This stock comparison examines CW, GE, and HWM, three key players in the aerospace and defense sector. These companies provide critical components, engines, and systems amid surging demand from commercial aviation recovery and elevated defense budgets. Traders seeking momentum plays and investors eyeing long-term sector tailwinds will find value in analyzing their relative performance, valuation sensitivity, and market positioning. With recent market activity highlighting divergent YTD gains and upcoming catalysts, this head-to-head review offers insights into opportunities and trade-offs in a high-growth industry.
Curtiss-Wright Corporation (CW) designs and manufactures engineered products for aerospace, defense, nuclear power, and industrial markets through segments like Aerospace & Industrial, Defense Electronics, and Naval & Power. In recent market activity, CW shares have risen over 5% in the past 30 days, contributing to robust YTD gains near 29%. Sentiment has been bolstered by Q4 2025 results showing revenue growth to $3.5 billion and net income of $484 million, alongside a positive 2026 outlook with higher sales and double-digit earnings per share (EPS) expansion. Strong backlog growth and free cash flow of $466 million have supported share repurchases, enhancing return on equity (ROE) at 19%.
GE Aerospace (GE) focuses on commercial and military aircraft engines, integrated components, and power systems via Commercial Engines & Services and Defense & Propulsion Technologies segments. Recent weeks have seen mixed price action following Q1 2026 earnings that beat EPS estimates at $1.86 and revenue expectations, though shares dipped amid broader market pressures. YTD performance stands at about 7%, with trailing twelve-month (TTM) revenue of $48.3 billion and profit margins near 18%. Resilient air travel demand and a $66 billion order backlog for 2025 underpin stability, despite higher debt-to-equity at 117% and a beta of 1.35 indicating volatility.
Howmet Aerospace Inc. (HWM) supplies advanced solutions including engine products, fastening systems, engineered structures, and forged wheels for aerospace and transportation. In recent market activity, HWM has shown resilience with YTD gains of roughly 17%, supported by strong demand for airfoils and fasteners. Q4 2025 EPS of $1.05 exceeded forecasts, with TTM revenue at $8.25 billion and ROE of 30%. Profit margins exceed 18%, and levered free cash flow reached $917 million, though insiders sold shares recently. Elevated PE ratio reflects optimism for FY2026 EPS guidance of $4.35-$4.55.
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CW, GE, and HWM share aerospace exposure but differ in business models: CW's diversification into nuclear and defense electronics provides stability, GE dominates engines with vast scale ($299B market cap), and HWM excels in specialized components like fasteners. Growth drivers include commercial aftermarket recovery for all, with GE's $66B backlog leading. Recent momentum favors CW's 29% YTD surge over HWM's 17% and GE's 7%. Risk factors encompass supply chain disruptions and geopolitical tensions, amplified by GE's higher beta. Valuation sensitivity shows HWM's premium PE (65) versus GE's 36 and CW's 55, while market sentiment tilts toward pure-play aerospace momentum in CW and HWM amid defense spending rises.
Tickeron's AI models currently favor CW for its superior trend consistency, leading YTD performance, expanding backlog, and balanced ROE amid sector tailwinds. While HWM offers high growth potential and GE provides defensive scale, CW's relative stability and catalysts position it probabilistically stronger in the near term for momentum traders.
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It is best to consider a long-term outlook for a ticker by using Fundamental Analysis (FA) ratings. The rating of 1 to 100, where 1 is best and 100 is worst, is divided into thirds. The first third (a green rating of 1-33) indicates that the ticker is undervalued; the second third (a grey number between 34 and 66) means that the ticker is valued fairly; and the last third (red number of 67 to 100) reflects that the ticker is undervalued. We use an FA Score to show how many ratings show the ticker to be undervalued (green) or overvalued (red).
CW’s FA Score shows that 2 FA rating(s) are green whileGE’s FA Score has 2 green FA rating(s), and HWM’s FA Score reflects 4 green FA rating(s).
It is best to consider a short-term outlook for a ticker by using Technical Analysis (TA) indicators. We use Odds of Success as the percentage of outcomes which confirm successful trade signals in the past.
If the Odds of Success (the likelihood of the continuation of a trend) for each indicator are greater than 50%, then the generated signal is confirmed. A green percentage from 90% to 51% indicates that the ticker is in a bullish trend. A red percentage from 90% - 51% indicates that the ticker is in a bearish trend. All grey percentages are below 50% and are considered not to confirm the trend signal.
CW’s TA Score shows that 6 TA indicator(s) are bullish while GE’s TA Score has 3 bullish TA indicator(s), and HWM’s TA Score reflects 6 bullish TA indicator(s).
CW (@Aerospace & Defense) experienced а +0.88% price change this week, while GE (@Aerospace & Defense) price change was +3.76% , and HWM (@Aerospace & Defense) price fluctuated +11.20% for the same time period.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Aerospace & Defense industry was +2.07%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was +1.71%, and the average quarterly price growth was +45.34%.
CW is expected to report earnings on Aug 05, 2026.
GE is expected to report earnings on Jul 16, 2026.
HWM is expected to report earnings on Jul 30, 2026.
