Shares of Paras Defence and Space Technologies rallied as much as 10% to their day's high of Rs 1,439 on the BSE on Friday, extending gains for the third straight session and taking their three-day advance to an impressive 28%.
The stock has emerged as one of the standout performers in the defence space this year, surging a staggering 120% over the last six months and delivering multibagger returns to investors. On Friday, trading activity remained exceptionally strong. Exchange data showed that 68.39 lakh shares changed hands during the session, translating into turnover of nearly Rs 940 crore.
Paras Defence share price rally trigger
The latest rally comes on the back of a strong push in India's defence manufacturing ecosystem. Earlier this year, the Ministry of Defence announced that indigenous defence production climbed to Rs 1.78 lakh crore in FY26, representing a 15.6% increase from Rs 1.54 lakh crore in the previous financial year. The achievement is even more striking when viewed over a longer period, with production more than doubling from Rs 84,643 crore in FY21, marking growth of 110%.
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Public sector undertakings continued to account for the bulk of production, contributing nearly 76% of the total. At the same time, the private sector's share rose to 24%, with production touching Rs 42,000 crore in FY26 compared with 22% in FY25.
"The growth in defence production over the years has tremendously contributed to achieving the record defence exports of Rs 38,424 crore in FY 2025-26. The achievement reflects the growing momentum of the Government's push for self-reliance in defence manufacturing under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative, spearheaded by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi," the ministry said in a statement.
The ministry also highlighted on X that India is building one of the world's strongest security architectures, citing the world's largest border-guarding force, extensive border fencing, the Sudarshan Chakra, stronger counter-terror capabilities, and rapid growth in indigenous defence manufacturing.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said India has undergone a historic transformation in its national security framework under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership.
"From a policy of zero tolerance against terrorism to decisive actions such as Surgical Strikes, Balakot and Operation Sindoor, India has sent a clear message that its sovereignty is non-negotiable," Singh said in a post on X.
He further said the government's commitment to Aatmanirbharta in defence has significantly strengthened domestic capabilities, modernised the armed forces, and enhanced preparedness across land, sea, air, cyber, and space domains.
"The journey of the last 12 years reflects a stronger, safer, self-reliant and more confident India, ready to safeguard its national interests and emerge as a leading global power," he added.
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Where is the defence sector headed?
"We have been bullish on the Indian defence sector, as we were clear that our armed forces, consisting of all three services, had to up their spends to be technologically up-to-date," said Dinshaw Irani, Chief Executive of Helios Capital India.
He noted that the Russia-Ukraine war prompted NATO countries to significantly increase defence spending, further strengthening the long-term outlook for the sector.
"We were further convinced that India, being a friendly and peace-loving country with a low-cost base, will become a sourcing base for defence products. Small beginnings have been made, and the future holds a fair bit of promise," he said.
The optimism around the defence theme is also reflected in institutional ownership trends. Despite the broader FII selloff, foreign investors have steadily increased their exposure to Paras Defence. FII holdings in the company have risen from 3.46% to 5.06%, even as the stock has delivered a return of 121%.
(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times)
