New: Evolving the Heatmap: Dow Jones, Nasdaq 100, Russell 2000, and More

Learn More

Zacks Investment Ideas feature highlights: GE Aerospace, Howmet Aerospace, Astronics and TAT Technologies

By Zacks Equity Research | October 01, 2025, 3:59 AM

For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – October 1, 2025 – Today, Zacks Investment Ideas feature highlights GE Aerospace GE, Howmet Aerospace HWM, Astronics ATRO and TAT Technologies TATT.

Still Time to Buy the Top Aerospace/Defense Stocks?

The pile into aerospace and defense stocks has lost steam, but thankfully, some of the major global conflicts have begun to ease, particularly between Israel and Iran.

Nevertheless, aerospace and defense stocks have proven to be viable investments as global defense spending has continued to surge in response to such escalating geopolitical tensions. Last year, defense spending surged over 8% to a record $2.3 trillion, with the upward momentum carrying into 2025.

With defense budgets expanding worldwide, particularly in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, many savvy investors are closely monitoring the top aerospace and defense stocks.

GE & Howmet Aerospace’s Leadership

At the helm of engineered solutions for both defense and commercial aircraft have been GE Aerospace and Howmet Aerospace. Outside of the defense spending surge, GE and Howmet are benefiting from a push into more fuel-efficient commercial aircraft, as airlines upgrade their fleets to meet emission goals.

Seeing increased demand for advanced airline components, GE’s revenue jumped 23% year over year in Q2 to $10.15 billion, driven by high demand for its LEAP GEnx and GE9X engines. Meanwhile, high demand for engine spares such as turbine blades led to Howmet posting record Q2 revenue of $2.05 billion, with the company hitting a quarterly peak for profits and cash flow as well.

Despite their phenomenal gains in recent years, buyer exhaustion has yet to set in, with GE and Howmet expected to post high double-digit EPS growth for the foreseeable future. At the moment, GE stock lands a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) with HWM shares sporting a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) in correlation with a trend of positive earnings estimate revisions over the last 60 days.

Top Niche Equipment Providers

Disrupters or companies with a niche tend to attract investors, and Astronics and TAT Technologies have done so as specialized aerospace defense equipment providers.

Astronics' stock had spent quite some time on the coveted Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) list as a manufacturer of specialized lighting and electronics for military, commercial transport, and private business jet aircraft. That said, ATRO has now soared nearly +200% this year but currently sports a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) as EPS revisions have remained higher in the last two months, suggesting more upside despite such an extravagant rally.

As for TAT Technologies, the trend of positive EPS revisions has kept it on the strong buy list after being added two weeks ago, with the company providing heating and cooling systems, along with emergency power systems and jet fuel starters for F-16s. Like Astronics, TAT Technologies' stock is hovering near a 52-week high of over $40 a share, with TATT up more than +70% YTD.

Along with their increased profitability, the excitement for these aerospace sector stocks has been attributed to their reasonable valuations luring investors. To that point, both still trade at 27X forward earnings, offering a nice discount to their Zacks Aerospace-Defense Equipment Industry average of 34X, and being closer to the benchmark S&P 500’s average.

Bottom Line

The performance of these top aerospace and defense stocks has been absolutely mesmerizing, making them worth keeping an eye on as global defense spending has remained near record levels. While there may be reluctance to chase the rally, they certainly may serve as some of the best buy-the-dip candidates to consider.

Why Haven't You Looked at Zacks' Top Stocks?

Since 2000, our top stock-picking strategies have blown away the S&P's +7.7% average gain per year. Amazingly, they soared with average gains of +48.4%, +50.2% and +56.7% per year.

Today you can access their live picks without cost or obligation.

Media Contact

Zacks Investment Research

800-767-3771 ext. 9339

[email protected]

https://www.zacks.com

Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.

Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report


 
GE Aerospace (GE): Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Astronics Corporation (ATRO): Free Stock Analysis Report
 
TAT Technologies Ltd. (TATT): Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Howmet Aerospace Inc. (HWM): Free Stock Analysis Report

This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

Zacks Investment Research

Latest News