’s latest single reported quarter. The rankings above use trailing-twelve-month or current-market values, so a company can legitimately show a different number in each.
Showing the 12 largest of 30 companies with a series here. The remaining 18 are complete in the plain-text rendition and the trace payload — nothing is dropped from the data, only from this grid.
Showing the 12 largest of 30 companies with a series here. The remaining 18 are complete in the plain-text rendition and the trace payload — nothing is dropped from the data, only from this grid.
TransDigm Group Incorporated has the highest OPM among the 30 Aerospace & Defense companies compared here, at 46.3%. Howmet Aerospace Inc. is next at 32.6%. Rocket Lab Corporation has the highest Margin change at +20.4 percentage points, so level and change sit with different companies. 30 of 30 companies report a comparable reading, the latest through Mar 2026.
What the numbers say: TransDigm Group Incorporated leads opm at 46.3%; Rocket Lab Corporation leads margin change at +20.4 percentage points.
LeaderTransDigm Group Incorporated · 46.3%
Gap42% versus #2 · Howmet Aerospace Inc.
Persistence6/8 recent comparable periods
Coverage30/30 companies · 524 observations
Investor read: TransDigm Group Incorporated sets the level benchmark; use the change leader as an inflection watch only after another comparable report confirms it.
This conclusion weakens if: The next two comparable reports reverse the current margin change signal.
Operating margin compares operating profit with revenue. Improvement is measured in percentage points, not percentage growth.
OPMhighest
1TransDigm Group Incorporated TDG46%
2Howmet Aerospace Inc. HWM33%
3HEICO Corporation HEI26%
4FTAI Aviation Ltd. FTAI21%
5Honeywell Aerospace Inc. HONA20%
Margin changefastest expanders
1Rocket Lab Corporation RKLB+20.4 pp
2Howmet Aerospace Inc. HWM+7.2 pp
3Axon Enterprise, Inc. AXON+5.1 pp
4AeroVironment, Inc. AVAV+3.9 pp
5Northrop Grumman Corporation NOC+3.9 pp
Operating margin · company comparison
30/30 level · 30/30 change
Solid lines show level; dotted lines show change when “Both” is selected. Missing reports break the line rather than being invented.
All-company data · latest reported quarter
Each figure is the company’s latest single reported quarter. The rankings above use trailing-twelve-month or current-market values, so a company can legitimately show a different number in each.
Showing the 12 largest of 30 companies with a series here. The remaining 18 are complete in the plain-text rendition and the trace payload — nothing is dropped from the data, only from this grid.
Showing the 12 largest of 30 companies with a series here. The remaining 18 are complete in the plain-text rendition and the trace payload — nothing is dropped from the data, only from this grid.
GE Aerospace has the highest Net profit among the 30 Aerospace & Defense companies compared here, at $8,974 million. RTX Corporation is next at $7,601 million. FTAI Aviation Ltd. has the highest Profit growth at the 100% top of the scoring scale, so level and change sit with different companies.
What the numbers say: GE Aerospace leads with $8,974 million of TTM profit, 18.1% above RTX Corporation. FTAI Aviation Ltd. shows ≥100% on the scoring scale (667.1% uncapped) growth from a $537 million profit base. Compare the size of the base and persistence before ranking acceleration above profit scale.
LeaderGE Aerospace · $8,974 million
Gap18.1% versus #2 · RTX Corporation
Persistence7/8 recent comparable periods
Coverage22/30 companies · 524 observations
Investor read: GE Aerospace sets the level benchmark; use the change leader as an inflection watch only after another comparable report confirms it.
This conclusion weakens if: The next two comparable reports reverse the current profit growth signal.
Net profit is the residual after operating costs, interest and tax. Growth off a loss or near-zero base is excluded from the fastest-grower rank.
Net profitlargest
1GE Aerospace GE$9.0B
2RTX Corporation RTX$7.6B
3The Boeing Company BA$2.3B
4TransDigm Group Incorporated TDG$2.1B
5Howmet Aerospace Inc. HWM$1.7B
Profit growthfastest growers
1FTAI Aviation Ltd. FTAI100%
2StandardAero, Inc. SARO100%
3Leonardo DRS, Inc. DRS74%
4Elbit Systems Ltd. ESLT67%
5RTX Corporation RTX55%
Net profit · company comparison
22/30 level · 19/30 change
Solid lines show level; dotted lines show change when “Both” is selected. Missing reports break the line rather than being invented.
