GE Aerospace stock (NYSE: GE) finished Thursday’s session with a strong rebound and then barely moved in after-hours trading—leaving investors with a classic setup going into Friday: a big up day, a quiet after-hours tape, and a late-cycle headline that could still reshape expectations at the open. [1]
Below is what happened after the bell on December 18, 2025, the most important GE-related headlines from today, and the key items to monitor before the U.S. market opens Friday, December 19, 2025.
GE Aerospace stock price after the bell: strong close, flat after-hours
GE Aerospace shares rose 3.25% on Thursday to close at $301.69, snapping a two-day losing streak and outperforming several large industrial/aerospace peers in a generally positive session for U.S. equities. Trading volume was reported around 4.4 million shares, slightly above its recent average. [2]
After the closing bell, the stock was essentially unchanged: $301.80 in after-hours trading (up $0.11, or 0.04%) as of late evening. [3]
One technical note from the day’s data: even after Thursday’s rally, GE ended the session still below its 52-week high of $316.67 (set October 28), which remains a widely watched reference level for momentum traders and short-term funds. [4]
Why GE Aerospace stock was up today: the macro tailwind mattered
Thursday wasn’t just a “GE day.” It was also a rates-and-inflation day, and that backdrop matters for a high-multiple industrial compounder like GE Aerospace.
Reuters reported that U.S. consumer prices rose 2.7% year-over-year in November, below the 3.1% consensus forecast in a Reuters poll. Core CPI was reported at 2.6% year-over-year. The release was unusual (month-to-month changes weren’t published after a government shutdown disrupted data collection), but markets still treated it as a softer-than-feared inflation signal—supportive for the “rates can fall further” narrative. [5]
That matters for GE because a “lower inflation / lower yields” setup can lift:
- the broader market multiple,
- industrials with long-duration cash flows,
- and aerospace names tied to multi-year engine and services backlogs.
The biggest GE-specific headline from today: CFM lands up to 300 LEAP-1B engines for Pegasus
The most direct GE Aerospace catalyst on December 18 came through CFM International, the 50/50 joint venture between GE Aerospace and Safran Aircraft Engines. [6]
What was announced
CFM and Pegasus Airlines announced an agreement for up to 300 LEAP-1B engines to power Pegasus’ future Boeing 737-10 fleet. The deal also includes spare engines and a long-term maintenance agreement—the service component that investors often care about most in the aircraft engine business. [7]
The number investors will focus on
A Reuters/Refinitiv item carried by TradingView added key commercial details: Pegasus said:
- CFM will provide 10-year maintenance,
- engine deliveries are expected to begin with the Boeing 737-10 in 2028, and
- payments to CFM are expected to reach $5.9 billion. [8]
Why this is meaningful for GE shareholders (even if the stock didn’t jump after-hours)
Even though GE’s after-hours price action was muted, this kind of order is strategically important because it reinforces three investor theses that have powered GE’s rerating:
- Narrowbody demand durability
The LEAP franchise is tied to the Boeing 737 MAX ecosystem, where long-term fleet replacement economics (fuel efficiency, utilization, maintenance cycles) can drive years of installed-base growth. - Services “annuity” logic
New engine deliveries create a multi-year tail of recurring services revenue (shop visits, parts, maintenance agreements). Today’s Reuters note explicitly highlights a 10-year maintenance element. [9] - Backlog and visibility—tempered by timing
Deliveries beginning in 2028 means the market may treat near-term financial impact as limited—but the headline strengthens long-range visibility, particularly if investors are already modeling a multi-year upcycle in commercial flight hours and aftermarket demand.
Also in today’s GE Aerospace news: an engine milestone headline (operational signal)
GE Aerospace also appeared in industry coverage tied to engine reliability and utilization. Aviation International News reported that GE’s CT7-2E1 turboshaft engine has logged more than 500,000 in-service flight hours since debut. [10]
Earlier this week, GE Aerospace said the same engine surpassed 500,000 flight hours and described it as powering helicopters used in missions including offshore transport and search-and-rescue operations. [11]
This type of headline is rarely a same-day stock catalyst on its own, but it supports the broader “installed base + utilization + services” narrative that often underpins aerospace propulsion valuations.
GE Aerospace outlook and forecasts investors are still anchoring to
Even when a stock is reacting to daily headlines, professional investors typically frame the next session around the current earnings outlook and Street expectations.
