By Rajesh Kumar Singh and Shivansh Tiwary
(Reuters) -GE Aerospace raised its full-year profit outlook for the third time this year on Tuesday, but forecast a double-digit decline in LEAP jet engine deliveries due to supply constraints.
The company said demand for commercial air travel remains robust, but material availability and supplier issues continue to cause disruptions and have impacted production and delivery of equipment and services.
It sold fewer LEAP engines, which power Airbus and Boeing narrowbody aircraft, in the September quarter compared with a year ago. It now expects LEAP deliveries this year to decline 10% from a year ago.
Its shares were down about 5% in pre-market trade.
CEO Larry Culp said the company’s efforts to address supply chain constraints have improved material output from a quarter ago, but added there was more work to do.
“We’re taking steps with our suppliers to increase inputs and within our own operations to expand capacity, ensuring we’re positioned to meet this historic demand,” Culp told analysts on an earnings call.
GE Aerospace said a strike by factory workers at Boeing, thus far, has not had a “significant” impact on its revenues, earnings and cash flows.
The company has started shipping its 9X engines for the U.S. planemaker’s new jet 777X. While Boeing has delayed the plane by a year, GE Aerospace said it expects to increase the deliveries for 9X engines next year. Culp, however, said the ramp-up might be slower than expected.
GE Aerospace has a dominant share in the engine market for narrowbody jets and enjoys a strong position in widebodies. More than 70% of its commercial engine revenue comes from parts and services.
A lack of new planes due to production issues at Boeing and Airbus has forced airlines to keep flying older planes, leading to a surge in demand for after-market services.
Strong demand for services as well as price increases have helped GE Aerospace more than offset the impact of lower engine shipments and increase profits.
As a result, the company raised its full-year profit outlook for a third time in seven months. It now expects an adjusted profit of $4.20 per share to $4.35 per share for 2024, compared with its prior forecast of $3.95 to $4.20 per share.
Its adjusted profit for the quarter through September came in at $1.15 per share, compared with $1.14 a share expected by analysts in a LSEG survey.
GE Aerospace reported $8.94 billion in adjusted revenue for the third quarter, compared with $9.02 billion expected by analysts.
(Reporting by Rajesh Kumar Singh in Chicago and Shivansh Tiwary in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D’Silva, Chizu Nomiyama and Christina Fincher)