All-company data · latest reported quarter
Each figure is the company’s latest single reported quarter. The rankings above use trailing-twelve-month or current-market values, so a company can legitimately show a different number in each.
Showing the 12 largest of 30 companies with a series here. The remaining 18 are complete in the plain-text rendition and the trace payload — nothing is dropped from the data, only from this grid.
Showing the 12 largest of 28 companies with a series here. The remaining 16 are complete in the plain-text rendition and the trace payload — nothing is dropped from the data, only from this grid.
Space Exploration Technologies Corp. has the highest CAPEX among the 30 Aerospace & Defense companies compared here, at $8,919 million. The Boeing Company is next at $1,275 million. The same company also holds the highest CAPEX intensity, at 190%. 30 of 30 companies report a comparable reading, the latest through Mar 2026.
What the numbers say: Space Exploration Technologies Corp. reports $8,919 million of CAPEX; Space Exploration Technologies Corp. has the highest covered intensity at 190%. Coverage is only 30 of 30 companies and 524 reported observations, so this is partial evidence—not a complete sector rank.
LeaderSpace Exploration Technologies Corp. · $8,919 million
Gap599.5% versus #2 · The Boeing Company
Persistence2/2 recent comparable periods
Coverage30/30 companies · 524 observations
Investor read: Use the CAPEX rank as a diligence queue. Verify commissioning, utilization, cash conversion and post-investment ROCE before treating spend as value creation.
This conclusion weakens if: CAPEX rises without higher utilization, operating cash flow or incremental returns.
CAPEX is cash spent on property, plant, equipment and other reported capital assets. CAPEX intensity divides that spend by revenue; high intensity is a reinvestment signal, not proof that the reinvestment will earn attractive returns.
CAPEXlargest spenders
1Space Exploration Technologies Corp. SPCX$8.9B
2The Boeing Company BA$1.3B
3RTX Corporation RTX$546M
4GE Aerospace GE$335M
5Lockheed Martin Corporation LMT$318M
CAPEX intensityhighest reinvestment intensity
1Space Exploration Technologies Corp. SPCX190%
2Planet Labs PBC PL18%
3Rocket Lab Corporation RKLB14%
4The Boeing Company BA5.7%
5Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. KTOS5.4%
Capital expenditure · company comparison
30/30 level · 30/30 change
Solid lines show level; dotted lines show change when “Both” is selected. Missing reports break the line rather than being invented.
All-company data · latest reported quarter
Each figure is the company’s latest single reported quarter. The rankings above use trailing-twelve-month or current-market values, so a company can legitimately show a different number in each.
Showing the 12 largest of 30 companies with a series here. The remaining 18 are complete in the plain-text rendition and the trace payload — nothing is dropped from the data, only from this grid.
Showing the 12 largest of 30 companies with a series here. The remaining 18 are complete in the plain-text rendition and the trace payload — nothing is dropped from the data, only from this grid.
Capacity base is net fixed assets plus capital work in progress, straight off the reported balance sheet. It is not cash spent, so it answers a narrower question than CAPEX — but it is reported for companies whose cash-flow CAPEX is not published, which is why it leads here. Missing years remain blank; annual values are never relabelled as quarters.
Full annual capacity base, operating cash flow, CAPEX and free cash flow history
Capacity base · net fixed assets + CWIP · fiscal-year history
Showing the 12 largest of 30 companies with a series here. The remaining 18 are complete in the plain-text rendition and the trace payload — nothing is dropped from the data, only from this grid.
Showing the 12 largest of 30 companies with a series here. The remaining 18 are complete in the plain-text rendition and the trace payload — nothing is dropped from the data, only from this grid.
Showing the 12 largest of 30 companies with a series here. The remaining 18 are complete in the plain-text rendition and the trace payload — nothing is dropped from the data, only from this grid.
Showing the 12 largest of 30 companies with a series here. The remaining 18 are complete in the plain-text rendition and the trace payload — nothing is dropped from the data, only from this grid.
Rocket Lab Corporation has the lowest Gross debt among the 30 Aerospace & Defense companies compared here, at $139 million. Leonardo DRS, Inc. is next at $151 million. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. has the lowest Net debt at $1,279 million net cash, so level and change sit with different companies.
