Sifting through countless of stocks in the Aerospace & Defense industry can be tedious, and sometimes two stocks are just too similar to judge which is the better investment. If you’re on the fence about investing in AAR Corp. or Ducommun Incorporated because you’re not sure how they measure up, it’s important to compare them on a few factors before making your decision.

Read on to learn how AAR Corp. and Ducommun Incorporated compare based on key financial metrics to determine which better meets your investment needs.

About AAR Corp. and Ducommun Incorporated

AAR Corp. provides products and services to commercial aviation, government, and defense markets in North America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and internationally. It operates through four segments: Parts Supply, Repair & Engineering, Integrated Solutions, and Expeditionary Services. The company leases and sells aircraft components and replacement parts; and designs, manufactures, and repairs transportation pallets. The company also provides airframe maintenance services, such as airframe inspection, painting services, line maintenance, airframe modifications, structural repairs, avionics service and installation, exterior, and interior refurbishment services; component repair services, including maintenance, repair, and overhaul services, engine and airframe accessories, and interior refurbishment; and engineering services, such as integration, certification and procurement. In addition, it develops aircraft components and parts; designs proprietary designated engineering representative repairs; and provides integrated software solutions comprising Trax, a cloud-based electronic enterprise resource platform, as well as a suite of paperless mobility apps for automating workflows. Further, the company engages in the fleet management and operation of customer-owned aircraft; provision of supply chain logistics services, such as material planning, sourcing, logistics, information and program management, and parts and component repair and overhaul services, as well as engineering, design, and system integration services for specialized command and control systems; and flight hour component inventory and repair services. Additionally, it offers containers and shelters for military and humanitarian tactical deployment activities; and shelters, such as stationary and vehicle-mounted applications. AAR Corp. was founded in 1951 and is headquartered in Wood Dale, Illinois.

Ducommun Incorporated provides engineering and manufacturing services for products and applications used in the aerospace and defense, industrial, medical, and other industries in the United States. It operates through two segments, Electronic Systems and Structural Systems. The Electronic Systems segment provides cable assemblies and interconnect systems; printed circuit board assemblies; electronic, electromechanical, and mechanical components and assemblies, as well as lightning diversion systems; and radar enclosures, aircraft avionics racks, shipboard communications and control enclosures, wire harnesses, interconnect systems, lightning diversion strips, surge suppressors, conformal shields, and other assemblies. This segment also supplies engineered products, including illuminated pushbutton switches and panels for aviation and test systems; microwave and millimeter switches and filters for radio frequency systems and test instrumentation; and motors and resolvers for motion control, as well as provides engineering services for aerospace system design, development, integration, and testing service. The Structural Systems segment designs, engineers, and manufactures complex contoured aerostructure components assemblies and supplies, including composite and metal bonded structures, precision profile extrusions, extruded assemblies, ammunition handling systems, seals, and aerodynamic systems; designs, engineers, and manufactures contoured aluminum, titanium, and Inconel aero structure components; structural assembly products, such as winglets, engine components, fuselage structural panels; aircraft wing spoilers, fuselage skins, rotor blades, flight control surfaces, engine nacelle components, feed and eject chutes, storage magazines, custom gun mounts. It serves commercial aircraft, military fixed-wing aircraft, military and commercial rotary-wing aircraft, and space programs. The company was founded in 1849 and is headquartered in Costa Mesa, California.

Latest Aerospace & Defense and AAR Corp., Ducommun Incorporated Stock News

As of May 7, 2026, AAR Corp. had a $4.6 billion market capitalization, compared to the Aerospace & Defense median of $4.7 million. AAR Corp.’s stock is up 43.1% in 2026, up 7.4% in the previous five trading days and up 100.44% in the past year.

Currently, AAR Corp.’s price-earnings ratio is 26.1. AAR Corp.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $3.1 billion with a 5.5% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 24.6%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $4.896 per share for the current fiscal year. AAR Corp. does not currently pay a dividend.

As of May 7, 2026, Ducommun Incorporated had a $2.1 billion market cap, putting it in the 55th percentile of all stocks. Ducommun Incorporated’s stock is up 45.6% in 2026, down 2% in the previous five trading days and up 126.32% in the past year.

Currently, Ducommun Incorporated does not have a price-earnings ratio. Ducommun Incorporated’s trailing 12-month revenue is $824.7 million with a -4.1% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 9.4%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $4.206 per share for the current fiscal year. Ducommun Incorporated does not currently pay a dividend.

How We Compare AAR Corp. and Ducommun Incorporated Stock Grades

Stock evaluation requires access to huge amounts of data and the knowledge and time to sift through it all, make sense of financial ratios, read income statements and analyze recent stock movements. AAII created A+ Investor, a robust data suite that condenses data research in an actionable and customizable way suitable for investors of all knowledge levels, to help investors streamline and work through such data.

AAII’s proprietary stock grades come with A+ Investor. These offer intuitive A‐F grades for each of five key investing factors: value, growth, momentum, earnings estimate revisions and quality. Here, we’ll take a closer look at AAR Corp. and Ducommun Incorporated’s stock grades to see how they measure up against one another.

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AAR Corp. and Ducommun Incorporated Stock Value Grades

Company	Ticker	Value
AAR Corp.	AIR	D
Ducommun Incorporated	DCO	D

Successful stock investing involves buying low and selling high, so stock valuation is an important consideration for stock selection.

Buying stocks that are going to go up typically means buying stocks that are undervalued in the first place, although momentum investors may argue that point.

