third quarter 2026
Filed Nov 3, 2026Eaton Reports Record Third Quarter 2026 Results, with Strong Organic Growth, Accelerating Record Orders and Backlog; Raises Organic Growth Guidance
Record $8.9 billion sales rose 28%, organic sales grew 19% above the high end of guidance, segment margins reached a record 25.3%, and adjusted earnings per ordinary share reached a record $3.68. Electrical order rates and backlog growth remained strong, while full-year organic growth guidance was raised to 13-15%.
Key metrics
shortened, hover for the filing’s print| Metric | Value | q/q | y/y |
|---|---|---|---|
| Net sales, three months ended September 30, 2026GAAP | $8.95B | – | 28% |
| Cost of products sold, three months ended September 30, 2026GAAP | $5.84B | – | – |
| Selling and administrative expense, three months ended September 30, 2026GAAP | $1.28B | – | – |
| Research and development expense, three months ended September 30, 2026GAAP | $238M | – | – |
| Interest expense - net, three months ended September 30, 2026GAAP | $198M | – | – |
| Other expense - net, three months ended September 30, 2026GAAP | $20M | – | – |
| Income before income taxes, three months ended September 30, 2026GAAP | $1.37B | – | – |
| Income tax expense, three months ended September 30, 2026GAAP | $291M | – | – |
| Net income, three months ended September 30, 2026GAAP | $1.08B | – | – |
| Net income attributable to Eaton ordinary shareholders, three months ended September 30, 2026GAAP | $1.08B | – | – |
| Diluted net income per share attributable to Eaton ordinary shareholders, three months ended September 30, 2026GAAP | $ 2.77 | – | – |
| Basic net income per share attributable to Eaton ordinary shareholders, three months ended September 30, 2026GAAP | 2.77 | – | – |
| Adjusted earnings, three months ended September 30, 2026non-GAAP | $1.43B | – | – |
| Adjusted earnings per ordinary share, three months ended September 30, 2026non-GAAP | $ 3.68 | – | – |
| Segment margins, third quarter 2026other | 25.3% | – | 30 basis points above the third quarter of 2025 |
| Operating cash flow, three months ended September 30, 2026GAAP | $1.31B | – | – |
| Capital expenditures for property, plant and equipment, three months ended September 30, 2026GAAP | $275M | – | – |
| Free cash flow, three months ended September 30, 2026non-GAAP | $1.03B | – | – |
| Net sales, nine months ended September 30, 2026GAAP | $24.93B | – | – |
| Cost of products sold, nine months ended September 30, 2026GAAP | $16.32B | – | – |
| Selling and administrative expense, nine months ended September 30, 2026GAAP | $3.78B | – | – |
| Research and development expense, nine months ended September 30, 2026GAAP | $676M | – | – |
| Interest expense - net, nine months ended September 30, 2026GAAP | $505M | – | – |
| Other expense - net, nine months ended September 30, 2026GAAP | $26M | – | – |
| Income before income taxes, nine months ended September 30, 2026GAAP | $3.62B | – | – |
| Income tax expense, nine months ended September 30, 2026GAAP | $852M | – | – |
| Net income, nine months ended September 30, 2026GAAP | $2.77B | – | – |
| Net income attributable to Eaton ordinary shareholders, nine months ended September 30, 2026GAAP | $2.77B | – | – |
| Diluted net income per share attributable to Eaton ordinary shareholders, nine months ended September 30, 2026GAAP | $ 7.10 | – | – |
| Basic net income per share attributable to Eaton ordinary shareholders, nine months ended September 30, 2026GAAP | 7.12 | – | – |
| Adjusted earnings, nine months ended September 30, 2026non-GAAP | $3.75B | – | – |
| Adjusted earnings per ordinary share, nine months ended September 30, 2026non-GAAP | $ 9.64 | – | – |
| Total segment operating profit, three months ended September 30, 2026other | $2.26B | – | – |
| Total segment operating profit, nine months ended September 30, 2026other | $5.93B | – | – |
Segments
| Segment | Revenue | q/q | y/y |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical Americas, three months ended September 30, 2026The twelve-month rolling average of orders in the third quarter was up 39% organically. Total backlog at the end of September was up 33% over September 2025. Operating profits were $ 1,243 million, operating margins were 29.8%, and margins were up 230 basis points sequentially. | $4.17B | – | 22% organically from the third quarter of 2025 |
| Electrical Global, three months ended September 30, 2026The sales increase consisted of 27% growth in organic sales and 31% contribution from Boyd Thermal in its second full quarter post-acquisition. The twelve-month rolling average of orders was up 51% organically and total backlog was up 121% over September 2025. Operating profits were $ 576 million and operating margins were 21.1%, up 200 basis points over the third quarter of 2025. | $2.73B | – | 58% from the third quarter of 2025 |
