GE Aerospace is basically having its main character moment. If you haven’t checked the charts lately, the current stock price GE is hovering around $319.88. Honestly, it’s a bit of a wild ride considering where this company was just a few years ago. Yesterday, January 15, 2026, the stock saw a high of $324.45 before settling down slightly.
Think back to the old General Electric. It was a messy conglomerate that tried to do everything from lightbulbs to subprime mortgages. Now? It’s a lean, mean, jet-engine-making machine. Since spinning off GE Vernova (energy) and GE HealthCare, the market has rewarded this focus with a vengeance.
Why the Price is Moving Right Now
Markets are forward-looking. Right now, everyone is staring at January 22, 2026. That’s the big day. GE is scheduled to drop its Q4 2025 earnings results before the opening bell.
Investors are expecting earnings of about $1.41 per share. Revenue is projected to hit nearly $11.2 billion. That’s a massive 13% jump from the same time last year. You've gotta wonder if they can actually pull it off given the supply chain headaches everyone in aerospace is complaining about.
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Just this week, Delta Air Lines basically handed GE a massive win. They picked the GEnx engines for their new Boeing 787-10 jets. We're talking 30 planes, plus options for 30 more. This isn't just about selling engines; it’s about the decades of maintenance and parts that follow. In the airline world, the engine is the razor, and the service contract is the blade.
The 2026 Outlook: Bullish or Bored?
Wall Street seems pretty obsessed. The median price target is sitting around $360. Some analysts, like the ones over at Wolfe Research, are even more aggressive, pushing their targets up to $394.
Citigroup is a bit more cautious, recently trimming their target to $378, though they still say "Buy." Why the haircut? Probably because the stock is already trading at a high price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of about 42.6. That’s expensive. You’re paying a premium for the fact that GE Aerospace is one of the few companies that actually knows how to build a reliable jet engine in a world where its competitors are struggling with "very, very late" deliveries.
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Mohamed Ali just took over the newly merged Commercial Engines and Services division. It’s a move by CEO Larry Culp to cut through the red tape. They’re basically smashing engineering and manufacturing together to solve problems faster. If you’re a shareholder, you want to see if this leadership shakeup actually speeds up the factory floor.
Is the Dividend Worth It?
If you’re here for the passive income, don’t get too excited yet. The current dividend is $0.36 per quarter, which works out to a yield of about 0.45%. It’s tiny.
But look at the growth. The dividend has been growing at a 30% clip over the last few years. The next payout is January 26, 2026. You had to be an investor of record by December 29 to catch this one, but it shows that the board is finally comfortable sharing the cash again.
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What Could Go Wrong?
It’s not all clear skies. Airbus has been very vocal lately about Pratt & Whitney (owned by RTX) being late with engines. While GE’s LEAP engines—made with Safran—are doing better, the entire industry is tied to the same fragile supply chain. If Boeing can’t get its production act together, it doesn't matter how many engines GE builds; there won't be any wings to put them under.
Also, the "Trump Trade" and shifting government budgets in early 2026 are creating some noise in the defense sector. GE does a lot of military work. If defense spending gets reshuffled, that 18% profit margin could take a hit.
Actionable Insights for Investors
If you’re holding GE or thinking about jumping in, here’s how to play it:
- Watch the Earnings Webcast: Tune in on January 22 at 7:30 AM ET. Don’t just look at the EPS; listen for the "Free Cash Flow" guidance. That’s the number that actually drives this stock.
- Check the P/E Compression: If the stock stays flat while earnings go up, it becomes a much better value. Right now, it’s a "growth" stock disguised as an "industrial" stock.
- Monitor Widebody Deliveries: Keep an eye on Boeing’s 787 delivery numbers. GE’s recent Delta win only pays off if those planes actually roll off the assembly line.
- Set Trailing Stops: Since the stock is near its 52-week high of $332.79, using a trailing stop-loss can help you lock in gains if the market has a "sell the news" reaction to the earnings report.
The current stock price GE reflects a company that has successfully reinvented itself. It’s no longer the "everything company." It’s a specialized aerospace titan. Whether $320 is a bargain or a peak depends entirely on how many engines they can push out the door this year.