AAII’s A+ Investor Value Grade derives from a stock’s value score. The Value Score is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks of the price-to-sales ratio, price-earnings ratio, enterprise-value-to-EBITDA (EV/EBITDA) ratio, shareholder yield, price-to-book-value ratio and price-to-free-cash-flow ratio. The score is variable, meaning it can consider all six ratios or, should any of the six ratios not be valid, the remaining ratios that are valid. To be assigned a Value Score, stocks must have a valid (non-null) ratio and corresponding ranking for at least two of the six valuation ratios.

Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are a good value and so on.

AAR Corp. has a Value Score of 26, which is Expensive. Ducommun Incorporated has a Value Score of 30, which is Expensive.

The Value Stock Winner: No Clear Winner

Neither AAR Corp. or Ducommun Incorporated has a high enough value grade to be considered a “winner.” Investors who are considering these companies should do additional due diligence and research to see if either could be a good addition to their portfolio. It’s important to look at a wide range of financial metrics in order to determine if AAR Corp. or Ducommun Incorporated is the better investment when it comes to value.

AAR Corp. and Ducommun Incorporated Growth Grades

Company	Ticker	Growth
AAR Corp.	AIR	A
Ducommun Incorporated	DCO	C

The foundation of growth investing is seeking out stocks of companies exhibiting strong, consistent and prolonged growth that is expected to continue into the future.

In order to compute the growth score and assign it a letter grade, the percentile ranks for each of three components‐consistency of annual sales growth, five-year sales growth rankings adjusted for extreme levels, and consistency of positive annual cash from operations‐must be determined. These three rank figures are added together, and the sum is ranked against the entire stock universe to arrive at a company’s Growth Score to create an equal distribution of grades.

The companies in the bottom 20% of the stock universe receive Growth Grades of F, considered to be very weak, while those in the top 20% receive A grades, which are considered very strong.

AAR Corp. has a Growth Score of 95, which is Very Strong. Ducommun Incorporated has a Growth Score of 45, which is Average.

The Growth Grade Winner: AAR Corp.

As you can clearly see from the Growth Grade breakdown above, AAR Corp. has a more attractive growth grade than Ducommun Incorporated. For investors who focus solely on how a company is growing relative to other companies in the same industry, AAR Corp. could be a good stock to add to their portfolio. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

AAR Corp. and Ducommun Incorporated’s Momentum Grades

Company	Ticker	Momentum
AAR Corp.	AIR	B
Ducommun Incorporated	DCO	A

Momentum grades help to uncover stocks experiencing anomalously high rates of return; research finds that stocks with high relative levels of momentum tend to outperform, whereas those with low levels of momentum tend to continue underperforming. Momentum is based on the price change of a stock over a specified period relative to all other stocks.

Typically, AAII looks at the weighted relative strength over the trailing four quarters. The weighted four-quarter relative strength rank is the relative price change for each of the past four quarters. The most recent quarterly price change is given a weight of 40% and each of the three previous quarters are given a weighting of 20%.

AAR Corp. has a Momentum Score of 79, which is Strong. Ducommun Incorporated has a Momentum Score of 84, which is Very Strong.

The Momentum Grade Winner: Ducommun Incorporated

As you can clearly see from the Momentum Grade breakdown above, Ducommun Incorporated is considered to have stronger momentum compared to AAR Corp.. For those specifically looking for companies that have stronger momentum compared to other companies in the same industry, Ducommun Incorporated could be a good stock to invest in. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Other AAR Corp. and Ducommun Incorporated Grades

In addition to Growth, Value and Momentum, A+ Investor also provides grades for Estimate Revisions and Quality.

Earnings estimate revisions scores take into account the magnitude of a company’s earnings surprise in its last two reported fiscal quarters. Often, surprises beget further surprises‐or at least continued sales growth (the exact opposite is generally true, too).

AAII’s A+ Investor Quality Grade comes from the ranking of key metrics. Specifically, the quality grade is the percentile rank of the composite of return on assets (ROA), return on invested capital (ROIC), gross profit relative to assets, buyback yield, change in total liabilities to assets, accruals, Z double prime bankruptcy risk (Z) score and F-Score.

These 2 key factors, when combined with the above, provide a holistic view into a particular stock. Further, by joining A+ Investor you can see whether AAR Corp. and Ducommun Incorporated pass any of our 60+ stock screens that have outperformed the market since their creation.

So, Which Is the Better Investment, AAR Corp. or Ducommun Incorporated Stock?

Overall, AAR Corp. stock has a Value Score of 26, Growth Score of 95 and Momentum Score of 79.

Ducommun Incorporated stock has a Value Score of 30, Growth Score of 45 and Momentum Score of 84.

Comparing AAR Corp. and Ducommun Incorporated’s grades, scores and metrics can act as a solid basis to determine whether they may be a good investment or not. You’ll also want to look at your portfolio’s asset allocation as well as your risk tolerance and financial goals to see if either of these stocks would make a good fit for you. AAII can help you figure out which investments align with your individual needs and preferences.

Investors are encouraged to do their own due diligence and research. In this way, individuals can effectively become managers of their own assets‐without having to rely on others for financial independence. You can count on AAII for timeless articles on financial planning and stock-picking, unbiased research and actionable analysis.

A+ Investor adds to our qualitative teaching with a powerful data suite to help you whittle down investment choices to find stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds that meet your needs.

AAII Disclaimer

We make no representations or warranties that any investor will, or is likely to, achieve profits similar to those shown, because past, hypothetical or simulated performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Before making an investment decision, you should consider your circumstances and whether the information on our content is applicable to your situation. This information was prepared in good faith, and we accept no liability for any errors or omissions. The full disclaimer can be read here.