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CW vs. XYL: Curtiss-Wright vs. Xylem Stock Comparison

How do Curtiss-Wright (CW) and Xylem (XYL) 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 Xylem (XYL) both fall under the Capital Goods industry group, but CW is classified in Aerospace & Defense while XYL is classified in Machinery.

Company profile comparison for Curtiss-Wright (CW) and Xylem (XYL)
Profile ItemCWXYL
NameCurtiss-Wright CorporationXylem Inc.
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorIndustrialsIndustrials
GICS Industry GroupCapital GoodsCapital Goods
GICS IndustryAerospace & DefenseMachinery
GICS Sub-IndustryAerospace & DefenseIndustrial Machinery & Supplies & Components
Market Capitalization16.81 billion USD22.44 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateMarch 17, 1980October 13, 2011
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

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

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Curtiss-Wright (CW) and Xylem (XYL)
MetricCWXYL
Total Return (1Y)-15.83%-33.10%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)33.49%2.29%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)29.54%-4.47%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Curtiss-Wright (CW) and Xylem (XYL)
MetricCWXYL
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)38.26%30.74%
Beta (5Y)0.930.96
Max Drawdown (5Y)-45.25%-44.89%
Avg. Volume (3M)427.49K2.60M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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CW and XYL 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 Xylem (XYL)
MetricCWXYL
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)-0.53-1.22
Sortino Ratio (1Y)-0.71-1.48

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Curtiss-Wright (CW) at 21.82% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Xylem (XYL) at 9.76% 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%

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

9.76%

Max
40.55%
Q3
19.29%
Median
12.12%
XYL
9.76%
Q1
4.08%
Min
-17.12%
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Curtiss-Wright (CW) vs. Xylem (XYL): 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 Xylem (XYL) at 11.94%, 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%

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

11.94%

Max
27.47%
Q3
12.10%
XYL
11.94%
Median
6.30%
Q1
1.40%
Min
-12.89%
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Curtiss-Wright (CW) vs. Xylem (XYL): 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 Xylem (XYL) at 15.95%, 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%

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

15.95%

Max
36.60%
Q3
18.33%
XYL
15.95%
Median
11.12%
Q1
5.14%
Min
-12.63%
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Curtiss-Wright (CW) vs. Xylem (XYL): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Curtiss-Wright (CW) and Xylem (XYL)
MetricCWXYL
ROE (TTM)21.82%9.76%
ROA (TTM)8.90%5.07%
Net Margin (TTM)14.86%11.94%
Operating Margin (TTM)19.87%15.95%
Gross Margin (TTM)38.07%39.32%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Curtiss-Wright (CW) at 12.08% and Xylem (XYL) at 5.52% 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. Xylem (XYL): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Curtiss-Wright (CW) at 21.99% and Xylem (XYL) at 7.40% 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. Xylem (XYL): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Curtiss-Wright (CW) and Xylem (XYL)
MetricCWXYL
Revenue Growth (YoY)12.08%5.52%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)11.01%17.84%
EPS Growth (YoY)21.99%7.40%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)19.09%25.99%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Curtiss-Wright (CW) at 1.42 and Xylem (XYL) at 1.39 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

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

1.39

Max
5.22
Q3
2.95
Median
2.08
Q1
1.43
XYL
1.39
Min
0.36
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Curtiss-Wright (CW) vs. Xylem (XYL): A comparison of their current ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Curtiss-Wright (CW) at 0.45 and Xylem (XYL) at 0.29 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

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

0.29

Max
2.33
Q3
1.12
Median
0.60
XYL
0.29
Q1
0.29
Min
0.00
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Curtiss-Wright (CW) vs. Xylem (XYL): 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 Xylem (XYL)
MetricCWXYL
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.421.39
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.450.29
Net Debt / EBITDA1.001.18

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Xylem (XYL) at 1.69% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while Curtiss-Wright (CW) at 0.23% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, XYL 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%

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

1.69%

Max
2.66%
XYL
1.69%
Q3
1.14%
Median
0.24%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Curtiss-Wright (CW) vs. Xylem (XYL): 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 Xylem (XYL) at 37.47% 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%

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

37.47%

Max
67.39%
XYL
37.47%
Q3
28.02%
Median
6.86%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Curtiss-Wright (CW) vs. Xylem (XYL): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Curtiss-Wright (CW) and Xylem (XYL)
MetricCWXYL
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.23%1.69%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)6.67%37.47%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Curtiss-Wright (CW) at 30.92 and Xylem (XYL) at 21.69 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

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

21.69

Max
59.38
Q3
35.92
Median
25.41
XYL
21.69
Q1
19.47
Min
3.03
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Curtiss-Wright (CW) vs. Xylem (XYL): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Xylem (XYL) at 2.48 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

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

2.48

Max
7.54
Q3
3.76
XYL
2.48
Median
2.15
Q1
1.03
Min
0.03
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Curtiss-Wright (CW) vs. Xylem (XYL): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Xylem (XYL) at 2.19 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while Curtiss-Wright (CW) at 6.64 carries an above-peer premium to book — CW is pricier on assets.

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

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

2.19

Max
9.66
Q3
5.00
Median
3.12
XYL
2.19
Q1
1.81
Min
-1.08
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Curtiss-Wright (CW) vs. Xylem (XYL): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Curtiss-Wright (CW) and Xylem (XYL)
MetricCWXYL
P/E Ratio (TTM)30.9221.69
P/S Ratio (TTM)4.502.48
P/B Ratio (MRQ)6.642.19
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)2.86%5.39%