What the numbers say: Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. has the clearest covered balance-sheet capacity with $1,279 million net cash and gross debt of $185 million. Absolute debt alone does not identify the strongest balance sheet because company scale differs; net debt and debt-to-equity carry more information.
LeaderRocket Lab Corporation · $139 million
Gap7.9% versus #2 · Leonardo DRS, Inc.
Persistence5/8 recent comparable periods
Coverage30/30 companies · 529 observations
Investor read: Prioritize net-cash capacity and leverage relative to operating scale, not the smallest absolute rupee debt.
This conclusion weakens if: Net debt rises faster than revenue and profit for two consecutive reported periods.
Gross debt shows contractual borrowings. Net debt subtracts reported cash; a negative value means net cash. Lower debt can create capacity, but should be read against the scale and capital intensity of the business.
Gross debtlowest gross debt
1Rocket Lab Corporation RKLB$139M
2Leonardo DRS, Inc. DRS$151M
3Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. KTOS$185M
4Planet Labs PBC PL$488M
5AeroVironment, Inc. AVAV$835M
Net debtlowest net debt
1Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. KTOS$-1.3B
2Rocket Lab Corporation RKLB$-1.2B
3Planet Labs PBC PL$-243M
4Leonardo DRS, Inc. DRS$-177M
5Elbit Systems Ltd. ESLT$-30M
Debt and balance-sheet capacity · company comparison
30/30 level · 30/30 change
Solid lines show level; dotted lines show change when “Both” is selected. Missing reports break the line rather than being invented.
All-company data · latest reported quarter
Each figure is the company’s latest single reported quarter. The rankings above use trailing-twelve-month or current-market values, so a company can legitimately show a different number in each.
Showing the 12 largest of 30 companies with a series here. The remaining 18 are complete in the plain-text rendition and the trace payload — nothing is dropped from the data, only from this grid.
Showing the 12 largest of 30 companies with a series here. The remaining 18 are complete in the plain-text rendition and the trace payload — nothing is dropped from the data, only from this grid.
Honeywell Aerospace Inc. has the highest ROCE among the 30 Aerospace & Defense companies compared here, at 14.4%. Howmet Aerospace Inc. is next at 7.5%. Lockheed Martin Corporation has the highest ROCE change at +4.7 percentage points, so level and change sit with different companies. 30 of 30 companies report a comparable reading, the latest through Mar 2026.
What the numbers say: Honeywell Aerospace Inc. leads ROCE at 14.4%, 6.9 percentage points above Howmet Aerospace Inc.. Lockheed Martin Corporation has the strongest latest improvement at +4.7 percentage points. Read the leader beside the density of its reported history: a sparse high return is a candidate; a repeated high return is evidence of durability.
LeaderHoneywell Aerospace Inc. · 14.4%
Gap92% versus #2 · Howmet Aerospace Inc.
PersistenceNot enough history
Coverage30/30 companies · 521 observations
Investor read: Honeywell Aerospace Inc. sets the level benchmark; use the change leader as an inflection watch only after another comparable report confirms it.
This conclusion weakens if: The next two comparable reports reverse the current roce change signal.
ROCE asks how much operating return the business earns on the capital employed. Direction matters, but a single exceptional year should not be mistaken for durability.
ROCEhighest
1Honeywell Aerospace Inc. HONA14%
2Howmet Aerospace Inc. HWM7.5%
3Lockheed Martin Corporation LMT6.8%
4TransDigm Group Incorporated TDG5.5%
5Leonardo DRS, Inc. DRS5.0%
ROCE changefastest improvers
1Lockheed Martin Corporation LMT+4.7 pp
2Rocket Lab Corporation RKLB+3.0 pp
3Honeywell Aerospace Inc. HONA+2.1 pp
4Howmet Aerospace Inc. HWM+2.0 pp
5Woodward, Inc. WWD+1.2 pp
Return on capital · company comparison
30/30 level · 30/30 change
Solid lines show level; dotted lines show change when “Both” is selected. Missing reports break the line rather than being invented.
All-company data · latest reported quarter
Each figure is the company’s latest single reported quarter. The rankings above use trailing-twelve-month or current-market values, so a company can legitimately show a different number in each.
