GE Aerospace shares fell 4.22% to $298.14 on Tuesday, even after the jet-engine maker reported third-quarter results that beat Wall Street's expectations and raised its full-year outlook. The stock had closed at $311.28 the prior session, and the sell-off came as investors weighed strong order growth against rising costs and a weaker cash-flow picture.
The company posted adjusted earnings of $2.25 per share, topping the $2.00 analyst estimate by 12.5%, on revenue of $13.3 billion versus the $12.9 billion Wall Street had projected, an 18% increase from the prior-year period. Orders jumped 49% to $19 billion, a surge Chairman and CEO Larry Culp highlighted on the earnings call as evidence of accelerating demand for commercial engines and services.
GE Aerospace also raised its full-year 2026 guidance "across the board," lifting its adjusted earnings-per-share outlook to a range of $8.00 to $8.10 from a prior $7.65 to $7.85, above the $7.92 analyst estimate, and pointing to adjusted revenue growth of roughly 19% to 20%. Culp said the company continues to "build momentum."
Despite the headline beat, investors focused on rising costs and a swing to a loss in the company's insurance business, alongside a decline in cash flow. Coverage of the report noted that GE Aerospace has now beaten earnings estimates for three consecutive quarters only to see its stock fall each time, with some investors seeking firmer reassurance about the durability of aftermarket growth that underpins the bulk of its profit.
The stock's reaction also comes against a choppier recent backdrop: shares are still up 0.86% over the last five trading days but down 7.66% over the last 30, and the move today pulls the stock further from its 52-week high of $388.84 and closer to the 52-week low of $268.91. Whether the raised guidance and order strength translate into sustained buying, or whether cost and cash-flow concerns keep weighing on sentiment, is likely to shape how the stock trades in the sessions ahead.