Snapshot
TransDigm Group INC reported $2.44B of revenue in Q4 2025, up 11.5% year over year, with diluted EPS of $7.75 and an operating margin of 47.6%.
- Revenue
- $2.44B
- YoY growth
- +11.5%
- Diluted EPS
- $7.75
- Operating margin
- 47.6%
What management said
- •Please see the tables and related footnotes in the earnings release for a presentation of the most directly comparable GAAP measures and applicable reconciliations.
- •Most of our EBITDA comes from aftermarket revenues, which generally have significantly higher margins and over any extended period have typically provided relative stability in the downturns.
- •Lastly, our capital structure and allocations are a key part of our value creation methodology.
- •To do this, we stay focused on both the details of value creation as well as careful allocation of our capital.
- •As you saw from our earnings release, we closed out the year with a good quarter.
- •For the full year, our fiscal 2025 revenue and EBITDA as defined margins surpassed our most recently published guidance.
- •Airline demand for new aircraft remains high, and the OEMs have long backlogs.
- •OEMs are working to increase aircraft production to meet this demand, but the recovery to date has been bumpy and will likely remain so.
- •Contributing to this solid Q4 margin is the continued growth in our commercial aftermarket, along with diligent focus on our operating strategy, which is allowing margin performance to expand across all segments.
- •During our full fiscal 2025 and continuing into October, we are pleased to have allocated approximately $7 billion of capital in the aggregate across M&A and return of capital to our shareholders.
- •As you know, we are continuously assessing our capital allocation options, and we were very pleased to return this capital to our shareholders.
- •Regarding the current M&A activities in the pipeline, we continue to actively look for opportunities that fit our model.
What went well
- •TransDigm closed fiscal 2025 with a good fourth quarter, and full-year revenue and EBITDA as defined margins surpassed its most recently published guidance.
- •Q4 saw healthy commercial aftermarket growth of about 11%, robust defense growth of about 16%, and commercial OEM returning to growth at about 7% after the prior quarter's destocking.
- •EBITDA as defined margin was 54.2% in the quarter, and Q4 organic growth was approximately 11% with all channels contributing.
- •Full-year commercial aftermarket grew about 10% and defense grew about 13%, with defense bookings significantly surpassing the prior year.
- •The company generated roughly $2.4 billion of free cash flow (above its ~$2.3 billion estimate) and ended the year with about $2.8 billion of cash.
- •TransDigm allocated approximately $7 billion of capital across M&A (Servotronics, Simmonds Precision, and ~$300M of tuck-ins) and shareholder returns, including a record $90-per-share special dividend and $600 million of buybacks, and won new defense content including positions on the F-47.
What went wrong
- •Full-year commercial OEM revenue was down 1% and softer than originally expected, driven by the Boeing strike and Airbus production ramp-up challenges that hurt build rates.
- •The recently acquired Simmonds Precision and Servotronics businesses came in at margins well below TransDigm's typical acquisition level, creating an expected 200 basis points of additional margin dilution for fiscal 2026 versus 2025.
- •The fiscal 2026 defense growth guidance of mid-single to high single-digit represents a notable deceleration from the 13% delivered in fiscal 2025.
- •Commercial OEM recovery remains bumpy and is expected to stay so, prompting a deliberately wide guidance bracket.
Guidance changes
| Metric | Period | Previous | Current | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total revenue (midpoint) | FY2026 | — | $9.85B (~+12%) | new |
| EBITDA as defined (midpoint) | FY2026 | — | $5.15B (~+8%), ~52.3% margin | new |
| Commercial OEM revenue growth | FY2026 | — | high single-digit to mid-teens % | new |
| Commercial aftermarket revenue growth | FY2026 | ~10% (FY2025 actual) | high single-digit % | down |
| Defense revenue growth | FY2026 | ~13% (FY2025 actual) | mid-single to high single-digit % | down |
| Free cash flow | FY2026 | ~$2.4B (FY2025 actual) | ~$2.4B | flat |
| CapEx | FY2026 | — | ~$300M | new |
| Interest expense | FY2026 | — | ~$1.9B (~6.3% rate) | new |
| Tax rate (GAAP/cash/adjusted) | FY2026 | — | 22%-24% | new |
| Weighted avg shares | FY2026 | — | 58.5M | new |
Performance breakdown
| Metric | YoY change | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Organic growth rate (Q4) | ~+11% | All market channels contributed |
| Commercial OEM revenue (Q4, pro forma) | +7% | Returned to growth on higher build rates after destocking |
| Commercial OEM revenue (FY, pro forma) | -1% | Boeing strike and Airbus ramp-up challenges hurt build rates |
| Commercial aftermarket revenue (Q4) | +11% | All submarkets positive; strength in freight, interiors, engines |
| Commercial aftermarket revenue (FY) | +10% | In line with original expectations; strong interiors and engine content |
| Defense market revenue (Q4) | +16% | New business wins and strong domestic/international performance |
| Defense market revenue (FY) | +13% | New business wins and rising US defense spend outlays |
| EBITDA as defined margin (Q4) | 54.2% | Continued aftermarket growth and operating strategy across segments |
| Free cash flow (FY) | ~$2.4B | Slightly above ~$2.3B estimate |
Earnings call themes & trends
| Topic | Previous mention | Current period | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial OEM recovery | Brief destocking blip last quarter | Returned to growth in Q4; ramp still bumpy | improving but uneven |
| Acquisition margin dilution | Servotronics/Simmonds folded in | 200 bps of FY2026 dilution; margins to march up over time | near-term headwind |
| Defense growth | +13% in FY2025 | Guided to mid-to-high single digit; deliberately conservative | decelerating in guide |
| Capital allocation | Consistent priorities | ~$7B deployed including record $90/share dividend | active |
| Productivity / automation | Ongoing value driver | 150+ automation projects; headcount roughly flat despite OEM growth | expanding |
| New defense program wins | — | F-47 content awarded across several op units | positive |
Q&A summary
Could TransDigm look more seriously at acquisitions outside aerospace and defense under your tenure?
Two non-core branches (Calspan and Raptor) have gone well and the company is open to more such adjacencies over time, but today the M&A focus remains where it has always been — aerospace and defense components businesses.
Why is FY2026 defense guidance a big slowdown from 2025, and are you assuming normal aftermarket pricing?
Defense is lumpy and less predictable than aftermarket, so after two strong growth years management is being conservative; on aftermarket, no change in pricing approach — offset inflation plus add some real price.
Can the recent acquisitions reach TransDigm margins, and is normal underlying margin expansion still ~1-1.5%?
Excluding acquisition and OEM-mix dilution, base-business margin improvement is squarely in the 1-1.5% range; Simmonds and Servotronics came in low but there is nothing structurally different preventing margins from marching up over time.
CapEx looks set to roughly double — how much is automation/productivity vs. capacity, and is headcount flat including Simmonds?
CapEx is a mix of capacity and cost-reduction/automation projects (150+ planned); headcount is expected roughly flat on a pro forma basis including Simmonds despite higher commercial and defense OEM work content.
Given rising OEM production rates, is underlying margin expansion limited by the OE-versus-aftermarket growth differential?
Year-over-year margin should still improve; a faster-growing, lower-margin OEM channel may create a headwind of only a couple tenths of a point, not enough to erase margin expansion.
How did distributor sell-in compare to sell-through in the aftermarket?
Point-of-sale at distributors grew faster than underlying aftermarket, partly because the distribution mix overweights engine; inventory was also allowed to drop about half a month versus the prior year, a one-to-two-point drag on full-year commercial aftermarket.