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CW vs. GWW: Curtiss-Wright vs. W.W. Grainger Stock Comparison

How do Curtiss-Wright (CW) and W.W. Grainger (GWW) 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 W.W. Grainger (GWW) both fall under the Capital Goods industry group, but CW is classified in Aerospace & Defense while GWW is classified in Trading Companies & Distributors.

Company profile comparison for Curtiss-Wright (CW) and W.W. Grainger (GWW)
Profile ItemCWGWW
NameCurtiss-Wright CorporationW.W. Grainger Inc.
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorIndustrialsIndustrials
GICS Industry GroupCapital GoodsCapital Goods
GICS IndustryAerospace & DefenseTrading Companies & Distributors
GICS Sub-IndustryAerospace & DefenseTrading Companies & Distributors
Market Capitalization16.81 billion USD67.45 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateMarch 17, 1980February 21, 1973
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

CW
GWW
GSPC
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Curtiss-Wright (CW) vs. W.W. Grainger (GWW), 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 W.W. Grainger (GWW). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Curtiss-Wright (CW) and W.W. Grainger (GWW)
MetricCWGWW
Total Return (1Y)-15.83%54.07%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)33.49%24.16%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)29.54%25.95%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

CW
GWW
GSPC
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Curtiss-Wright (CW) vs. W.W. Grainger (GWW), 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 W.W. Grainger (GWW). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Curtiss-Wright (CW) and W.W. Grainger (GWW)
MetricCWGWW
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)38.26%24.49%
Beta (5Y)0.930.93
Max Drawdown (5Y)-45.25%-24.50%
Avg. Volume (3M)427.49K250.35K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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CW and GWW 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 W.W. Grainger (GWW)
MetricCWGWW
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)-0.532.03
Sortino Ratio (1Y)-0.713.31

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both companies show strong equity returns, but W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 52.33% is the standout with ROE above its industry range; Curtiss-Wright (CW) at 21.82% also sits in the top quartile.

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%

GWW

Capital Goods industry group

52.33%

GWW
52.33%
Max
40.55%
Q3
19.29%
Median
12.12%
Q1
4.08%
Min
-17.12%
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Curtiss-Wright (CW) vs. W.W. Grainger (GWW): A comparison of their ROE against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Curtiss-Wright (CW) at 14.86% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 11.17%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

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%

GWW

Capital Goods industry group

11.17%

Max
27.47%
Q3
12.10%
GWW
11.17%
Median
6.30%
Q1
1.40%
Min
-12.89%
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Curtiss-Wright (CW) vs. W.W. Grainger (GWW): 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 W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 16.14%, 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%

GWW

Capital Goods industry group

16.14%

Max
36.60%
Q3
18.33%
GWW
16.14%
Median
11.12%
Q1
5.14%
Min
-12.63%
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Curtiss-Wright (CW) vs. W.W. Grainger (GWW): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Curtiss-Wright (CW) and W.W. Grainger (GWW)
MetricCWGWW
ROE (TTM)21.82%52.33%
ROA (TTM)8.90%20.34%
Net Margin (TTM)14.86%11.17%
Operating Margin (TTM)19.87%16.14%
Gross Margin (TTM)38.07%39.43%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Curtiss-Wright (CW) at 12.08% and W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 4.51% 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. W.W. Grainger (GWW): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Curtiss-Wright (CW) at 21.99% and W.W. Grainger (GWW) at -8.55% 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. W.W. Grainger (GWW): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Curtiss-Wright (CW) and W.W. Grainger (GWW)
MetricCWGWW
Revenue Growth (YoY)12.08%4.51%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)11.01%5.62%
EPS Growth (YoY)21.99%-8.55%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)19.09%5.60%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 2.61 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Curtiss-Wright (CW) at 1.42 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for CW.

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

GWW

Capital Goods industry group

2.61

Max
5.22
Q3
2.95
GWW
2.61
Median
2.08
Q1
1.43
Min
0.36
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Curtiss-Wright (CW) vs. W.W. Grainger (GWW): A comparison of their current ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Curtiss-Wright (CW) at 0.45 and W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 0.65 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

GWW

Capital Goods industry group

0.65

Max
2.33
Q3
1.12
GWW
0.65
Median
0.60
Q1
0.29
Min
0.00
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Curtiss-Wright (CW) vs. W.W. Grainger (GWW): 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 W.W. Grainger (GWW)
MetricCWGWW
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.422.61
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.450.65
Net Debt / EBITDA1.000.69

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Curtiss-Wright (CW) at 0.23% and W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 0.65% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

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%

GWW

Capital Goods industry group

0.65%

Max
2.66%
Q3
1.14%
GWW
0.65%
Median
0.24%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Curtiss-Wright (CW) vs. W.W. Grainger (GWW): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Curtiss-Wright (CW) at 6.67% and W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 20.87% keep payout ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges — dividend policies that share earnings without consuming too much of them.

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%

GWW

Capital Goods industry group

20.87%

Max
67.39%
Q3
28.02%
GWW
20.87%
Median
6.86%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Curtiss-Wright (CW) vs. W.W. Grainger (GWW): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Curtiss-Wright (CW) and W.W. Grainger (GWW)
MetricCWGWW
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.23%0.65%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)6.67%20.87%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Curtiss-Wright (CW) at 30.92 and W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 31.66 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

GWW

Capital Goods industry group

31.66

Max
59.38
Q3
35.92
GWW
31.66
Median
25.41
Q1
19.47
Min
3.03
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Curtiss-Wright (CW) vs. W.W. Grainger (GWW): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 3.48 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Curtiss-Wright (CW) at 4.50 sits in the pricier quartile — CW costs more per dollar of sales.

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

GWW

Capital Goods industry group

3.48

Max
7.54
Q3
3.76
GWW
3.48
Median
2.15
Q1
1.03
Min
0.03
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Curtiss-Wright (CW) vs. W.W. Grainger (GWW): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both look rich against book: Curtiss-Wright (CW) at 6.64 sits in the upper P/B ratio quartile, and W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 15.56 prices even higher, above its industry range.

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

GWW

Capital Goods industry group

15.56

GWW
15.56
Max
9.66
Q3
5.00
Median
3.12
Q1
1.81
Min
-1.08
Loading chart…
Curtiss-Wright (CW) vs. W.W. Grainger (GWW): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Curtiss-Wright (CW) and W.W. Grainger (GWW)
MetricCWGWW
P/E Ratio (TTM)30.9231.66
P/S Ratio (TTM)4.503.48
P/B Ratio (MRQ)6.6415.56
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)2.86%1.97%