GE Aerospace raises its 2026 profit forecast again
Adjusted profit of $2.25 a share beat the $2.01 analysts expected, and the new full-year range of $8.00 to $8.10 is above a $7.92 consensus compiled by London Stock Exchange Group.
Key takeaways
GE Aerospace raised its 2026 profit forecast for the second time this year on Tuesday, after a third quarter that beat what analysts had expected.
Adjusted earnings were $2.25 a share, up 36% from $1.66 a year earlier and ahead of the $2.01 analysts had expected. Adjusted revenue rose 18% to $13.3 billion.
The company now expects adjusted earnings of $8.00 to $8.10 a share for the year, up from the $7.65 to $7.85 range it set in July, after starting the year at $7.10 to $7.40. The new range is above a $7.92 consensus compiled by London Stock Exchange Group.
Commercial Engines & Services, the business that sells and maintains jet engines, grew revenue 21% to $10.34 billion.
Airlines worldwide are cutting costs and capacity to defend ticket prices after a war in Iran disrupted oil-shipping routes and drove up jet fuel, Reuters reported Tuesday. With no end to the war in sight, higher fuel prices are testing whether carriers can keep their schedules, Reuters said, raising the risk of fewer flights and less demand for engine maintenance.
GE Aerospace has said any effect on this year's services revenue and profit should be limited. Much of its 2026 shop-visit work, the overhauls that bring engines in for repair, is already under contract, and customers still want more spare parts than the company can supply.
A booked overhaul is scheduled whether airlines add flights or not. And because spare parts are still short of what customers want, a lighter flight schedule does not, on its own, clear that demand.
"We are raising our 2026 guidance across the board, and we now expect 2027 commercial services to grow low-double-digits supported by our over $170 billion commercial services backlog," H. Lawrence Culp Jr., chairman and CEO, said.
Low double digits means growth that starts around 10%. That is slower than the services growth the company expects this year, the higher end of a low-20s rate, just over 20%. It is still an increase. The backlog he cited is orders already in hand.
In premarket trading at 7:48 a.m. Eastern time, the shares were 1.8% below Monday's close of $311.28.
GE Aerospace is the largest holding in the iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF ITA, at 21% of the fund.
GE Aerospace is ITA's largest holding
For a holder, 21 cents of every dollar is GE Aerospace.
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Frequently asked questions
What is GE Aerospace's new 2026 profit forecast?
The company now expects adjusted earnings of $8.00 to $8.10 a share, up from the $7.65 to $7.85 range it set in July.
Did the third quarter beat what analysts expected?
Adjusted earnings were $2.25 a share, up 36% from a year earlier and ahead of the $2.01 analysts had expected.
Will higher jet fuel hurt this year's services profit?
GE Aerospace has said any effect on this year's services revenue and profit should be limited, because much of its 2026 shop-visit work is already under contract.
How much of the iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF is GE Aerospace?
GE Aerospace is the largest holding in the fund, at 21%.
