Why Curtiss-Wright Stock Deserves a Spot in Your Portfolio Right Now

Curtiss-Wright Corp. CW benefits from commercial nuclear aftermarket sales and shareholder-friendly efforts, which have contributed significantly to the company's overall expansion. Given its significant growth, CW is a good investment opportunity in the Zacks Aerospace Defense Equipment industry.

Let us focus on the factors that make this Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) company a strong investment pick at the moment.

CW’s Growth Forecast & Surprise History

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CW’s 2025 earnings per share (EPS) has increased 3.7% to $12.61 per share over the past 60 days.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CW’s 2025 revenues stands at $3.38 billion, which indicates growth of 8.5%.

The company’s long-term (three to five years) earnings growth rate is 12%. CW surpassed expectations in the last four reported quarters and delivered an average earnings surprise of 13.34%.

CW’s Return to Shareholders

CW has been increasing its shareholders’ value through regular dividend payments. Currently, the company’s quarterly dividend is 24 cents per share, resulting in an annualized dividend of 96 cents. The company’s current dividend yield is 0.20%, better than the industry's average of 0.16%.

Curtiss-Wright’s Liquidity Snapshot

Curtiss-Wright’s current ratio at the end of the first quarter of 2025 was 1.89, higher than the industry’s average of 1.76. The ratio being greater than one indicates the company’s ability to meet its future short-term liabilities without difficulties.

CW’s Return on Equity

Return on equity (ROE) indicates how efficiently a company utilizes funds to generate higher returns. Currently, CW’s ROE is 18.02%, higher than the industry average of 8.44%. This indicates that the company has been utilizing funds more constructively than its peers in the aerospace defense equipment industry.

CW’s Debt Structure

Currently, Curtiss-Wright’s total debt to capital is 27.25%, much better than the industry’s average of 51.94%.

CW’s times interest earned ratio (TIE) at the end of the first quarter of 2025 was 13.3. The ratio, being greater than one, reflects the company’s ability to meet future interest obligations without difficulties.

Curtiss-Wright’s Nuclear Operations Stay Robust

The United States remains an important market for Curtiss-Wright's nuclear power expansion. The company's commercial nuclear aftermarket sales climbed dramatically in the first quarter of 2025, led by rising demand for innovative small modular reactors. Curtiss-Wright strengthened its position in December 2024 by acquiring Ultra Energy, a provider of neutron and radiation monitoring, sensors and reactor protection systems.

CW is aggressively working with leading 300-megawatt reactor designers to acquire roles in the development of critical systems and equipment, preparing the company for continued expansion in the growing U.S. and global nuclear markets.

CW Stock Price Performance

In the past three months, Curtiss-Wright stock has rallied 57.4% compared with the industry’s growth of 29%.

Other Stocks to Consider

A few other top-ranked stocks from the same industry are Loar Holdings Inc. LOAR, Woodward, Inc. WWD and Elbit Systems ESLT, each carrying a Zacks Rank #2 at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

LOAR delivered an average earnings surprise of 31.88% in the past four quarters. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the company’s total revenues for 2025 stands at $487 million, which indicates year-over-year growth of 20.9%.

Woodward’s long-term earnings growth rate is 13.7%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for WWD’s fiscal 2025 sales is pegged at $3.45 billion, which implies an improvement of 3.7%.

ESLT delivered an average earnings surprise of 21.12% in the past four quarters. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the company’s total revenues for 2025 stands at $7.77 billion, which suggests year-over-year growth of 13.8%.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

Zacks Investment Research