| Aerospace, three months ended September 30, 2026The sales increase consisted of 6% growth in organic sales and 5% growth from the Ultra PCS acquisition. The twelve-month rolling average of orders was up 20% organically and total backlog was up 33% over September 2025. Operating profits were $ 298 million and operating margins were 24.9%, down 100 basis points over the third quarter of 2025. | $1.20B | – | 11% from the third quarter of 2025 |
| Mobility, three months ended September 30, 2026Operating profits were $ 146 million, up 39% from the third quarter of 2025. Operating margins were 17.2%, up 370 basis points from the third quarter of 2025. | $852M | – | Organic sales increased 9%. |
| Electrical Americas, nine months ended September 30, 2026Segment operating profit was $ 3,253 million. | $11.72B | – | – |
| Electrical Global, nine months ended September 30, 2026Segment operating profit was $ 1,449 million. | $7.19B | – | – |
| Aerospace, nine months ended September 30, 2026Segment operating profit was $ 881 million. | $3.56B | – | – |
| Mobility, nine months ended September 30, 2026Segment operating profit was $ 345 million. | $2.46B | – | – |
full year 2026 and fourth quarter of 2026 outlook
- NoteFull year 2026 organic growth of 13-15%
- NoteFull year 2026 segment margins of 24.1-24.5%
- NoteFull year 2026 earnings per share between $10.39 and $10.49
- NoteFull year 2026 adjusted earnings per share between $13.70 and $13.80
- NoteFourth quarter of 2026 organic growth of 13-15%
- NoteFourth quarter of 2026 segment margins of 25.4-25.8%
- NoteFourth quarter of 2026 earnings per share between $3.28 and $3.38
- NoteFourth quarter of 2026 adjusted earnings per share between $4.05 and $4.15
Capital returns
- Eaton will pay €810 million ($921 million, translated at the September 30, 2026 exchange rate) for COL Group, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals.
- Certain of Eaton's subsidiaries will receive a cash distribution of approximately $1.1 billion prior to completion of the Mobility transaction, subject to a customary cash and indebtedness adjustment and tax payments to various global jurisdictions and transaction related adjustments.
- Eaton expects to use the cash distribution consistent with its capital allocation framework, including repayment of outstanding indebtedness.
What drove it
- Third-quarter sales increased 28%, consisting of 19% growth in organic sales, 8% growth from acquisitions, and 1% growth from foreign exchange.
- Segment margins were a record 25.3%, driven by higher sales and improved performance amid continued capacity investments to support growth.
- Electrical businesses had a rolling twelve-month book-to-bill ratio of 1.2, while Aerospace had a rolling twelve-month book-to-bill ratio of 1.2.
- Record order dollars were reported in Electrical Americas, Electrical Global and Aerospace, driven by broad end-market strength.
- Boyd Thermal contributed 31% to Electrical Global sales growth, while Ultra PCS contributed 5% to Aerospace sales growth.
Concerns
- Aerospace operating margins of 24.9% were down 100 basis points over the third quarter of 2025.
- Interest expense - net was $ 198 million in the third quarter of 2026, compared with $ 67 million in the third quarter of 2025.
- Nine-month income before income taxes was $ 3,620 million, compared with $ 3,637 million in the prior-year period.
- The planned Mobility separation remains subject to Dana stockholder approval, regulatory approvals, and customary closing conditions.
- The COL Group acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals and is expected to close in the first quarter of 2027.
What to watch
- Execution against fourth-quarter organic growth guidance of 13-15% and segment margin guidance of 25.4-25.8%.
- Electrical Global order momentum, backlog conversion and the contribution from Boyd Thermal.
- Aerospace margin performance following the reported 100-basis-point year-over-year decline.
- Completion and financing implications of the COL Group acquisition.
- Progress toward the expected closing of the Mobility Reverse Morris Trust transaction in the first four months of 2027.
Balance sheet and cash flow
- Cash was $ 528 million at September 30, 2026, compared with $ 622 million at December 31, 2025.
- Short-term investments were $ 290 million at September 30, 2026, compared with $ 181 million at December 31, 2025.
- Short-term debt was $ 1,594 million at September 30, 2026, compared with $ 1 million at December 31, 2025.
- Current portion of long-term debt was $ 710 million at September 30, 2026, compared with $ 1,136 million at December 31, 2025.
