NEW YORK — December 19, 2025 — GE Aerospace stock (NYSE: GE) moved higher Friday as investors weighed a new U.S. Navy contract tied to the F414 fighter engine, fresh headlines around CFM International’s LEAP engine order pipeline, and a steady stream of Wall Street target updates heading into early-2026 catalysts like earnings and the next dividend date. [1]
GE shares were last indicated at $307.59 on Friday, up $5.90 (+1.96%) from the prior close, after trading between $301.72 and $308.41 in the session. Volume approached ~3.0 million shares as of the latest update.
GE Aerospace stock price action: building on Thursday’s rebound
Thursday’s session set the tone for the late-week move. GE Aerospace shares closed up 3.25% to $301.69 on December 18, snapping a short losing streak and outperforming key peers during a broadly positive day for U.S. equities. [2]
Friday’s tape also unfolded against a macro backdrop shaped by late-year positioning and “triple witching” volatility, with major U.S. indexes rising as technology shares rebounded. [3]
Today’s biggest GE Aerospace headlines: defense engines and the F414 upgrade program
One of the most concrete pieces of GE Aerospace news dated December 19 was a $22.2 million U.S. Navy research-and-development award aimed at upgrading the F414 turbofan, the engine that powers the Navy’s Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fleet and EA-18G Growler aircraft. [4]
According to reporting on the award, the work is structured as a cost-plus-fixed-fee effort led out of GE Aerospace’s Lynn, Massachusetts facility, focused on engineering and prototyping upgrades intended to improve safety, reliability, and readiness, with scheduled completion by December 2026. [5]
Why the market cares: while $22.2 million is not transformational to a company of GE’s size, contracts like this help reinforce the investment narrative that GE Aerospace is not just a commercial jet cycle story — it also has durable defense propulsion exposure and recurring modernization work tied to long-lived platforms. [6]
Commercial demand signal: CFM’s LEAP-1B deal for Boeing 737-10 aircraft
Another headline circulating into December 19 — and especially relevant for the “installed base” thesis — was Pegasus Airlines’ agreement with CFM International for up to 300 LEAP-1B engines to power the carrier’s future Boeing 737-10 fleet. The agreement also includes spare engines and a long-term maintenance agreement, which is critical because service contracts are a major economic engine for the aerospace aftermarket. [7]
CFM International is a 50/50 joint venture between GE Aerospace and Safran, making LEAP order momentum closely watched by investors who view narrowbody engine deliveries and long-term service revenue as central to GE Aerospace’s cash-generation profile. [8]
The core bull case in one line: GE’s enormous engine installed base
A recurring theme in both bullish and cautious commentary is that GE Aerospace’s economics are heavily influenced by its enormous global installed base — and therefore its long runway of parts, maintenance, and overhaul work.
In GE Aerospace’s own description, the company has an installed base of approximately 49,000 commercial and 29,000 military aircraft engines, supported by a global team of roughly 53,000 employees. [9]
That scale matters because:
- Aftermarket services can be less volatile than new engine deliveries, especially when airlines keep aircraft flying longer.
- Fleet growth and utilization trends can translate into higher shop visits and spares demand.
- Long-term maintenance agreements (like those attached to the Pegasus/CFM LEAP deal) can increase revenue visibility over multiple years. [10]
Recent GE Aerospace operational milestone (and why it supports the services story)
GE Aerospace also highlighted a notable reliability milestone earlier this week: its CT7-2E1 helicopter engine surpassed 500,000 in-service flight hours, with GE noting the broader CT7/T700 engine family has exceeded 100 million flight hours across variants. [11]
Milestones like these typically don’t move the stock on their own, but they support a long-term investment view centered on reliability, utilization, and the compounding value of servicing a large installed base — particularly across defense, rotorcraft, and commercial aviation programs. [12]
Regulatory watch: FAA expands LEAP-1A inspection requirements tied to dust-related blade cracking
A key aviation supply-chain and reliability story investors are tracking this month involves the CFM LEAP fleet (again: CFM is co-owned by GE Aerospace).
FlightGlobal reported that the FAA expanded inspection requirements for LEAP-1A engines after determining that engines operating in South Asia can face similar dust-related deterioration risks previously associated with operations in the Middle East/North Africa. The issue involves cracks in high-pressure turbine (HPT) stage 1 blades, driving requirements for initial and repeated borescope inspections at defined cycle intervals. [13]
Importantly for stock-readthrough:
- The report notes the FAA’s order does not apply to LEAP-1B engines (the variant used on Boeing’s 737 MAX family). [14]
- The FAA action is connected to an airworthiness directive process documented in U.S. government publications describing reports of in-flight shutdowns and subsequent findings of cracks in HPT stage 1 blades. [15]
For GE investors, this type of development cuts both ways: it can increase maintenance demand (supporting aftermarket revenue), but also raises scrutiny around durability, operational disruption risk, and long-term cost of ownership for operators. [16]
Wall Street forecasts today: price targets, ratings, and where expectations sit
Analyst outlooks for GE Aerospace remain broadly constructive, but the details vary by data provider.