Company outlook: 2025 profit expectations and the aftermarket story
In October, Reuters reported GE Aerospace raised its 2025 adjusted profit per share outlook to $6.00–$6.20, up from its prior expectation of $5.60–$5.80, citing robust aftermarket demand. [12]
That “aftermarket strength” theme is directly aligned with why a maintenance-heavy LEAP order (like the Pegasus deal) can matter even if delivery timing starts later.
Wall Street target prices: bullish skew, but not unanimous
Consensus snapshots vary by data provider, but the directional message is similar: analysts are generally constructive, with a wide dispersion of targets.
- Finviz showed an average target around $338.19 with a high target near $374 and a low target near $255, alongside a broadly positive consensus label. [13]
- MarketWatch’s analyst estimates page (as indexed today) showed an average target price around $343.29 across 23 ratings. [14]
With GE closing at $301.69, those averages imply low-double-digit upside on a typical 12-month view—while the low target highlights that valuation and cycle risk are still part of the debate. [15]
What to know before the market opens Friday (Dec. 19, 2025)
Here are the main items likely to shape GE Aerospace stock at the open—whether directly or through risk appetite.
1) Premarket digestion of the Pegasus/CFM headline
Even if Thursday’s session already absorbed some of the news, investors will be watching for:
- whether analysts flag the $5.9B payments number as meaningful to the CFM long-term services pool, [16]
- how the market handicaps the 2028 delivery start, [17]
- and whether any follow-on commentary frames this as incremental demand or simply formalizing previously expected fleet plans.
2) Rate expectations after “softer-than-expected” CPI
If bond yields move meaningfully in early Friday trading, GE may trade with them—especially if the market leans further into “cuts sooner” vs. “data is noisy” interpretations following the shutdown-impacted CPI report. [18]
3) Friday’s scheduled U.S. events that can move sentiment
Per MarketWatch’s calendar, key items on Friday, Dec. 19 include:
- 8:30 a.m. New York Fed President John Williams TV appearance
- 10:00 a.m.Existing home sales (Nov.)
- 10:00 a.m.Consumer sentiment (final, Dec.) [19]
These aren’t GE-specific, but they can swing the broader market tone—especially in a late-year tape where liquidity can be thinner and macro headlines can travel further.
4) Watch the Boeing 737-10 timeline as a “hidden variable”
The Pegasus agreement is explicitly tied to the Boeing 737-10 fleet and references deliveries beginning in 2028. [20]
That means any new headlines around:
- certification timing,
- production cadence,
- or airline delivery schedules
can indirectly affect how investors model LEAP deliveries and the attached services ramp.
5) The “Fed leadership” headline risk that can ripple into industrials
Reuters reported Thursday that President Donald Trump said he interviewed Fed Governor Christopher Waller as a potential candidate to replace Jerome Powell, with multiple finalists under consideration. While not a GE story, shifts in perceived Fed direction can quickly feed into industrial valuation multiples. [21]
Bottom line for GE Aerospace stock heading into Friday
GE Aerospace stock enters Friday’s session with momentum after a 3.25% gain to $301.69 and little after-hours movement—but with a late news flow that investors will continue to price: a CFM/Pegasus agreement for up to 300 LEAP-1B engines, including maintenance, with reported payments expected to reach $5.9 billion and deliveries starting in 2028. [22]
The near-term question for the open isn’t just “is this a good deal?”—it’s whether the market treats it as:
- incremental upside to GE’s already strong commercial engine/services narrative, or
- a longer-dated backlog reinforcement that doesn’t change the near-term earnings path.
Either way, the combination of macro-driven risk-on sentiment (post-CPI) and fundamental headline reinforcement (CFM order) is the key setup to understand before the bell Friday. [23]
References
1. www.marketwatch.com, 2. www.marketwatch.com, 3. stockanalysis.com, 4. www.marketwatch.com, 5. www.reuters.com, 6. www.cfmaeroengines.com, 7. www.cfmaeroengines.com, 8. www.tradingview.com, 9. www.tradingview.com, 10. www.ainonline.com, 11. www.geaerospace.com, 12. www.reuters.com, 13. finviz.com, 14. www.marketwatch.com, 15. www.marketwatch.com, 16. www.tradingview.com, 17. www.tradingview.com, 18. www.reuters.com, 19. www.marketwatch.com, 20. www.tradingview.com, 21. www.reuters.com, 22. www.marketwatch.com, 23. www.reuters.com
