GE Vernova missed on earnings.
But it beat on sales, and even "missed" earnings grew 33% year over year.
GE Vernova generated massive free cash flow in Q2 as well.
Shares of GE Vernova (NYSE: GEV) stock, the power generation equipment division spun off from General Electric in 2024, sank 6.2% through 11:22 a.m. ET Wednesday after reporting mixed Q2 earnings this morning.
Analysts forecast GE Vernova would earn $3.04 per share on $10.7 billion in Q2 sales. Instead, GE Vernova reported $2.47 per share in profit (a miss) on sales of $11.1 billion (a beat).
Missed Nvidia in 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again. In 2009, a "Double Down" signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. For the first time in years, that same "Total Conviction" signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. Continue »
Image source: Getty Images.
Revenue grew 22% year over year, with 12% organic, contributing to the sales beat. Earnings grew even faster (just not fast enough to meet high expectations), rising 33% year over year. Best of all, cash flow soared Q2, rising many from just $367 million a year ago to $5.5 billion this time around. Minus capital spending, that still left positive free cash flow of $5.1 billion.
So why didn't this please investors?
Guidance doesn't seem to be a concern, with management raising guidance to a minimum of $45.5 billion in sales through the end of this year -- and possibly more. (Analysts only expected the first $45.5 billion). GE Vernova booked $24.2 billion in new orders in the quarter, twice as much as sales going out the door, and up 88% year over year, as business booms in power generation -- especially for data centers, which comprise more than 20% of total orders.
Backlogged orders to be completed rose $13 billion as a result, and total backlog now comes to $176 billion.
All things considered, GE Vernova looks to be on a roll to me. The stock isn't super-cheap at 31.5 times trailing earnings, but at the rate sales, earnings, and especially free cash flow are growing, I think this stock is worth the price.
Before you buy stock in GE Vernova, consider this:
The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and GE Vernova wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.
Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $370,332!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,272,280!*
Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 904% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 208% for the S&P 500. Don't miss the latest top 10 list, available with Stock Advisor, and join an investing community built by individual investors for individual investors.
See the 10 stocks »
*Stock Advisor returns as of July 22, 2026.
Rich Smith has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends GE Vernova. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.