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L3Harris Beats Q3 Earnings Estimates, Raises 2026 Revenue View

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Key Takeaways

  • L3Harris' Q3 earnings surged 33.3% to $3.28 per share, beating estimates by 9.7%, as revenues rose 7.1%.
  • Space & Mission Systems revenues grew 10.3% to $3.09B, while higher missile demand lifted Missile Solutions.
  • LHX raises its 2026 revenue guidance to $23.5B-$23.7B and maintains its free cash flow outlook of $3B.

L3Harris Technologies, Inc. (LHX - Free Report) reported third-quarter 2026 earnings of $3.28 per share, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.99 by 9.7%. The bottom line also increased 33.3% from the year-ago quarter’s $2.46.

The year-over-year improvement in the bottom line can be attributed to higher revenues, lower corporate expenses, decreased interest expense and a lower effective tax rate.

LHX’s Total Revenues

L3Harris’ revenues totaled $6.06 billion, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $5.90 billion by 2.8%. The top line also improved 7.1% from the year-ago quarter’s $5.66 billion.

The year-over-year increase in the top line was driven by growth across the company’s businesses, with double-digit growth in the Space & Mission Systems and Missile Solutions segments.

L3Harris Technologies Inc Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

L3Harris Technologies Inc Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

L3Harris Technologies Inc price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | L3Harris Technologies Inc Quote

LHX’s Segmental Performance

Space & Mission Systems: The segment recorded revenues of $3.09 billion, up 10.3% year over year. This was driven by higher volumes across its space and mission systems businesses.

The segment recorded operating income of $338 million, up from $299 million in the year-ago quarter.

Communications & Spectrum Dominance: Revenues from the segment were $2.00 billion, reflecting a year-over-year improvement of 3.1%.

The segment’s operating income improved to $502 million from $477 million in the year-ago quarter.

Missile Solutions: Revenues from this segment increased 4.9% to $1.06 billion. The increase reflected higher demand for missile and propulsion solutions.

The unit’s operating income improved to $127 million from $124 million in the year-ago quarter.

Financial Position of LHX

As of Oct. 2, 2026, L3Harris had $2.47 billion in cash and cash equivalents compared with $1.07 billion as of Jan. 2, 2026. The company also held $550 million in short-term investments.

Total debt stood at approximately $11.0 billion at the end of the third quarter.

Net cash provided by operating activities was $2.22 billion during the first nine months of 2026 compared with $1.14 billion in the prior-year period. Free cash flow totaled $1.84 billion, up from $878 million a year earlier.

LHX 2026 Guidance

L3Harris raised the lower end of its full-year revenue guidance and now expects to generate $23.5-$23.7 billion in revenues compared with its earlier guidance of $23.2-$23.7 billion. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2026 revenues is pegged at $23.67 billion, which lies above the midpoint of the company’s new guidance.

L3Harris maintained its full-year free cash flow guidance of approximately $3 billion.

LHX’s Zacks Rank

L3Harris currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Recent Defense Releases

Northrop Grumman Corporation (NOC - Free Report) reported third-quarter 2026 adjusted earnings of $7.89 per share, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $7.22 by 9.3%. The bottom line also increased 2.9% from the year-ago quarter’s level of $7.67.

NOC’s total sales of $11.12 billion in the third quarter beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $11.06 billion by 0.6%. The top line also improved 6.7% from $10.42 billion reported in the year-ago quarter.

Hexcel Corporation (HXL - Free Report) reported third-quarter 2026 adjusted earnings of 50 cents per share, which improved 35.1% from the year-ago quarter’s figure of 37 cents. The bottom line also surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 48 cents by 4.2%.

The company’s net sales totaled $496.4 million, which missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $500 million by 0.8%. The top line, however, witnessed an improvement of 8.8% from the year-ago quarter’s figure of $456.2 million.

RTX Corporation’s (RTX - Free Report) third-quarter 2026 adjusted earnings per share of $2.26 beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.78 by 27%. The bottom line improved 32.9% from the year-ago quarter’s level of $1.70.

Revenues rose 11.1% year over year to $24.97 billion and beat the consensus mark of $24.01 billion by 4%. Growth was supported by higher commercial aftermarket and defense demand.

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