New Delhi, Sept. 17 -- Defence stocks were in the spotlight on Thursday, 17 September, as investors stepped in for value buying, while the sector continued to draw attention because of its long-term growth prospects.

The gains were broad-based, with names across defence manufacturing, electronics, aerospace and engineering companies moving higher even as the benchmark Nifty remained flat.

Paras Defence and Space Technologies jumped 4.5% to Rs.1,379.10, leading the gains among the defence counters in focus. Data Patterns rose 4.2% to Rs.4,506.05, while MTAR Technologies advanced 3.8% to Rs.7,060.

BEML added 3.6% to Rs.2,066.05, and Apollo Micro Systems gained 3.5% to Rs.382.90.

Among other stocks, GRSE rose 2.3%, while Bharat Forge and...