Traders Buy Large Volume of Call Options on GE Aerospace (NYSE:GE)

Key Points

• Unusually bullish options activity: Traders purchased 20,557 GE Aerospace call options, about 38% above the typical daily volume, signaling increased speculative interest.
• Analyst sentiment remains favorable: Seventeen analysts rate the stock Buy, while the consensus is Moderate Buy with an average price target of $387.37; several firms recently raised or maintained targets above $400.
• Strong results but rising concerns: GE Aerospace exceeded quarterly earnings and revenue expectations and raised its 2026 outlook, supported by a 49% increase in orders. However, operating cash flow declined 14% year over year, and the stock fell $11.10 to $300.18.

GE Aerospace (NYSE:GE - Get Free Report) was the target of unusually large options trading on Tuesday. Traders bought 20,557 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 38% compared to the typical daily volume of 14,896 call options.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on GE shares. Jefferies Financial Group set a $435.00 price target on shares of GE Aerospace and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 23rd. Vertical Research reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $400.00 price objective on shares of GE Aerospace in a report on Tuesday. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $431.00 price objective (up from $353.00) on shares of GE Aerospace in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of GE Aerospace in a research report on Thursday. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on GE Aerospace from $426.00 to $435.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 17th. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, GE Aerospace currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $387.37.

GE Aerospace Price Performance

GE Aerospace stock traded down $11.10 on Tuesday, reaching $300.18. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,443,334 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,064,666. The business's fifty day moving average price is $328.69 and its 200 day moving average price is $328.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.98. The company has a market cap of $311.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.45, a PEG ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 1.38. GE Aerospace has a twelve month low of $268.91 and a twelve month high of $388.84.

GE Aerospace (NYSE:GE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 20th. The company reported $2.25 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.01 by $0.24. The company had revenue of $13.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.88 billion. GE Aerospace had a net margin of 17.72% and a return on equity of 40.56%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 24.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.66 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that GE Aerospace will post 7.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

GE Aerospace Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, October 26th. Shareholders of record on Monday, October 5th will be issued a $0.47 dividend. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, October 5th. GE Aerospace's payout ratio is presently 22.14%.

Key Stories Impacting GE Aerospace

Here are the key news stories impacting GE Aerospace this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Earnings and guidance beat expectations: GE Aerospace reported adjusted third-quarter EPS of $2.25, above the roughly $2.01-$2.02 consensus, while revenue reached about $14.1 billion. The company raised its 2026 adjusted EPS forecast to $8.00-$8.10 from $7.65-$7.85, lifted expected revenue growth to approximately 19%-20%, and increased its operating-profit outlook to $10.9-$11.0 billion. Reuters article
• Positive Sentiment: Strong demand supports the outlook: Third-quarter orders rose 49% to $19 billion, led by commercial-engine and services demand. GE said continued demand for engine maintenance, spare parts and aftermarket services is driving growth. GE Aerospace raises 2026 guidance as orders surge
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support remains favorable: Bank of America reiterated its Buy rating and maintained a $405 price target, citing the quarterly outperformance and improved 2026 outlook. TipRanks analyst rating
• Neutral Sentiment: Options activity turned more bullish: Traders bought 20,557 call options, approximately 38% above typical call volume. This signals speculative bullish interest but does not guarantee a sustained move in the shares.
• Negative Sentiment: Cash-flow and cost concerns overshadowed the beat: Operating cash flow fell 14% year over year to about $2.2 billion, while higher engine-related costs raised questions about conversion of earnings into free cash flow. Investors also remain focused on whether aftermarket growth can meet elevated expectations. Schaeffer's Research article

Insider Buying and Selling at GE Aerospace

In related news, SVP Mohamed Ali sold 8,096 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, July 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $353.71, for a total value of $2,863,636.16. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 20,666 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,309,770.86. This trade represents a 28.15% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.19% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On GE Aerospace

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of GE. State Street Corp raised its position in GE Aerospace by 2.6% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 46,497,628 shares of the company's stock valued at $17,377,559,000 after purchasing an additional 1,160,584 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC lifted its holdings in shares of GE Aerospace by 37.7% in the 1st quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 11,026,006 shares of the company's stock worth $3,128,850,000 after buying an additional 3,017,937 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its holdings in shares of GE Aerospace by 10.0% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 7,664,679 shares of the company's stock worth $2,175,006,000 after buying an additional 695,731 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its position in shares of GE Aerospace by 6.3% during the 2nd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 7,251,603 shares of the company's stock worth $2,710,142,000 after buying an additional 427,820 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in shares of GE Aerospace by 97.3% during the 2nd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 6,797,935 shares of the company's stock worth $2,540,592,000 after buying an additional 3,352,432 shares in the last quarter. 74.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

GE Aerospace Company Profile

GE Aerospace NYSE: GE is a global aerospace company that designs, develops, manufactures and services aircraft engines and related systems. Its products support commercial air transport, business and general aviation, military aircraft, and other defense applications. The company also provides engine components, avionics, mechanical systems, digital solutions and maintenance, repair and overhaul services.

GE Aerospace serves airlines, aircraft operators, leasing companies, airframers and government customers worldwide.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.