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CW vs. HEI: Curtiss-Wright vs. HEICO Stock Comparison

How do Curtiss-Wright (CW) and HEICO (HEI) 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 HEICO (HEI) are both classified in the Aerospace & Defense sub-industry within the broader Aerospace & Defense industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Company profile comparison for Curtiss-Wright (CW) and HEICO (HEI)
Profile ItemCWHEI
NameCurtiss-Wright CorporationHEICO Corporation
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorIndustrialsIndustrials
GICS Industry GroupCapital GoodsCapital Goods
GICS IndustryAerospace & DefenseAerospace & Defense
GICS Sub-IndustryAerospace & DefenseAerospace & Defense
Market Capitalization16.81 billion USD46.49 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateMarch 17, 1980March 17, 1980
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

CW
HEI
GSPC
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Curtiss-Wright (CW) vs. HEICO (HEI), 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 HEICO (HEI). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Curtiss-Wright (CW) and HEICO (HEI)
MetricCWHEI
Total Return (1Y)-15.83%6.50%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)33.49%28.48%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)29.54%18.19%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Curtiss-Wright (CW) and HEICO (HEI)
MetricCWHEI
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)38.26%33.37%
Beta (5Y)0.931.06
Max Drawdown (5Y)-45.25%-27.11%
Avg. Volume (3M)427.49K480.74K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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CW and HEI 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 HEICO (HEI)
MetricCWHEI
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)-0.530.07
Sortino Ratio (1Y)-0.710.10

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Curtiss-Wright (CW) at 21.82% sits in the top ROE quartile, while HEICO (HEI) at 17.73% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for CW.

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%

HEI

Capital Goods industry group

17.73%

Max
40.55%
Q3
19.29%
HEI
17.73%
Median
12.12%
Q1
4.08%
Min
-17.12%
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Curtiss-Wright (CW) vs. HEICO (HEI): 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 HEICO (HEI) at 16.38% 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%

HEI

Capital Goods industry group

16.38%

Max
27.47%
HEI
16.38%
Q3
12.10%
Median
6.30%
Q1
1.40%
Min
-12.89%
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Curtiss-Wright (CW) vs. HEICO (HEI): A comparison of their net margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Curtiss-Wright (CW) at 19.87% and HEICO (HEI) at 25.14% convert sales into operating profit at a top-quartile rate, pointing to tighter cost discipline before financing and tax.

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%

HEI

Capital Goods industry group

25.14%

Max
36.60%
HEI
25.14%
Q3
18.33%
Median
11.12%
Q1
5.14%
Min
-12.63%
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Curtiss-Wright (CW) vs. HEICO (HEI): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Curtiss-Wright (CW) and HEICO (HEI)
MetricCWHEI
ROE (TTM)21.82%17.73%
ROA (TTM)8.90%8.50%
Net Margin (TTM)14.86%16.38%
Operating Margin (TTM)19.87%25.14%
Gross Margin (TTM)38.07%40.40%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Curtiss-Wright (CW) at 12.08% and HEICO (HEI) at 16.26% 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. HEICO (HEI): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

HEICO (HEI) at 33.52% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while Curtiss-Wright (CW) at 21.99% is closer to the peer norm — faster per-share earnings growth for HEI.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Curtiss-Wright (CW) and HEICO (HEI)
MetricCWHEI
Revenue Growth (YoY)12.08%16.26%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)11.01%26.64%
EPS Growth (YoY)21.99%33.52%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)19.09%24.32%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

HEICO (HEI) at 2.72 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

HEI

Capital Goods industry group

2.72

Max
5.22
Q3
2.95
HEI
2.72
Median
2.08
Q1
1.43
Min
0.36
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Curtiss-Wright (CW) vs. HEICO (HEI): A comparison of their current ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Curtiss-Wright (CW) at 0.45 and HEICO (HEI) at 0.45 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

HEI

Capital Goods industry group

0.45

Max
2.33
Q3
1.12
Median
0.60
HEI
0.45
Q1
0.29
Min
0.00
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Curtiss-Wright (CW) vs. HEICO (HEI): 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 HEICO (HEI)
MetricCWHEI
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.422.72
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.450.45
Net Debt / EBITDA1.001.56

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Curtiss-Wright (CW) at 0.23% and HEICO (HEI) at 0.08% 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%

HEI

Capital Goods industry group

0.08%

Max
2.66%
Q3
1.14%
Median
0.24%
HEI
0.08%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Curtiss-Wright (CW) vs. HEICO (HEI): 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 HEICO (HEI) at 4.17% 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%

HEI

Capital Goods industry group

4.17%

Max
67.39%
Q3
28.02%
Median
6.86%
HEI
4.17%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Curtiss-Wright (CW) vs. HEICO (HEI): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Curtiss-Wright (CW) and HEICO (HEI)
MetricCWHEI
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.23%0.08%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)6.67%4.17%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Curtiss-Wright (CW) at 30.92 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while HEICO (HEI) at 55.44 sits in the richer quartile — HEI needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

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

HEI

Capital Goods industry group

55.44

Max
59.38
HEI
55.44
Q3
35.92
Median
25.41
Q1
19.47
Min
3.03
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Curtiss-Wright (CW) vs. HEICO (HEI): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Both look expensive on sales: Curtiss-Wright (CW) at 4.50 sits in the upper P/S ratio quartile, and HEICO (HEI) at 8.98 prices even higher, above its industry range.

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

HEI

Capital Goods industry group

8.98

HEI
8.98
Max
7.54
Q3
3.76
Median
2.15
Q1
1.03
Min
0.03
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Curtiss-Wright (CW) vs. HEICO (HEI): 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 HEICO (HEI) at 9.40 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

HEI

Capital Goods industry group

9.40

Max
9.66
HEI
9.40
Q3
5.00
Median
3.12
Q1
1.81
Min
-1.08
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Curtiss-Wright (CW) vs. HEICO (HEI): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Curtiss-Wright (CW) and HEICO (HEI)
MetricCWHEI
P/E Ratio (TTM)30.9255.44
P/S Ratio (TTM)4.508.98
P/B Ratio (MRQ)6.649.40
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)2.86%1.82%