Howmet Aerospace (HWM) has emerged as one of the standout performers in the Aerospace sector through the first months of 2026.
The company is one of 81 stocks tracked within the Aerospace group, which currently ranks second among the 16 sectors measured by the Zacks Sector Rank.
That ranking is based on the average Zacks Rank of individual stocks within each sector, giving investors a broad view of group-level momentum and strength.
Howmet currently holds a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), reflecting positive signals tied to earnings estimates and recent upward revisions from analysts.
Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for HWM’s full-year earnings has moved 5.7% higher, pointing to growing confidence in the company’s financial outlook.
Year-to-date, HWM has returned approximately 11.4%, a striking contrast to the Aerospace sector’s average decline of 11.3% over the same period.
That gap of more than 22 percentage points highlights just how sharply Howmet has diverged from the broader group this year.
RTX Corporation (RTX) is another Aerospace name that has managed to outperform the sector so far in 2026, posting a year-to-date return of 0.9%.
While RTX’s gain is modest compared to Howmet’s, it still represents meaningful outperformance against a sector that has lost significant ground this year.
The consensus earnings-per-share estimate for RTX for the current year has risen 4.4% over the past three months, and the stock also carries a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
Both HWM and RTX belong to the Aerospace – Defense industry, a subgroup of 42 companies that currently sits at #108 in the Zacks Industry Rank.
That industry has shed an average of 12.5% on a year-to-date basis, making both stocks’ positive returns even more notable against the backdrop of broad sector weakness.
The Zacks Rank system is built around earnings estimate revisions, which have historically been strong predictors of near-term stock performance over a one-to-three month horizon.
Howmet’s combination of double-digit returns and improving analyst sentiment positions it as a company worth watching closely as the year continues to unfold.
Investors tracking the Aerospace space would do well to monitor both Howmet and RTX, given their demonstrated ability to hold up in a difficult market environment.