Consensus targets (one widely followed snapshot)
Investing.com’s consensus view (as displayed today) shows:
- 17 analysts
- Average 12‑month price target: ~$344.71
- High estimate: $394
- Low estimate: $275
- A consensus stance summarized as “Strong Buy” (with most analysts in the “buy” camp). [17]
Another snapshot emphasizes a lower average target (and recent upward revisions)
A MarketBeat summary posted December 19 lists 20 covering firms with an average target around $309.94, and highlights recent target increases from major banks including RBC (to $340), Wolfe Research (to $330), and Deutsche Bank (to $350), alongside reiterated positive ratings. [18]
Notable bullish call: Citi’s “$1 trillion market cap” framing
Earlier this month, Investors.com reported that Citi initiated coverage with a buy rating, arguing GE Aerospace could reach a $1 trillion market cap within five years, and referenced a technical “buy point” around prior highs. [19]
Company guidance and financial anchor points investors reference
Analysts aren’t forecasting in a vacuum — they’re mapping their models to GE Aerospace’s latest guidance.
- Reuters reported in October that GE Aerospace raised its 2025 adjusted profit forecast, including an adjusted EPS range of $6.00 to $6.20 for 2025, pointing to robust aftermarket dynamics. [20]
- MarketBeat’s December 19 recap likewise references GE’s FY2025 $6.00–$6.20 EPS guidance and cites recent quarterly results showing EPS of $1.66 versus a consensus estimate around $1.46, with revenue above expectations. [21]
Dividend and key dates: what matters between now and January
Income-focused investors also have a near-term calendar to watch.
GE Aerospace’s board declared a $0.36 per share quarterly dividend payable January 26, 2026, to shareholders of record at the close of business on December 29, 2025 (with the ex-dividend date also December 29, 2025). [22]
On the earnings front, Investing.com lists GE Aerospace’s next earnings report date as January 22, 2026. [23]
The valuation debate heating up into year-end
Not all analysis published on December 19 was bullish.
A Simply Wall St valuation write-up dated December 19, 2025 argues that after GE’s sharp multi-year rally, the stock may be pricing in an optimistic cash-flow trajectory. The piece cites:
- Last-twelve-month free cash flow of about $6.5 billion (as framed in its analysis)
- A modeled intrinsic value estimate around $219.63 per share
- A conclusion that the stock trades at a sizable premium to that modeled value (and flags a relatively elevated P/E multiple in its framework). [24]
This is the crux of the GE Aerospace stock conversation right now: the fundamental story can be strong while the valuation becomes harder to defend, especially after a run that leaves less room for execution mistakes.
What to watch next for GE Aerospace stock (NYSE: GE)
For investors and readers following GE Aerospace into Google Discover seasonality and the January reporting window, these are the practical items likely to drive headlines:
- Follow-through on commercial engine orders and service agreements
Watch for additional LEAP/CFM announcements and airline maintenance wins that reinforce the long-duration aftermarket narrative. [25] - Defense propulsion updates
Incremental awards like the Navy’s F414 upgrade work add credibility to the defense backlog and modernization opportunity set. [26] - Regulatory durability developments across LEAP fleets
Inspection directives can influence shop-visit demand, airline behavior, and the pace of durability retrofits. [27] - The dividend date (Dec. 29) and next earnings (Jan. 22)
Expect “dividend watch” coverage late month and more forecast revisions as analysts position for Q4 results. [28] - Whether the stock can sustain gains near the top of its 52-week range
Several data sources show GE trading not far below recent highs, making price action sensitive to any surprise on guidance, deliveries, or margins. [29]
References
1. dsm.forecastinternational.com, 2. www.marketwatch.com, 3. www.reuters.com, 4. dsm.forecastinternational.com, 5. dsm.forecastinternational.com, 6. dsm.forecastinternational.com, 7. www.cfmaeroengines.com, 8. www.cfmaeroengines.com, 9. www.geaerospace.com, 10. www.cfmaeroengines.com, 11. www.geaerospace.com, 12. www.geaerospace.com, 13. www.flightglobal.com, 14. www.flightglobal.com, 15. public-inspection.federalregister.gov, 16. www.flightglobal.com, 17. www.investing.com, 18. www.marketbeat.com, 19. www.investors.com, 20. www.reuters.com, 21. www.marketbeat.com, 22. www.geaerospace.com, 23. www.investing.com, 24. simplywall.st, 25. www.cfmaeroengines.com, 26. dsm.forecastinternational.com, 27. www.flightglobal.com, 28. www.geaerospace.com, 29. www.marketwatch.com
