As the Q1 earnings season wraps, let’s dig into this quarter’s best and worst performers in the aerospace industry, including Curtiss-Wright (NYSE: CW) and its peers.
Aerospace companies often possess technical expertise and have made significant capital investments to produce complex products. It is an industry where innovation is important, and lately, emissions and automation are in focus, so companies that boast advances in these areas can take market share. On the other hand, demand for aerospace products can ebb and flow with economic cycles and geopolitical tensions, which can be particularly painful for companies with high fixed costs.
The 15 aerospace stocks we track reported a strong Q1. As a group, revenues missed analysts’ consensus estimates by 1.4% while next quarter’s revenue guidance was 0.5% below.
Luckily, aerospace stocks have performed well with share prices up 21.7% on average since the latest earnings results.
Best Q1: Curtiss-Wright (NYSE: CW)
Formed from a merger of 12 companies, Curtiss-Wright (NYSE: CW) provides a range of products and services to the aerospace, industrial, electronic, and maritime industries.
Curtiss-Wright reported revenues of $805.6 million, up 13% year on year. This print exceeded analysts’ expectations by 5%. Overall, it was an exceptional quarter for the company with an impressive beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates.
"I’m proud of our team’s outstanding first quarter 2025 performance as we delivered significant increases in new orders, sales, operating income and diluted EPS, and continued to execute on our Pivot to Growth strategy," said Lynn M. Bamford, Chair and CEO
The stock is up 31.6% since reporting and currently trades at $477.
Astronics (NASDAQ: ATRO)
Integrating power outlets into many Boeing aircraft, Astronics (NASDAQ: ATRO) is a provider of technologies and services to the global aerospace, defense, and electronics industries.
Astronics reported revenues of $205.9 million, up 11.3% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 7.3%. The business had an exceptional quarter with a solid beat of analysts’ EPS estimates and an impressive beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates.
Astronics pulled off the biggest analyst estimates beat among its peers. The market seems happy with the results as the stock is up 53.5% since reporting. It currently trades at $36.05.
Is now the time to buy Astronics? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.
Weakest Q1: Hexcel (NYSE: HXL)
Founded shortly after World War II by a group of engineers from UC Berkley, Hexcel (NYSE: HXL) manufactures lightweight composite materials primarily for the aerospace and defense sectors.
Hexcel reported revenues of $456.5 million, down 3.3% year on year, falling short of analysts’ expectations by 3.4%. It was a disappointing quarter as it posted full-year revenue and EPS guidance missing analysts’ expectations.
Hexcel delivered the weakest full-year guidance update in the group. Interestingly, the stock is up 10.8% since the results and currently trades at $55.93.
Read our full analysis of Hexcel’s results here.
Ducommun (NYSE: DCO)
California’s oldest company, Ducommun (NYSE: DCO) is a provider of engineering and manufacturing services for high-performance products primarily within the aerospace and defense industries.
Ducommun reported revenues of $194.1 million, up 1.7% year on year. This print surpassed analysts’ expectations by 0.7%. It was an exceptional quarter as it also put up an impressive beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates and a solid beat of analysts’ EPS estimates.
The stock is up 30.5% since reporting and currently trades at $76.40.
Read our full, actionable report on Ducommun here, it’s free.
Boeing (NYSE: BA)
One of the companies that forms a duopoly in the commercial aircraft market, Boeing (NYSE: BA) develops, manufactures, and services commercial airplanes, defense products, and space systems.
Boeing reported revenues of $19.5 billion, up 17.7% year on year. This number missed analysts’ expectations by 0.6%. Aside from that, it was a very strong quarter as it recorded an impressive beat of analysts’ EPS estimates and a solid beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates.
The stock is up 25.5% since reporting and currently trades at $203.95.
Read our full, actionable report on Boeing here, it’s free.
Market Update
The Fed’s interest rate hikes throughout 2022 and 2023 have successfully cooled post-pandemic inflation, bringing it closer to the 2% target. Inflationary pressures have eased without tipping the economy into a recession, suggesting a soft landing. This stability, paired with recent rate cuts (0.5% in September 2024 and 0.25% in November 2024), fueled a strong year for the stock market in 2024. The markets surged further after Donald Trump’s presidential victory in November, with major indices reaching record highs in the days following the election. Still, questions remain about the direction of economic policy, as potential tariffs and corporate tax changes add uncertainty for 2025.
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