Boeing's third-quarter revenue rose and it earned an operating profit after a year-earlier loss
Boeing's revenue rose 3.9% to $24.2 billion in the third quarter of 2026. It earned an operating profit of $354 million, against an operating loss of $4.8 billion a year earlier, when the company recorded a large charge on its newest wide-body jet program. Net loss narrowed to $116 million, and free cash flow was $464 million.
Revenue grew on defense and services
Revenue of $24.2 billion was 3.9% higher than the $23.3 billion of the third quarter of 2025. For the first nine months, revenue was $71.0 billion, up 8.3% on the same period of 2025. Boeing said the quarter's revenue mainly reflected higher defense and services volume and a less favorable commercial delivery mix. Its Defense, Space & Security segment had revenue of $7.9 billion on higher volume.
Boeing said its total backlog at the end of the quarter reached a record $745 billion.
Margins turned positive after last year's charge
Operating income was $354 million, an operating margin of 1.5%. In the third quarter of 2025 the margin was negative 20.5%, when Boeing recorded a large charge on its newest wide-body jet program. Gross profit was $2.2 billion, a gross margin of 9.0%, compared with a gross loss of $2.4 billion a year earlier.
The net loss was $116 million, or $0.26 a share, compared with a net loss of $5.3 billion, or $7.14 a share, in the third quarter of 2025. Over the first nine months of 2026, operating income was $958 million.
Cash flow stayed positive
Cash from operations was $1.5 billion, up 33.2% on the third quarter of 2025. Boeing said this reflected working capital timing, partly offset by Department of Justice settlement payments of $0.7 billion. Additions to property, plant and equipment were $1.0 billion, up 16.6%; the company said this mainly reflects higher investment in its Charleston and St. Louis sites. Free cash flow was $464 million, or 1.9% of revenue. For the first nine months it was negative $359 million.
Cash and short-term investments were $20.7 billion at the end of the quarter and total debt was $45.6 billion, down from $53.2 billion a year earlier.
Twelve quarters of figures
Net loss is the loss attributable to Boeing shareholders, as in the site's structured data; Boeing's earnings release shows slightly different totals for some periods because of noncontrolling interests. Free cash flow is cash from operations minus additions to property, plant and equipment.
Sources: Form 10-Q (SEC EDGAR) · Form 10-Q filing index · EDGAR company facts for Boeing · Boeing third-quarter 2026 earnings release (Exhibit 99.1). More figures for Boeing are on its company page.