Showing the 12 largest of 30 companies with a series here. The remaining 18 are complete in the plain-text rendition and the trace payload — nothing is dropped from the data, only from this grid.
Showing the 12 largest of 29 companies with a series here. The remaining 17 are complete in the plain-text rendition and the trace payload — nothing is dropped from the data, only from this grid.
Embraer S.A. has the lowest Guarded PEG among the 30 Aerospace & Defense companies compared here, at 0.51×. RTX Corporation is next at 0.64×. Northrop Grumman Corporation has the lowest P/E at 16.2×, so level and change sit with different companies. 14 of 30 companies report a comparable reading, the latest through Mar 2026.
What the numbers say: Embraer S.A. has the lowest comparable Guarded PEG at 0.51×, 20.3% below RTX Corporation. Only 14 of 30 companies pass the guard, so no broad “cheapest stock” conclusion is defensible unless the current multiple, own-history position and growth durability agree.
LeaderEmbraer S.A. · 0.51×
Gap20.3% versus #2 · RTX Corporation
Persistence0/8 recent comparable periods
Coverage14/30 companies · 109 observations
Investor read: Treat valuation as permission to investigate, never as a standalone reason to buy.
This conclusion weakens if: The next two comparable reports reverse the current p/e signal.
PEG is shown only when earnings are positive and three-year EPS growth is between 5% and 60%. It is recomputed consistently as the trailing P/E divided by that growth rate — reported earnings, never an expected-earnings multiple. On Indian companies it is shown only where the two data sources reconciled. A missing PEG is more honest than a low-base fiction.
Guarded PEGlowest PEG
1Embraer S.A. EMBJ0.5
2RTX Corporation RTX0.6
3CAE Inc. CAE0.7
4Elbit Systems Ltd. ESLT1.2
5Hexcel Corporation HXL1.3
P/Elowest P/E
1Northrop Grumman Corporation NOC16.2
2Textron Inc. TXT16.8
3Lockheed Martin Corporation LMT18.7
4General Dynamics Corporation GD22.0
5Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. HII24.7
Valuation · company comparison
14/30 level · 26/30 change
Solid lines show level; dotted lines show change when “Both” is selected. Missing reports break the line rather than being invented.
All-company data · latest reported quarter
Each figure is the company’s latest single reported quarter. The rankings above use trailing-twelve-month or current-market values, so a company can legitimately show a different number in each.
Showing the 12 largest of 20 companies with a series here. The remaining 8 are complete in the plain-text rendition and the trace payload — nothing is dropped from the data, only from this grid.
Showing the 12 largest of 26 companies with a series here. The remaining 14 are complete in the plain-text rendition and the trace payload — nothing is dropped from the data, only from this grid.
Textron Inc. has the lowest EV/EBITDA among the 30 Aerospace & Defense companies compared here, at 12.2×. Lockheed Martin Corporation is next at 12.3×. The same company also holds the lowest P/BV, at 1.91×. 26 of 30 companies report a comparable reading, the latest through Jun 2026. Its EV/EBITDA series carries 17 reported observations across the 20-quarter window.
What the numbers say: Textron Inc. leads both ev/ebitda at 12.2× and p/bv at 1.91×.
LeaderTextron Inc. · 12.2×
Gap0.8% versus #2 · Lockheed Martin Corporation
Persistence0/8 recent comparable periods
Coverage26/30 companies · 443 observations
Investor read: Treat valuation as permission to investigate, never as a standalone reason to buy.
This conclusion weakens if: The next two comparable reports reverse the current p/bv signal.
EV/EBITDA includes debt in enterprise value and is useful across different capital structures. P/BV prices the company against its own book. Both are market multiples on reported figures, not intrinsic-value estimates and not forecasts.
EV/EBITDAlowest EV/EBITDA
1Textron Inc. TXT12.2
2Lockheed Martin Corporation LMT12.3
3Northrop Grumman Corporation NOC14.1
4StandardAero, Inc. SARO14.5
5CAE Inc. CAE14.8
P/BVlowest P/BV
1Textron Inc. TXT1.9
2CAE Inc. CAE2.2
3AeroVironment, Inc. AVAV2.2
4Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. HII2.9
5StandardAero, Inc. SARO3.2
Enterprise and book valuation · company comparison
26/30 level · 27/30 change
Solid lines show level; dotted lines show change when “Both” is selected. Missing reports break the line rather than being invented.
