Should Curtiss-Wright’s Strong Q4 and Upgraded 2026 Outlook Require Action From CW Investors?

• Curtiss-Wright reported its fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 results earlier this month, with revenue rising to US$946.98 million in Q4 and US$3.50 billion for the year, alongside higher net income and earnings per share from continuing operations.
• The company also issued 2026 guidance calling for higher total sales, operating income, and diluted EPS, indicating management’s confidence in converting its record backlog and segment momentum into further operational gains.
• We'll now examine how this strong Q4 performance and upgraded 2026 outlook may influence Curtiss-Wright's existing investment narrative.

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Curtiss-Wright Investment Narrative Recap

To stay invested in Curtiss-Wright, you really need to believe that defense and nuclear demand, plus high value electronics, can keep supporting profitable growth despite contract and budget volatility. The latest Q4 beat and 2026 guidance reinforce the near term catalyst around converting a record backlog into higher earnings, while the biggest risk still looks tied to concentration in large defense and nuclear programs rather than anything materially new from this update.

The most relevant recent announcement here is the 2026 guidance, which calls for total sales of US$3,710 million to US$3,765 million, operating income of US$703 million to US$722 million, and diluted EPS of US$14.70 to US$15.15. That outlook leans on strong defense and nuclear pipelines as key earnings drivers, but it also sharpens the risk that any slowdown or timing slippage in major contracts could matter more given how much is now riding on backlog conversion and margin delivery.

Yet behind the upbeat headline numbers, the concentration in large defense and nuclear contracts remains a risk investors should be aware of if...

Read the full narrative on Curtiss-Wright (it's free!)

Curtiss-Wright's narrative projects $4.0 billion revenue and $593.3 million earnings by 2028. This requires 6.8% yearly revenue growth and about a $141.9 million earnings increase from $451.4 million today.

Uncover how Curtiss-Wright's forecasts yield a $608.17 fair value, a 15% downside to its current price.

Exploring Other Perspectives

Before this earnings news, the most pessimistic analysts were assuming revenue of about US$3.9 billion and earnings of roughly US$565.9 million by 2028, so compared with concerns about naval timing and Defense Electronics disruptions, you can see how different your view might be from theirs and why it is worth weighing several competing stories about Curtiss-Wright’s future.

Explore 4 other fair value estimates on Curtiss-Wright - why the stock might be worth as much as 8% more than the current price!

The Verdict Is Yours

Don't just follow the ticker - dig into the data and build a conviction that's truly your own.

• A great starting point for your Curtiss-Wright research is our analysis highlighting 2 key rewards and 1 important warning sign that could impact your investment decision.
• Our free Curtiss-Wright research report provides a comprehensive fundamental analysis summarized in a single visual - the Snowflake - making it easy to evaluate Curtiss-Wright's overall financial health at a glance.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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