- Long-term debt was $ 17,802 million at September 30, 2026, compared with $ 8,758 million at December 31, 2025.
- Total assets were $ 57,452 million at September 30, 2026, compared with $ 41,251 million at December 31, 2025.
- Eaton shareholders’ equity was $ 20,976 million at September 30, 2026, compared with $ 19,425 million at December 31, 2025.
- Operating cash flow was $ 1,310 million and free cash flow was $ 1,034 million for the three months ended September 30, 2026.
Analysis
Eaton reported record third-quarter sales of $8.9 billion, up 28% from the third quarter of 2025. The growth mix comprised 19% organic growth, 8% from acquisitions and 1% from foreign exchange. GAAP diluted earnings per share were $2.77, compared with $2.59, while adjusted earnings per ordinary share were a record $3.68, compared with $3.07. The quarter also produced $1.31 billion of operating cash flow and $1.03 billion of free cash flow.
The Electrical businesses were the principal growth engine. Electrical Americas generated record sales of $4.2 billion, with 22% organic growth, while Electrical Global reported record sales of $2.7 billion, up 58%, including 27% organic growth and a 31% contribution from Boyd Thermal. Electrical Americas orders rose 39% organically on a twelve-month rolling average basis, and Electrical Global orders rose 51%. Backlog rose 33% in Electrical Americas and 121% in Electrical Global over September 2025. The Electrical businesses' rolling twelve-month book-to-bill ratio was 1.2.
Margin performance was strong but varied by segment. Total segment margins reached a record 25.3%, 30 basis points above both the high end of guidance and the third quarter of 2025. Electrical Americas operating margins were 29.8%, up 230 basis points sequentially, and Electrical Global operating margins were 21.1%, up 200 basis points year over year. Aerospace delivered record third-quarter sales of $1.2 billion and 20% organic order growth, but its 24.9% operating margin was down 100 basis points year over year. Mobility reported 9% organic sales growth and a 370-basis-point margin improvement to 17.2%.
Acquisition activity remains central to the reported growth and to the balance sheet. Boyd Thermal was acquired for $9.55 billion, net of cash acquired, and contributed to Electrical Global results. Eaton also agreed to acquire COL Group for €810 million ($921 million, translated at the September 30, 2026 exchange rate), with expected closing in the first quarter of 2027. At September 30, 2026, long-term debt was $17.802 billion, short-term debt was $1.594 billion, and cash was $528 million. The company also expects the Mobility Reverse Morris Trust transaction to close in the first four months of 2027, subject to approvals and customary closing conditions.
Management raised full-year organic growth guidance to 13-15% and expects full-year segment margins of 24.1-24.5%. Full-year GAAP earnings per share guidance is $10.39-$10.49 and adjusted earnings per share guidance is $13.70-$13.80. For the fourth quarter, Eaton guides to 13-15% organic growth, segment margins of 25.4-25.8%, GAAP earnings per share of $3.28-$3.38 and adjusted earnings per share of $4.05-$4.15. The key reported indicators are elevated Electrical orders and backlog, margin delivery amid capacity investment, Aerospace margin movement and execution of the announced acquisition and Mobility separation plans.
Management, verbatim
Our strong third quarter performance reflects the focus and discipline our teams have demonstrated all year as we expand capacity, strengthen execution and position the business to meet accelerating customer demand. We delivered organic growth and segment margins above the high end of our guidance, driven by strong demand across our markets and continued momentum across our Electrical businesses. Record orders grew sequentially, backlog continued to expand, and we remain well-positioned to help customers deliver on their critical power infrastructure investments. These results reinforce our confidence in the remainder of the year.
Paulo Ruiz, Eaton chief executive officer
Not in the filing
stated, not guessed- Previous-release outlook was not provided, so comparison with prior guidance is unavailable.
- Consolidated gross profit and gross margin were not reported.
- Consolidated operating income and operating margin were not reported.
- A comparable prior-year or prior-quarter operating cash flow figure was not reported.
- A comparable prior-year or prior-quarter free cash flow figure was not reported.
- Share repurchases and dividends were not reported.
- Revenue, gross margin, operating expenses and tax-rate guidance were not reported.
Written by an AI language model from the company’s SEC earnings filing (Form 8-K Item 2.02, or Form 6-K for a foreign private issuer). Every figure is checked against the filing text, and a metric the filing does not print, or whose value, prior period and change do not add up, is dropped from the metrics. The model can still misread a table, in the metrics or in the text, so check a number in the filing before you rely on it. Consensus estimates, price targets and share-price reactions are not shown because they are not in the filing. AI-generated research, not investment advice.