All-company data · latest reported quarter
Each figure is the company’s latest single reported quarter. The rankings above use trailing-twelve-month or current-market values, so a company can legitimately show a different number in each.
Showing the 12 largest of 26 companies with a series here. The remaining 14 are complete in the plain-text rendition and the trace payload — nothing is dropped from the data, only from this grid.
Showing the 12 largest of 28 companies with a series here. The remaining 16 are complete in the plain-text rendition and the trace payload — nothing is dropped from the data, only from this grid.
Planet Labs PBC has the strongest one-year price move in Aerospace & Defense at +230.4%. Hexcel Corporation leads on Mansfield relative strength against the S&P 500 at +27.3%. 13 of 27 covered companies are above zero on that measure. Every line covers 314 weekly closes through 2026-07-28.
Every price line is indexed to 100 over the chosen window. Mansfield relative strength compares a price ratio with its own 52-week average; zero separates leadership from lagging.
Price and relative strength
Price is rebased to 100 inside the selected window. Pair ratio rebases each selected company against one chosen denominator.
Before the conclusion · check the blind spots
What can make this comparison misleading?
This Aerospace & Defense comparison names 4 specific ways its own evidence can mislead, all listed below. All 30 companies here report on comparable dates, so no rank carries a stale marker. A high growth rate can still be a low-base artefact.
Keep these limits visible
A high growth rate can be a low-base artefact. The page keeps level and change separate for that reason.
A high ROCE can be temporary or flattered by a small capital base. Read it beside margin, cash conversion and reinvestment.
The 4-Factor Sector Score ranks research priority, not portfolio action. Management quality, catalysts and risks need equally fresh evidence before capital is deployed.
An “all companies” line chart preserves completeness, but rank changes should be checked against reporting dates before drawing a conclusion.
10 · the complete set
Which companies are included?
All 30 companies in the canonical Aerospace & Defense membership are listed below, largest market value first — nothing is silently dropped, even where a company reports too little to rank. The charts above default to a selective view; this register is the complete set, with each company's own latest reporting date beside it.
AHEAD means the company is beating the index by 5% or more over three months. LAGGING, FUNDAMENTALS UP means it is 20% or more behind over a year while its trailing twelve-month earnings grew 20% or more. Both rules are fixed and applied the same way in every sector.
This comparison is built from the reported filings of 30 Aerospace & Defense companies, normalized to a common $ scale and a shared quarter axis of up to 20 quarters each. Fundamentals run through Jun 2026 and market data through 2026-07-28. A second data feed fills gaps only after identity and scale reconciliation, and missing observations are never interpolated.
FundamentalsThrough Jun 2026 · up to 20 quarters per company
Market dataThrough 2026-07-28 · weekly price and relative-strength history
Derived metricsGrowth, changes, CAPEX intensity, net debt, guarded PEG and P/BV÷ROE are calculated only when their inputs are comparable.
Score confidenceMissing and stale evidence reduces confidence and pulls the 0–100 research-priority score toward neutral.
These 18 answers restate the Aerospace & Defense comparison above in question form. Every one is computed from the same 30 companies and the same reported filings as the rankings and charts, current through Jun 2026. Price and relative-strength answers run through 2026-07-28. Nothing here is estimated, and none of it is a recommendation.
Which Aerospace & Defense company is the biggest?
The Boeing Company is the largest, with trailing-twelve-month revenue of $92,184 million, ahead of RTX Corporation at $90,373 million. That covers 22 of 30 companies with comparable reporting through Mar 2026.
Which Aerospace & Defense company is growing fastest?
AeroVironment, Inc. has the fastest revenue growth at 100% year on year, across 22 of 30 comparable companies. Fast growth off a small base is not the same as proven scale — check whether the rate holds across several quarters on the chart above before treating it as a trend.
Which Aerospace & Defense company has the best profit margins?
TransDigm Group Incorporated has the highest operating margin at 46.3%, from 30 of 30 comparable companies. Rocket Lab Corporation shows the biggest recent improvement, at +20.4 percentage points. A high margin matters most when it is holding or rising, not when it is peaking.
Which Aerospace & Defense company makes the most profit?
GE Aerospace earns the most, at $8,974 million of trailing-twelve-month net profit, from 22 of 30 comparable companies. FTAI Aviation Ltd. has the fastest profit growth at 100%, though growth off a small or recovering profit base overstates how much has actually changed.
