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CW or KRMN or KTOS
Which Stock Would AI Choose? Curtiss-Wright Corporation (CW) vs. Karman Holdings Inc. (KRMN) vs. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (KTOS) Stock Comparison
Key Takeaways
- CW leads with robust YTD gains of 32.32% and a market cap of $26.94B, bolstered by Q1 earnings beats and raised 2026 guidance.
- KRMN shows solid 1-year returns of 57.62% in hypersonics and space, with high insider ownership signaling confidence amid recent growth stock focus.
- KTOS delivered Q1 revenue growth of 22.6% to $371M, beating estimates, with emphasis on drones and hypersonics, though shares experienced volatility post-earnings.
- All three operate in aerospace and defense, benefiting from sector tailwinds like increased DoD spending on missiles, space, and unmanned systems.
- CW offers lower beta (0.87) for stability, while KTOS (beta 1.06) shows higher growth sensitivity.
- Recent market activity highlights earnings momentum across the trio, positioning them for relative outperformance in industrials.
Introduction
This stock comparison examines CW, KRMN, and KTOS, three players in the aerospace and defense sector amid rising demand for advanced technologies in hypersonics, unmanned systems, and nuclear power. Investors seeking exposure to defense spending growth, particularly U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) initiatives, may find value in analyzing their relative performance, business models, and market positioning. Traders focused on industrials with strong earnings momentum will benefit from insights into recent financial results, sector catalysts, and risk profiles in the current environment.
CW Overview and Recent Performance
Curtiss-Wright Corporation (CW) designs and manufactures engineered products for aerospace, defense, nuclear power, and industrial markets. Its segments include Aerospace & Industrial, Defense Electronics, and Naval & Power, serving commercial aircraft, military applications, and nuclear facilities worldwide. In recent market activity, CW reported Q1 2026 results exceeding expectations, with revenue at $913.69M and EPS of $3.48 versus estimates of $3.30. The company raised full-year 2026 guidance for sales, operating margin (profit from core operations), EPS (earnings per share), and free cash flow (cash generated after capital expenditures). This has driven positive sentiment, reflected in YTD returns of 32.32% and 1-year gains of 93.23%, with shares trading near the 52-week high of $750. Influences include strong backlog growth and nuclear sector advancements, enhancing stability with a beta of 0.87.
KRMN Overview and Recent Performance
Karman Holdings Inc. (KRMN), through subsidiaries, develops mission-critical systems like payload protection, interstage, and propulsion for hypersonics, missile defense, tactical missiles, space, and launch markets. Headquartered in Huntington Beach, California, it targets high-growth DoD and space programs. Recent weeks have spotlighted KRMN in growth stock analyses due to high insider ownership, signaling internal confidence. Q4 FY25 revenue reached $134.49M, supporting YTD returns of 16.85% and 1-year performance of 57.62%. With a market cap of $8.06B, shares have shown resilience in volatile sessions, influenced by analyst upgrades and sector tailwinds in space infrastructure. Upcoming Q1 2026 earnings on May 12 add anticipation, amid a robust defense backlog.
KTOS Overview and Recent Performance
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (KTOS) specializes in technology, products, and software for defense and national security, operating via Kratos Government Solutions and Unmanned Systems segments. Offerings include drone systems, hypersonic vehicles, propulsion, and electronic products for missiles, radar, and satellites. In recent market activity, KTOS posted Q1 2026 revenue of $371M, up 22.6% year-over-year and beating estimates, with EPS of $0.16 topping forecasts. Developments like a new hypersonic test facility in Indiana have fueled interest, though shares dipped post-earnings amid cash flow discussions. YTD returns stand at 23.74%, with 1-year gains of 69.17%, trading well off the 52-week high of $134 but supported by drone and space momentum.
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Head-to-Head Comparison
CW, KRMN, and KTOS share aerospace and defense exposure but diverge in focus: CW balances diversified engineered products across nuclear and naval, offering stability (beta 0.87, P/E 53.42); KRMN emphasizes hypersonics and space propulsion as a newer entrant with growth via backlog; KTOS leans into unmanned drones and hypersonics (beta 1.06, elevated P/E 340.53 reflecting expansion). Recent momentum favors CW and KTOS post-earnings beats, while KRMN gains from insider buying. Risks include DoD budget shifts for all, with CW's scale ($3.61B TTM revenue) versus smaller peers ($1.42B for KTOS). Valuation sensitivity is highest for KTOS, trading at a premium to growth catalysts, while sentiment tilts positive on defense spending.
Tickeron AI Verdict
Tickeron’s AI currently favors CW due to its consistent trend strength, earnings outperformance, raised guidance, and lower volatility (beta 0.87), providing a balanced positioning amid sector growth. KTOS and KRMN offer higher-upside potential from hypersonics and drones, but with greater sensitivity to execution risks. Probabilistic edge leans toward CW for relative stability and catalysts in recent weeks.
Disclaimer
The information on this webpage is provided for general informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as investment advice, a recommendation to purchase or sell any security, or an offer or solicitation related to investments. It does not consider your personal financial situation, goals, or risk profile, and all investing carries inherent risks, including the possibility of losing your entire investment. For more details, please review our full disclaimer. Disclaimers and Limitations
Long-Term Analysis
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 whileKRMN’s FA Score has 0 green FA rating(s), and KTOS’s FA Score reflects 0 green FA rating(s).
- CW’s FA Score: 2 green, 3 red.
- KRMN’s FA Score: 0 green, 5 red.
