5 High-Flying Aerospace and Defense Stocks to Buy

Just last week, aerospace giant Boeing (NYSE: BA ) inked two record deals.
First, an $18 billion contract for 777 jets, followed soon after by a $21.7
billion order . It all goes to show that even though government spending may not
be what it once was, the private sector has created strong demand for aerospace
and defense stocks these days. I watch more than 5,000 publicly traded companies
with my Portfolio Grader tool, ranking companies by a number of fundamental and
quantitative measures. This week, Ive zeroed in on five aerospace and defense
stocks to buy. Here they are, in alphabetical order. Each one of these stocks
gets an "A" or "B" according to my research, meaning it is a "strong
buy" or "buy." Goodrich (NYSE: GR ) supplies aerospace components, systems
and services to the general airplane market. GR stock is up 39% year-to-date
compared to the Dow Jones, which is down slightly on the year. HEICO (NYSE: HEI
) is an aerospace, industrial, defense and electronics company whose products
can be found on large commercial aircraft, regional, business and military
aircraft; a large variety of industrial turbines; targeting systems; missiles
and electro-optical devices. HEI stock is flying high up 35% YTD. Lockheed
Martin (NYSE: LMT ) researches, designs, develops, manufactures, integrates and
sustains highly advanced technology systems and products. A modest return of 6%
year-to-date has ensured LMT a spot on this defense stock list. Precision
Castparts Corp. (NYSE: PCP ) manufactures complex metal components and products
that provide investment castings, forgings and fasteners/fastener systems for
aerospace and industrial gas turbine applications. PCP stock has risen nearly
11% YTD. TransDigm Group (NYSE: TDG ) designs, produces and supplies highly
engineered aircraft components to its customers across the globe. Year-to-date,
TDG stock has climbed almost 29%. Get more analysis of these picks and other
publicly traded stocks with Louis Navellier's Portfolio Grader tool, a 100%
free stock-rating tool that measures both quantitative buying pressure and eight
fundamental factors.