Aerospace & Defense is one of largest industries in the U.S., mainly comprising the following areas: commercial airliners, military aircraft, missiles, space, and general aviation. Focused heavily on research & development, it is also one of the fastest growing industries. Military aircraft has the largest market share in the industry’s sales, followed by space systems, civil aircraft, and missiles. Aerospace exports, directly and indirectly, support more jobs than the export of any other commodity, according to a study by the U.S. Department of Commerce. Boeing Company, Lockheed Martin Corporation and General Electric Company are some of the most prominent players in this space.
| CW | GE | HWM | |
| Capitalization | 27.2B | 310B | 108B |
| EBITDA | 818M | 12.2B | 2.55B |
| Gain YTD | 33.436 | -3.294 | 31.711 |
| P/E Ratio | 53.87 | 36.95 | 62.59 |
| Revenue | 3.61B | 48.3B | 8.62B |
| Total Cash | 343M | 11B | 2.44B |
| Total Debt | 1.15B | 20.3B | 4.69B |
CW | GE | HWM | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
OUTLOOK RATING 1..100 | 68 | 9 | 10 | |
VALUATION overvalued / fair valued / undervalued 1..100 | 72 Overvalued | 84 Overvalued | 76 Overvalued | |
PROFIT vs RISK RATING 1..100 | 3 | 10 | 3 | |
SMR RATING 1..100 | 46 | 21 | 28 | |
PRICE GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 42 | 55 | 18 | |
P/E GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 16 | 41 | 28 | |
SEASONALITY SCORE 1..100 | 50 | 50 | 50 |
Tickeron ratings are formulated such that a rating of 1 designates the most successful stocks in a given industry, while a rating of 100 points to the least successful stocks for that industry.
CW's Valuation (72) in the Aerospace And Defense industry is in the same range as HWM (76) in the null industry, and is in the same range as GE (84) in the Industrial Conglomerates industry. This means that CW's stock grew similarly to HWM’s and similarly to GE’s over the last 12 months.
CW's Profit vs Risk Rating (3) in the Aerospace And Defense industry is in the same range as HWM (3) in the null industry, and is in the same range as GE (10) in the Industrial Conglomerates industry. This means that CW's stock grew similarly to HWM’s and similarly to GE’s over the last 12 months.
GE's SMR Rating (21) in the Industrial Conglomerates industry is in the same range as HWM (28) in the null industry, and is in the same range as CW (46) in the Aerospace And Defense industry. This means that GE's stock grew similarly to HWM’s and similarly to CW’s over the last 12 months.
HWM's Price Growth Rating (18) in the null industry is in the same range as CW (42) in the Aerospace And Defense industry, and is somewhat better than the same rating for GE (55) in the Industrial Conglomerates industry. This means that HWM's stock grew similarly to CW’s and somewhat faster than GE’s over the last 12 months.
CW's P/E Growth Rating (16) in the Aerospace And Defense industry is in the same range as HWM (28) in the null industry, and is in the same range as GE (41) in the Industrial Conglomerates industry. This means that CW's stock grew similarly to HWM’s and similarly to GE’s over the last 12 months.
| CW | GE | HWM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| RSI ODDS (%) | N/A | N/A | 2 days ago 55% |
| Stochastic ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 47% | 2 days ago 42% | 2 days ago 51% |
| Momentum ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 75% | 2 days ago 64% | 2 days ago 71% |
| MACD ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 69% | 2 days ago 75% | 2 days ago 75% |
| TrendWeek ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 70% | 2 days ago 70% | 2 days ago 72% |
| TrendMonth ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 71% | 2 days ago 64% | 2 days ago 70% |
| Advances ODDS (%) | 7 days ago 68% | 7 days ago 71% | 6 days ago 70% |
| Declines ODDS (%) | 14 days ago 47% | 5 days ago 53% | 14 days ago 51% |
| BollingerBands ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 83% | 5 days ago 54% | 2 days ago 42% |
| Aroon ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 70% | 2 days ago 59% | 2 days ago 73% |
| 1 Day | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ETFs / NAME | Price $ | Chg $ | Chg % |
| CDC | 72.29 | 0.30 | +0.42% |
| VictoryShares US EQ Inc Enh Vol Wtd ETF | |||
| LJAN | 24.68 | 0.02 | +0.10% |
| Innovator Premium Income 15 Buf ETF -Jan | |||
| BKHY | 47.52 | -0.03 | -0.06% |
| BNY Mellon High Yield ETF | |||
| VYMI | 99.41 | -0.48 | -0.48% |
| Vanguard Intl Hi Div Yld Idx ETF | |||
| METD | 16.61 | -0.13 | -0.75% |
| Direxion Daily META Bear 1X ETF | |||
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, CW has been closely correlated with BWXT. These tickers have moved in lockstep 73% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is a high statistical probability that if CW jumps, then BWXT could also see price increases.
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, GE has been closely correlated with HWM. These tickers have moved in lockstep 71% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is a high statistical probability that if GE jumps, then HWM could also see price increases.
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, HWM has been closely correlated with GE. These tickers have moved in lockstep 71% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is a high statistical probability that if HWM jumps, then GE could also see price increases.