Curtiss-Wright (CW) Stock Forecast & Price Target

Curtiss-Wright is supported by a durable mix of naval, defense electronics, and nuclear exposure, with 1Q27 revenue of $952.6M, orders of $1.067B, and backlog of $4.6B all pointing to strong demand visibility. Its positive outlook is reinforced by revenue, EBIT, and EPS beating consensus by 1.8%, 3.8%, and 4.8%, respectively, while FY26 guidance was raised for revenue, operating margin to 19.2%-19.4%, diluted EPS to $15.40-$15.60, and free cash flow to $595M-$615M. The company also has an important catalyst in the expected AP1000 order before year-end 2026, which could add $150M-$160M of lifecycle content and help drive further earnings and backlog growth.

Curtiss-Wright is exposed to elevated fundamental risk because most sales depend on U.S. and foreign government end markets, leaving results vulnerable to defense appropriations cycles, continuing resolutions, and shutdown-related delays that can push out naval, aerospace, and ground defense revenue. Its valuation assumptions have also weakened as rising budgetary uncertainty after the midterm elections and recent sector multiple compression increase the likelihood of margin pressure and lower earnings visibility. In addition, a meaningful share of backlog is tied to a few large multi-year programs such as Columbia-class and Virginia-class submarines and AP1000, so any delay, cost overrun, or contract disruption could disproportionately hurt performance.