Which Aerospace & Defense company earns the highest return on capital?
Honeywell Aerospace Inc. leads on return on capital employed at 14.4%, across 30 of 30 companies. Read it beside the length of its reported history: a high return that repeats for years is evidence of a durable business, while a single high reading can be a small capital base or one good year.
Which Aerospace & Defense stock is the cheapest?
On guarded PEG — where a LOWER number is cheaper — Embraer S.A. screens cheapest at 0.51×. Only 14 of 30 companies pass the comparability guard, so this is not a sector-wide "cheapest stock" verdict. Cheap on a multiple is a reason to investigate, never a reason to buy on its own.
Which Aerospace & Defense company has the strongest balance sheet?
Rocket Lab Corporation carries the lowest comparable gross debt at $139 million, from 30 of 30 companies. Absolute rupee debt alone does not settle it, because company scale differs — net debt and debt-to-equity in the chart above carry more information, and a very low-debt balance sheet can also mean under-investment.
Which Aerospace & Defense company is investing most in new capacity?
Space Exploration Technologies Corp. reports the largest capital spending at $8,919 million, across 30 of 30 companies. Spending consumes cash before it earns anything, so treat the ranking as a diligence queue: check commissioning, utilisation and the return earned on the completed assets before reading spend as value creation.
Is the Aerospace & Defense sector beating the market?
Aerospace & Defense has outperformed S&P 500 by 10.2% over the last 52 weeks and 1% over 13 weeks, measured on an equal-weight index of its current members. Inside the sector, 13 of 27 covered companies are beating the market on their own. Sector strength does not transfer evenly to every stock in it.
Which Aerospace & Defense stock has the strongest price momentum?
Hexcel Corporation has the strongest relative strength against S&P 500. Relative strength answers last, after growth, quality and valuation: price can move well before the fundamentals confirm it, and sometimes without them confirming at all.
Which Aerospace & Defense company scores highest for research priority?
Howmet Aerospace Inc. scores 70.3 out of 100 with 82% evidence confidence, from 25.6 points on growth and earnings, 15.3 on capital efficiency, 10.9 on valuation and 18.5 on relative strength. This ranks what deserves work next. It is not a buy recommendation, and management quality, catalysts and risk still need separate research.
How many Aerospace & Defense companies does this comparison cover, and over what period?
It compares 30 listed companies over up to 20 reported quarters of fundamentals and 6 fiscal years of capital allocation, ending Jun 2026, plus weekly price and relative-strength history. Membership is the full sector list — nothing is dropped for having thin data.
What is the total market cap of the Aerospace & Defense sector?
The 30 Aerospace & Defense companies on this page carry $3,389,884 million of combined market value. Space Exploration Technologies Corp. is the largest at $1,534,656 million, about 45% of the sector's total on its own. Market value moves with price, so this reading is dated 2026-07-28.
What is the Aerospace & Defense sector's P/E ratio?
The median price-to-earnings ratio across the 30 Aerospace & Defense companies on this page is 45.9×, measured on the 26 that report a comparable figure. A sector-level history for this multiple is not held here, so this is a cross-section of today, not a comparison with the sector’s own past. Figures are as of 2026-07-28.
How is the Aerospace & Defense sector performing?
13 of the 27 covered Aerospace & Defense companies are beating S&P 500 on Mansfield relative strength. The sector itself is 10.2% ahead of S&P 500 over 52 weeks on an equal-weight index of its current members. Readings are as of 2026-07-28.
How many Aerospace & Defense stocks are listed in the US?
This comparison covers 30 listed Aerospace & Defense companies in the US, each above the size floor the site applies. The full ranked list is on this page, with reported fundamentals through Jun 2026. Membership is the full industry list — nothing is dropped for having thin data.
Why are some values on this page blank?
A blank means that company did not report a comparable figure for that period, so nothing is shown. Missing observations are never interpolated, carried forward, or replaced with a similar-looking accounting line, and a company with missing evidence has its research score pulled toward neutral rather than being scored as bad.
Is this investment advice?
No. Every figure here is a deterministic calculation from reported company filings and market data, published for research. It contains no recommendation to buy or sell any security, does not account for your circumstances, and is not a substitute for advice from a licensed adviser.