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CW vs. ETN: Curtiss-Wright vs. Eaton Stock Comparison

How do Curtiss-Wright (CW) and Eaton (ETN) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Curtiss-Wright (CW) and Eaton (ETN) both fall under the Capital Goods industry group, but CW is classified in Aerospace & Defense while ETN is classified in Electrical Equipment.

Company profile comparison for Curtiss-Wright (CW) and Eaton (ETN)
Profile ItemCWETN
NameCurtiss-Wright CorporationEaton Corporation plc
Country/RegionUnited StatesIreland
GICS SectorIndustrialsIndustrials
GICS Industry GroupCapital GoodsCapital Goods
GICS IndustryAerospace & DefenseElectrical Equipment
GICS Sub-IndustryAerospace & DefenseElectrical Components & Equipment
Market Capitalization16.81 billion USD132.76 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateMarch 17, 1980June 1, 1972
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

CW
ETN
GSPC
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Curtiss-Wright (CW) vs. Eaton (ETN), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Curtiss-Wright (CW) and Eaton (ETN). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Curtiss-Wright (CW) and Eaton (ETN). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Curtiss-Wright (CW) and Eaton (ETN)
MetricCWETN
Total Return (1Y)-15.83%-2.33%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)33.49%19.68%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)29.54%17.50%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

CW
ETN
GSPC
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Curtiss-Wright (CW) vs. Eaton (ETN), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Curtiss-Wright (CW) and Eaton (ETN). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Curtiss-Wright (CW) and Eaton (ETN)
MetricCWETN
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)38.26%43.57%
Beta (5Y)0.931.14
Max Drawdown (5Y)-45.25%-34.46%
Avg. Volume (3M)427.49K2.32M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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CW and ETN are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Curtiss-Wright (CW) and Eaton (ETN)
MetricCWETN
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)-0.53-0.15
Sortino Ratio (1Y)-0.71-0.21

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Curtiss-Wright (CW) at 21.82% and Eaton (ETN) at 19.55% sit in the top peer quartile for ROE, suggesting each generates more profit from shareholders’ equity than typical industry peers.

CW

Capital Goods industry group

21.82%

Max
40.55%
CW
21.82%
Q3
19.29%
Median
12.12%
Q1
4.08%
Min
-17.12%

ETN

Capital Goods industry group

19.55%

Max
40.55%
ETN
19.55%
Q3
19.29%
Median
12.12%
Q1
4.08%
Min
-17.12%
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Curtiss-Wright (CW) vs. Eaton (ETN): A comparison of their ROE against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

For every dollar of sales, both Curtiss-Wright (CW) at 14.86% and Eaton (ETN) at 12.18% retain more as net profit than most peers, landing in the top net margin quartile of their industries.

CW

Capital Goods industry group

14.86%

Max
27.47%
CW
14.86%
Q3
12.10%
Median
6.30%
Q1
1.40%
Min
-12.89%

ETN

Capital Goods industry group

12.18%

Max
27.47%
ETN
12.18%
Q3
12.10%
Median
6.30%
Q1
1.40%
Min
-12.89%
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Curtiss-Wright (CW) vs. Eaton (ETN): A comparison of their net margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Curtiss-Wright (CW) at 19.87% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Eaton (ETN) at 17.85%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

CW

Capital Goods industry group

19.87%

Max
36.60%
CW
19.87%
Q3
18.33%
Median
11.12%
Q1
5.14%
Min
-12.63%

ETN

Capital Goods industry group

17.85%

Max
36.60%
Q3
18.33%
ETN
17.85%
Median
11.12%
Q1
5.14%
Min
-12.63%
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Curtiss-Wright (CW) vs. Eaton (ETN): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Curtiss-Wright (CW) and Eaton (ETN)
MetricCWETN
ROE (TTM)21.82%19.55%
ROA (TTM)8.90%7.22%
Net Margin (TTM)14.86%12.18%
Operating Margin (TTM)19.87%17.85%
Gross Margin (TTM)38.07%35.16%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Curtiss-Wright (CW) at 12.08% and Eaton (ETN) at 10.33% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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Curtiss-Wright (CW) vs. Eaton (ETN): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Curtiss-Wright (CW) at 21.99% and Eaton (ETN) at 10.00% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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Curtiss-Wright (CW) vs. Eaton (ETN): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Curtiss-Wright (CW) and Eaton (ETN)
MetricCWETN
Revenue Growth (YoY)12.08%10.33%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)11.01%9.77%
EPS Growth (YoY)21.99%10.00%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)19.09%19.39%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Curtiss-Wright (CW) at 1.42 and Eaton (ETN) at 1.23 run current ratio in the tighter-liquidity quartile of industry peers, leaving thinner cushions against current liabilities than typical competitors.

