Curtiss-Wright Corporation (NYSE: CW) has raised its total share repurchase authorization to $700 million, following board approval of an additional $510 million tranche. At the same time, the company announced a further $100 million expansion of its 2026 buyback program, to be executed immediately through a 10b5-1 plan. The company estimates approximately $460 million in repurchases over the course of the year — broadly in line with the record $466 million returned to shareholders in 2025.
Under the operational plan, a broker will execute repurchases within the daily limits set by Rule 10b-18 until the $100 million allocation is exhausted. Running in parallel is the $60 million program launched in January 2026, designed to offset dilution from the company’s equity compensation plans. Once both programs are complete, Curtiss-Wright will retain an open residual authorization of $600 million, available for deployment from 2027 onward. Since 2021, the company has returned more than $1.5 billion to shareholders through share repurchases, retiring over 7 million shares in total.
The board also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.26 per share, payable on October 9, 2026, to shareholders of record as of September 25. Taken together, these measures — an aggressive buyback program and a recurring dividend — reflect a capital allocation policy focused on delivering consistent returns to investors while maintaining organic growth and investment in core operations.
CEO Lynn M. Bamford framed the moves within the company’s “Pivot to Growth” strategy, which targets compound double-digit earnings growth annually, underpinned by a strong balance sheet and what management describes as stable and predictable free cash flow generation. Second-quarter 2026 results had already exceeded expectations, prompting upward revisions to guidance on revenue, earnings per share, and free cash flow, alongside a record-high backlog driven by Defense Electronics and expanding opportunities in the nuclear sector.
Curtiss-Wright operates across the aerospace, defense, and commercial nuclear markets, employing approximately 9,200 people in the development of highly engineered systems and components. Its presence in civil nuclear — where it supplies critical technologies to power plant operators — positions the company to benefit directly from rising global demand for nuclear energy. With $600 million in authorization still available heading into 2027, the company retains significant flexibility to continue returning value to shareholders while also pursuing strategic acquisition opportunities in its existing markets.
