RTX Corporation (RTX) has delivered a standout performance in 2026, separating itself from the broader aerospace sector by a significant margin.
The company has returned approximately 15.6% since the start of the calendar year, well ahead of the average aerospace stock, which has lost about 1.2% over the same period.
RTX belongs to the Zacks Aerospace group, a collection of 76 companies that currently holds the top position, ranked #1 in the Zacks Sector Rank system.
The Zacks Sector Rank evaluates 16 different sector groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of individual stocks within each group, then listing sectors from best to worst.
RTX currently carries a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), a designation that reflects the system’s emphasis on earnings estimate revisions and their power to predict near-term market performance.
Supporting that bullish ranking, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for RTX’s full-year earnings has moved 4.4% higher over the past quarter, signaling growing confidence among analysts covering the stock.
More narrowly, RTX is part of the Aerospace – Defense industry, a 39-stock group currently ranked #98 in the Zacks Industry Rank that has lost an average of 1.9% year-to-date.
Even within that weaker industry subgroup, RTX’s 15.6% gain stands out as a clear sign the company is outperforming on both a sector and industry basis.
Rolls-Royce Holdings PLC (RYCEY) has posted an even more impressive run, climbing 32.1% year-to-date to emerge as one of the strongest performers across the entire aerospace landscape.
Rolls-Royce falls under the Aerospace – Defense Equipment industry, a 36-stock group ranked #37 that has gained 0.6% on average since the beginning of the year.
The consensus earnings per share estimate for Rolls-Royce for the current year has increased 14.7% over the past three months, reflecting sharply improving analyst sentiment around the company.
Rolls-Royce also holds a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), putting it in the same favorable tier as RTX as both companies continue to build on their year-to-date momentum.
With both RTX and Rolls-Royce Holdings PLC posting gains well above their industry and sector averages, investors tracking aerospace stocks have two compelling names worth watching closely heading into the back half of 2026.