- KTOS’s FA Score: 0 green, 5 red.
Short-Term Analysis
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 5 TA indicator(s) are bullish while KRMN’s TA Score has 5 bullish TA indicator(s), and KTOS’s TA Score reflects 3 bullish TA indicator(s).
- CW’s TA Score: 5 bullish, 2 bearish.
- KRMN’s TA Score: 5 bullish, 3 bearish.
- KTOS’s TA Score: 3 bullish, 4 bearish.
Price Growth
CW (@Aerospace & Defense) experienced а +2.78% price change this week, while KRMN (@Aerospace & Defense) price change was -1.18% , and KTOS (@Aerospace & Defense) price fluctuated -10.40% for the same time period.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Aerospace & Defense industry was -3.54%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was -4.48%, and the average quarterly price growth was +13.68%.
Reported Earning Dates
CW is expected to report earnings on Aug 05, 2026.
KRMN is expected to report earnings on Aug 06, 2026.
KTOS is expected to report earnings on Jul 30, 2026.
Industries' Descriptions
@Aerospace & Defense (-3.54% weekly)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 | KRMN | KTOS | |
| Capitalization | 28.3B | 6.15B | 9.53B |
| EBITDA | 818M | 138M | 110M |
| Gain YTD | 42.282 | -34.809 | -32.697 |
| P/E Ratio | 57.42 | 207.39 | 300.53 |
| Revenue | 3.61B | 523M | 1.42B |
| Total Cash | N/A | 73.8M | 1.46B |
| Total Debt | 1.15B | 867M | 185M |
CW | KTOS | ||
|---|---|---|---|
OUTLOOK RATING 1..100 | 18 | 55 | |
VALUATION overvalued / fair valued / undervalued 1..100 | 67 Overvalued | 83 Overvalued | |
PROFIT vs RISK RATING 1..100 | 2 | 78 | |
SMR RATING 1..100 | 46 | 91 | |
PRICE GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 41 | 63 | |
P/E GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 26 | 61 | |
SEASONALITY SCORE 1..100 | 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 (67) in the Aerospace And Defense industry is in the same range as KTOS (83). This means that CW’s stock grew similarly to KTOS’s over the last 12 months.
CW's Profit vs Risk Rating (2) in the Aerospace And Defense industry is significantly better than the same rating for KTOS (78). This means that CW’s stock grew significantly faster than KTOS’s over the last 12 months.
CW's SMR Rating (46) in the Aerospace And Defense industry is somewhat better than the same rating for KTOS (91). This means that CW’s stock grew somewhat faster than KTOS’s over the last 12 months.
CW's Price Growth Rating (41) in the Aerospace And Defense industry is in the same range as KTOS (63). This means that CW’s stock grew similarly to KTOS’s over the last 12 months.
CW's P/E Growth Rating (26) in the Aerospace And Defense industry is somewhat better than the same rating for KTOS (61). This means that CW’s stock grew somewhat faster than KTOS’s over the last 12 months.
| CW | KRMN | KTOS | |
|---|---|---|---|
| RSI ODDS (%) | N/A | 2 days ago 90% | N/A |
| Stochastic ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 48% | 2 days ago 90% | 2 days ago 72% |
| Momentum ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 77% | 2 days ago 78% | 2 days ago 67% |
| MACD ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 69% | 2 days ago 64% | 2 days ago 75% |
| TrendWeek ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 70% | 2 days ago 75% | 2 days ago 72% |
| TrendMonth ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 71% | 2 days ago 76% | 2 days ago 76% |
| Advances ODDS (%) | 8 days ago 68% | 8 days ago 90% | 27 days ago 79% |
| Declines ODDS (%) | 16 days ago 47% | 2 days ago 76% | 2 days ago 74% |
| BollingerBands ODDS (%) | N/A | 2 days ago 90% | 2 days ago 74% |
| Aroon ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 70% | 2 days ago 69% | 2 days ago 84% |
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CW and
Correlation & Price change
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, CW has been closely correlated with BWXT. These tickers have moved in lockstep 74% 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.
KRMN and
Correlation & Price change
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, KRMN has been loosely correlated with KTOS. These tickers have moved in lockstep 61% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is some statistical probability that if KRMN jumps, then KTOS could also see price increases.
| Ticker / NAME | Correlation To KRMN | 1D Price Change % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KRMN | 100% | -5.30% | ||
| KTOS - KRMN | 61% Loosely correlated | -5.76% | ||
| CW - KRMN | 52% Loosely correlated | +1.54% | ||
| HII - KRMN | 50% Loosely correlated | -2.54% | ||
| BWXT - KRMN | 49% Loosely correlated | +2.24% | ||
| MRCY - KRMN | 49% Loosely correlated | -1.81% | ||
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KTOS and
Correlation & Price change
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, KTOS has been loosely correlated with AVAV. These tickers have moved in lockstep 64% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is some statistical probability that if KTOS jumps, then AVAV could also see price increases.
| Ticker / NAME | Correlation To KTOS | 1D Price Change % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KTOS | 100% | -5.76% | ||
| AVAV - KTOS | 64% Loosely correlated | -10.78% | ||
| KRMN - KTOS | 61% Loosely correlated | -5.30% | ||
| MRCY - KTOS | 59% Loosely correlated | -1.81% | ||
| DRS - KTOS | 58% Loosely correlated | -2.41% | ||
| RCAT - KTOS | 51% Loosely correlated | -7.04% | ||
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