RTX raises full-year guidance after Q3 beat on earnings and revenue

Third-quarter earnings of $2.26 a share beat estimates by $0.47, with revenue at $24.96 billion

RTX reported third-quarter earnings of $2.26 a share, topping expectations by $0.47. Revenue came in at $24.96 billion, above the $24.32 billion expected.

The company raised its full-year 2026 guidance across every major measure. Adjusted sales guidance moved to $97.0 billion to $97.5 billion, up from $95.0 billion to $96.0 billion. Organic sales growth guidance rose to 10% to 11%, from 8% to 9%. Adjusted earnings per share guidance climbed to $7.65 to $7.75, from $7.10 to $7.25. Free cash flow guidance increased to $9.0 billion to $9.2 billion, from $8.50 billion to $8.75 billion.

Chairman and CEO Chris Calio said strong execution and robust demand, including more than $81 billion of new commercial and defense awards, drove the company's backlog to a record $340 billion.

Raising sales, earnings and cash flow guidance in the same quarter suggests RTX is now converting its order pipeline into delivery, not just adding to the backlog, which has been the harder test for aerospace and defense suppliers navigating supply-chain constraints. The backlog is still growing faster than the raised sales outlook, meaning RTX is taking on future work faster than it can complete it, a sign of visibility extending well beyond 2026. An earnings beat of nearly 50 cents a share also sets a high bar for other aerospace and defense suppliers still to report this earnings season.