The first full week of May represented another checkpoint for investors to gauge the financial performance of the U.S.™ largest government contractors and get an idea of what the domestic and global GovCon markets will look like this year and beyond.

For this new round of earnings reports, the Middle East appeared to be a major driver of top-line results for two GovCon product makers and another pair of services-oriented companies started the year with earnings and revenue that met or œBeat The Street.

Orbital ATK and Harris Corp. both said their respective first and second fiscal quarters saw lower volumes in the Middle East, a trend that comes in conjunction with low oil prices.

For GovCon™s services side, both Engility and ICF International posted first quarter earnings and revenue figures above analyst expectations in a possible hint to investors that this arena of government contracting still has some returns to offer.

As of this publication’s send, our GovCon Index of 30 large contractor stocks is on pace for a 0.7-point gain thanks to Huntington Ingalls Industries, which has surged 6.5 percent since Thursday morning’s open after the Newport News-based shipbuilder soared past Wall Street’s first quarter expectations.

Our senior editor Ross Wilkers and WMAL radio™s œNational Defense Week anchor Francis Rose recorded a discussion set to air this Sunday morning on defense contractors™ financial performance and the differing pictures product makers and service providers have given investors.

Wilkers and Rose also overviewed why some analysts singled out Northrop Grumman as a prime stock to watch this year and next, plus the defense industry’s current M&A picture.

Tune your radio dial to WMAL 630 AM and 105.9 FM in Washington or stream the station online from 11 a.m. Eastern time Sunday to hear the full program and hear the full discussion between Wilkers and Rose.

Also check out the œNational Defense Week website here for the full show archive and segments from previous programs, plus subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or Stitcher Radio.

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