NEW YORK, Dec. 27, 2025, 11:15 a.m. ET — Market closed
GE Vernova Inc. (NYSE: GEV) heads into the weekend with investors weighing fresh headlines about surging “bridge power” demand from AI data centers against the realities of long equipment lead times—and a valuation that leaves little room for disappointment.
With U.S. stock markets closed for the weekend, the next opportunity for traders to react will be Monday’s regular session. GE Vernova shares last finished Friday, Dec. 26, at $663.46, down 0.58%, after trading between $660.49 and $668.20. [1]
What moved the GE Vernova narrative in the last 24–48 hours
1) Data centers are turning to aircraft-engine-based turbines as the grid can’t keep up.
A Financial Times report published Saturday described data center developers increasingly bypassing grid-connection delays by installing on-site power—often aeroderivative turbines (adapted from jet engines) and generators—while they wait for transmission and interconnection. In that context, the FT reported that GE Vernova is supplying data center developer Crusoe with aeroderivative turbines expected to produce nearly 1 gigawatt for an OpenAI/Oracle/SoftBank “Stargate” data center project in Texas, and noted GE Vernova is seeing “growing demand” for aeroderivative and smaller gas units that can serve as “bridge power” for data center needs. [2]
Why it matters for GEV stock: aeroderivative turbines and related service contracts can benefit from urgency—developers want power now, not after multi-year grid upgrades—supporting price and mix even when the broader buildout cycle is uneven.
2) A Reuters Breakingviews column flagged turbine bottlenecks—delivery can take years.
In a Dec. 26 Reuters Breakingviews piece focused on the LNG market and the accelerating competitiveness of renewables, the column underscored a key constraint for gas-fired buildouts: turbine makers (including GE Vernova) have warned customers they could face waits as long as eight years for delivery, citing analysis referenced by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis. [3]
Why it matters: GE Vernova’s strong order environment can be a double-edged sword. Tight supply supports pricing and backlog visibility, but it also makes near-term revenue conversion dependent on manufacturing cadence, suppliers, and project execution.
3) A wind-turbine order in Australia stayed in focus via Reuters syndication.
Reuters syndication on Dec. 26 highlighted GE Vernova’s agreement with Aula Energy to supply 42 onshore wind turbines rated at 6.1 MW (158-meter rotor) for the 256 MW Carmody’s Hill Wind Farm in South Australia, including a five-year service agreement, with the order recorded in the fourth quarter of 2025. [4]
The underlying company announcement (Dec. 23) emphasized GE Vernova’s “workhorse” turbine strategy, aiming to streamline contracting and accelerate grid approvals; the release also pointed to grid approval being achieved nine months after application submission for the project. [5]
Why it matters: While GE Vernova’s Power and Electrification businesses have been drawing most of the investor attention tied to AI-driven electricity demand, incremental wind orders and services can still shape sentiment—especially when policy headlines and project economics swing across the sector.
The bigger setup: GE Vernova’s own guidance is aggressive—and that’s the point
Although not a “last-48-hours” development, GE Vernova’s December investor update continues to anchor many near-term valuation debates because management put big, specific numbers on the table.
In its Dec. 10 investor update recap, GE Vernova said it:
- Raised 2025 free cash flow guidance to $3.5–$4.0 billion (from $3.0–$3.5 billion) while maintaining $36–$37 billion revenue guidance (trending to the high end).
- Issued 2026 guidance for $41–$42 billion revenue, 11%–13% adjusted EBITDA margin, and $4.5–$5.0 billion free cash flow.
- Lifted its 2028 outlook to $52 billion revenue and 20% adjusted EBITDA margin, plus $22B+ cumulative free cash flow from 2025–2028.
- Cited 18 GW of gas turbine contracts signed quarter-to-date and an expectation of reaching 80 GW of combined slot reservations and backlog by year-end, while projecting backlog growth to roughly $200 billion by year-end 2028. [6]
For GEV stock, that combination—AI-linked power demand, supply discipline, and big cash-flow targets—helps explain why the market continues to treat GE Vernova as a premier “electrification and power equipment” play rather than a traditional cyclical industrial.
Wall Street forecasts: price targets cluster above the last close, but dispersion is wide
Analyst enthusiasm remains notable, but targets vary sharply—often a sign that investors are arguing not about direction, but about how much of the long-term opportunity is already priced in.
Recent examples:
- Jefferies analyst Julien Dumoulin-Smith raised his price target to $830 from $815 and reiterated a Buy rating, according to a TheFly report carried by TipRanks. [7]
- Goldman Sachs analyst Joe Ritchie maintained a Buy and raised his price target to $840 from $735, according to a Benzinga item carried by Webull. [8]
On broader consensus, one widely-cited set of figures shows an average price target around $753.25, with estimates ranging from roughly $485 on the low end to $1,000 on the high end (and a median around $772). [9]
What that means for investors: even with many “Buy” ratings, the stock’s implied path depends heavily on execution—especially converting backlog into high-margin revenue while managing supply chains and project timelines.
Key debate for GE Vernova stock: secular growth vs. “already priced in”
The bull case for GE Vernova has become straightforward to articulate: rising electricity demand (particularly from data centers), constrained grid infrastructure, and strong demand for turbines, transformers, grid hardware, and related services.
The bear case is equally clear: that clarity has helped push valuation higher, making the stock more sensitive to any perception that AI-related power demand might decelerate, shift technologies, or simply arrive later than expected.
Barron’s recently highlighted exactly that tension—pointing to the stock’s volatility around AI-driven power narratives and noting valuation concerns tied to projecting growth many years out. [10]
What investors should know before the next session
Because the market is closed, GEV’s next “real” price discovery will occur when trading resumes Monday. Ahead of that, investors typically focus on three buckets:
1) Weekend and early-Monday headlines on data-center power and grid constraints
The Financial Times report reinforces that “time to power” is becoming a competitive differentiator for data centers. Investors will be watching for any follow-on reporting—new projects, new turbine awards, or commentary from hyperscalers and infrastructure developers that either supports or challenges the “bridge power” thesis. [11]
2) Supply-chain and lead-time signals
Long delivery timelines can underpin pricing and backlog strength, but they also increase scrutiny around manufacturing execution. The Reuters Breakingviews discussion of multi-year waits for turbines keeps that issue front and center. [12]
3) Wind-sector sentiment and policy spillover
Even if Power and Electrification are the dominant story, wind headlines can still move the stock at the margin. Investors have seen how policy actions affecting offshore wind projects can ripple through the supply chain and related names. [13]
Practical note for Monday: year-end trading conditions often bring thinner liquidity and more pronounced moves on relatively small headlines. That can amplify both upside reactions (e.g., new large orders) and downside reactions (e.g., macro risk-off or a negative read-through on AI capex).
Bottom line
GE Vernova stock (GEV) enters the weekend with the market still framing it as a prime beneficiary of AI-era electricity demand—an investment narrative strengthened by fresh reporting on data centers turning to fast-deployable turbine solutions when grid access lags. [14]
But the same weekend news cycle also underscores the core constraint investors keep coming back to: turbine supply is tight, lead times can stretch for years, and the stock’s valuation increasingly reflects a long runway of execution. [15]
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.
References
1. stockanalysis.com, 2. www.ft.com, 3. www.reuters.com, 4. www.world-energy.org, 5. www.gevernova.com, 6. www.gevernova.com, 7. www.tipranks.com, 8. www.webull.com, 9. www.wsj.com, 10. www.barrons.com, 11. www.ft.com, 12. www.reuters.com, 13. www.barrons.com, 14. www.ft.com, 15. www.reuters.com