CW

Capital Goods industry group

1.42

Max
5.22
Q3
2.95
Median
2.08
Q1
1.43
CW
1.42
Min
0.36

ETN

Capital Goods industry group

1.23

Max
5.22
Q3
2.95
Median
2.08
Q1
1.43
ETN
1.23
Min
0.36
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Curtiss-Wright (CW) vs. Eaton (ETN): A comparison of their current ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Curtiss-Wright (CW) at 0.45 and Eaton (ETN) at 1.00 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

CW

Capital Goods industry group

0.45

Max
2.33
Q3
1.12
Median
0.60
CW
0.45
Q1
0.29
Min
0.00

ETN

Capital Goods industry group

1.00

Max
2.33
Q3
1.12
ETN
1.00
Median
0.60
Q1
0.29
Min
0.00
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Curtiss-Wright (CW) vs. Eaton (ETN): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Curtiss-Wright (CW) and Eaton (ETN)
MetricCWETN
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.421.23
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.451.00
Net Debt / EBITDA1.002.85

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Eaton (ETN) at 1.33% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while Curtiss-Wright (CW) at 0.23% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, ETN the richer one.

CW

Capital Goods industry group

0.23%

Max
2.66%
Q3
1.14%
Median
0.24%
CW
0.23%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

ETN

Capital Goods industry group

1.33%

Max
2.66%
ETN
1.33%
Q3
1.14%
Median
0.24%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Curtiss-Wright (CW) vs. Eaton (ETN): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Curtiss-Wright (CW) at 6.67% pays out a band-typical share of earnings, while Eaton (ETN) at 43.36% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

CW

Capital Goods industry group

6.67%

Max
67.39%
Q3
28.02%
Median
6.86%
CW
6.67%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

ETN

Capital Goods industry group

43.36%

Max
67.39%
ETN
43.36%
Q3
28.02%
Median
6.86%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Curtiss-Wright (CW) vs. Eaton (ETN): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Curtiss-Wright (CW) and Eaton (ETN)
MetricCWETN
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.23%1.33%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)6.67%43.36%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Curtiss-Wright (CW) at 30.92 and Eaton (ETN) at 34.14 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

CW

Capital Goods industry group

30.92

Max
59.38
Q3
35.92
CW
30.92
Median
25.41
Q1
19.47
Min
3.03

ETN

Capital Goods industry group

34.14

Max
59.38
Q3
35.92
ETN
34.14
Median
25.41
Q1
19.47
Min
3.03
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Curtiss-Wright (CW) vs. Eaton (ETN): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Both Curtiss-Wright (CW) at 4.50 and Eaton (ETN) at 4.15 command a richer price per dollar of sales than most peers, sitting in the upper P/S ratio quartile of their industries.

CW

Capital Goods industry group

4.50

Max
7.54
CW
4.50
Q3
3.76
Median
2.15
Q1
1.03
Min
0.03

ETN

Capital Goods industry group

4.15

Max
7.54
ETN
4.15
Q3
3.76
Median
2.15
Q1
1.03
Min
0.03
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Curtiss-Wright (CW) vs. Eaton (ETN): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both Curtiss-Wright (CW) at 6.64 and Eaton (ETN) at 6.33 carry a premium to book value versus peers, sitting in the upper P/B ratio quartile of their industries.

CW

Capital Goods industry group

6.64

Max
9.66
CW
6.64
Q3
5.00
Median
3.12
Q1
1.81
Min
-1.08

ETN

Capital Goods industry group

6.33

Max
9.66
ETN
6.33
Q3
5.00
Median
3.12
Q1
1.81
Min
-1.08
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Curtiss-Wright (CW) vs. Eaton (ETN): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Curtiss-Wright (CW) and Eaton (ETN)
MetricCWETN
P/E Ratio (TTM)30.9234.14
P/S Ratio (TTM)4.504.15
P/B Ratio (MRQ)6.646.33
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)2.86%2.29%