This ‘boring' stock has had a 500% return over 5 years

This is the second piece in a series examining "boring" large-cap stocks that have outperformed the Nasdaq-100 over the past five years. The first piece provided an overview of the five companies. This week we begin breaking down the data behind each of the individual companies. This week's focus: Curtiss-Wright (CW).

The Nasdaq-100 is often used as a technology index by investors. Its top-10 components read like a "who's who" of high-flying tech stocks. Nvidia and Alphabet alone make up almost 25% of the entire index, and if you toss in Microsoft and Amazon, you're looking at more than 50%. Those are the types of names that the financial media discusses every day. Meanwhile, "boring" companies that make pumps and valves tend to fly under the radar.

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The relatively unheralded company Curtiss-Wright (CW) is the perfect example. You won't find the company on many high-flying stock lists. Yet, investors who bought shares five years ago would have enjoyed a 5-year total return of nearly 500%, with dividends reinvested. That beat the 126% return of the Nasdaq-100 over the same time period nearly four times over.

Related: 5 'Boring' Stocks That Crushed the Nasdaq-100 Over Past 5 Years

CW also topped some of the best-performing, most well-known tech stocks in the world over the past five years. This includes Apple, Microsoft, Tesla, and nearly any tech stock you can name, except mighty Nvidia.

So, how did they do it?

IMPORTANT: This article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. Past performance does not guarantee future results. You should conduct your own research and consult a financial advisor before making any investment decisions.

What Curtiss-Wright Actually Does

Curtiss-Wright is approaching its 100th anniversary, but many investors have never even heard the name. In a bit of terrible timing, the company began trading on the New York Stock Exchange on August 22, 1929, right before the start of the Great Depression. It survived that battle and many others over the past century, growing to an industry giant with a market cap of more than $27 billion.

Curtiss-Wright employs more than 9,100 workers across three main lines of business: Defense Electronics, Naval & Power, and Aerospace & Industrial. These types of products and services are essential in modern society. But a company that makes things like "control rod drive mechanisms" and "propulsion valves" doesn't sound very exciting. That is, unless you dig a little deeper and see exactly how these products are used.

For example, CW has supplied components for every U.S. nuclear submarine and aircraft carrier for over 60 years. The company also develops computing and mission processing systems for the F-35 Lightning II and F-22 Raptor fighter jets.

Those are the types of contracts most software companies would kill for. And few people would call them boring.

The U.S. Navy is building submarines and carriers at a pace it hasn't seen since the Cold War. Curtiss-Wright has benefited greatly. The company has received contracts valued in excess of $220 million for its work on U.S. submarines and aircraft carriers. Defense spending rarely gets cut, even when government budgets are tight. CW received contracts worth roughly $100 million in 2021 and more than $250 million in 2023. Those are the types of predictable contracts that are worth their weight in gold.

The Commercial Nuclear Comeback

For years, nuclear power was a declining industry in America, with plants closing faster than anyone else was building them. But the immense power needed by the AI revolution has re-energized the nuclear industry. All of the biggest players in the industry, from Microsoft and Amazon to Google and Meta, have all gone hunting for nuclear energy to feed them. Just like that, the "nuclear renaissance" went from punchline to investment thesis. Curtiss-Wright, with its near-century of history, is perfectly positioned to benefit.

Existing reactors need parts and upgrades. New plants will need control rod drive mechanisms and safety systems. Contracts with companies like Rolls-Royce SMR and NuScale show that CW is the industry leader.

The Numbers

Unlike the hype that surrounds many tech stocks, fundamentals have driven CW's five-year surge.

Here are just some of the highlights in the company's Q1 2026 earnings report, released on May 7, 2026:

• Sales of $914 million, up 13% year-over-year
• Diluted EPS of $3.46, up from $2.68 in the prior-year period
• New orders of approximately $1.2 billion, a book-to-bill ratio of 1.3x
• Backlog of approximately $4.3 billion, up 5% from year-end 2025

Following those results, management raised full-year 2026 guidance.

The dividend story is just as impressive. On May 14, 2026, the company announced an 8% increase in its quarterly dividend, to $0.26 per share. That marks the 10th consecutive year of dividend increases.

What This Means for You

This isn't a recommendation to buy Curtiss-Wright. Past performance doesn't predict future returns. And considering the stock's tremendous gains over the past five years, it's possible that the "easy money" has already been made.

But CW is an excellent example of the type of business worth researching. Market winners aren't all based on hype and momentum. Investors can also make big gains owning market leaders in specialized industries with high barriers to entry.

Next week, we'll look at another company on the "boring stocks" list, Williams Companies (WMB). If the economics of moving natural gas through pipes doesn't sound very exciting, the company's stock returns just might.

Disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes. The company mentioned is an example of a research thesis and should not be considered an investment recommendation. Past performance does not guarantee future results. All investments carry risk, including potential loss of principal. Consult a financial advisor before making any investment decisions. Performance figures are 5-year total returns with dividends reinvested, sourced from totalrealreturns.com as of market close on May 27, 2026.

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This story was originally published June 11, 2026 at 7:33 AM.