15 Small-Cap Manufacturing Stocks Hedge Funds Are Buying

2. Curtiss-Wright Corp. (NYSE:CW)

Market Capitalization as of April 25: $12.75 billion

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 50

Curtiss-Wright Corp. (NYSE:CW) manufactures engineered products, solutions, and services mainly to aerospace & defense, commercial power, process, and industrial markets. It operates through three segments: Aerospace & Industrial, Defense Electronics, and Naval & Power.

In Q4 2024, the Sales in Curtiss-Wright’s Naval & Power segment improved by 12% year-over-year due to higher revenue across key platforms in Naval Defense. This included stronger-than-anticipated production on Columbia class and Virginia class submarines, as well as the CVN-81 aircraft carrier program. The segment also experienced higher development revenues on the next-generation SSN(X) submarine program and increased demand for aircraft handling systems from international customers.

In 2025, Curtiss-Wright anticipates overall sales growth of 10% to 11% in the Naval & Power segment due to the continued solid growth in both its Defense and Commercial Markets. Specifically within Naval Defense, growth of 3% to 5% is expected, which reflects higher revenue on aircraft carriers (including increased production on CVN-81) and support for the CVN-75 refueling and complex overhaul program.