Curtiss-Wright (CW) rose about 4.4% as investors reacted to a new price-target increase that reaffirmed a bullish stance on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised its price target to $760 from $660 and kept an Overweight rating, citing confidence in Curtiss-Wright’s 2026 outlook and the company’s ability to outperform its multi-year framework.

The upgrade comes on the heels of Curtiss-Wright’s fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 report, where the company posted Q4 sales of $947 million (+15% year over year), operating margin of 19.2%, and EPS of $3.69. Management’s 2026 outlook called for higher sales, operating-margin expansion, double-digit EPS growth, and strong free cash flow—key factors that help support higher valuation targets for defense and industrial franchises with visible demand.

Curtiss-Wright is viewed as a higher-quality defense- and aerospace-exposed compounder, and today’s rally reflects a market that is rewarding companies with clear visibility into earnings growth and cash generation. With the stock already at elevated levels, incremental changes in conviction—such as a higher target price and reiterated bullish rating—can have an outsized effect on near-term trading, particularly when they align with recent guidance and capital-return actions.