GE Aerospace GE is a leading designer, developer and producer of jet engines, components and integrated systems for military, commercial and business aircraft. Its products and services range from jet engines like LEAP, GE9X & GEnx, airframes, engine gear, and transmission components and services, among others.
The company’s commitment to reward its shareholders through dividends and share buybacks is encouraging. In 2025, it bought back shares for $7.6 billion. In the same period, the company paid dividends of $1.45 billion, up 44% year over year, to its shareholders. In March 2024, the company approved a plan to buy back up to $15 billion of its shares. After the first quarter of 2026, share repurchases will be made under a new $20 billion authorization approved in December 2025.
GE Aerospace also raised its dividend by 30.6% to 36 cents per share in February 2026. The company expects to generate $8.0-$8.4 billion in free cash flow in 2026. Also, from 2024-2026, the company announced its plan to boost total shareholder returns by 20% to approximately $24 billion through a mix of dividends and share repurchases. After 2026, it aims to consistently return at least 70% of its free cash flow each year through both dividends and buybacks.
Do GE’s Peers Focus on Returning Capital to Shareholders?
Honeywell International Inc. HON paid out dividends worth $2.98 billion and repurchased shares worth $3.8 billion in 2025. In September 2025, Honeywell hiked its quarterly dividend by approximately 5% to $1.19 per share (annually: $4.76). This marks Honeywell’s 16th consecutive dividend hike since 2010.
RBC Bearings Incorporated RBC remains focused on rewarding its shareholders handsomely through dividends and share buyback programs. RBC Bearings paid preferred stock dividends of $17.2 million and repurchased shares for $9.5 million in fiscal 2025. Also, RBC Bearings repurchased shares worth $11 million and distributed preferred dividends worth $22.9 million in fiscal 2024.
GE's Price Performance, Valuation and Estimates
Shares of GE Aerospace have gained 74.3% in the past year compared with the industry’s growth of 30.2%.
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From a valuation standpoint, GE is trading at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 40.90X, above the industry’s average of 32.52X. GE Aerospace carries a Value Score of D.
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The Zacks Consensus Estimate for GE’s 2026 earnings has inched down, while the same for 2027 has increased over the past 60 days.
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The company currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
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GE Aerospace (GE): Free Stock Analysis Report
Honeywell International Inc. (HON): Free Stock Analysis Report
RBC Bearings Incorporated (RBC): Free Stock Analysis Report
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).