Is Howmet Aerospace profitable in 2026?

Yes. Howmet reported FY2025 net income of $1.5 billion (EPS $3.71), up from $1.2 billion in 2024, and Q1 2026 adjusted EPS rose 42% YoY to $1.22 as of May 7, 2026, per its own earnings release.

Could AI replace Howmet Aerospace's manufacturing?

No. Howmet's core value is physical metallurgy, single-crystal turbine-blade casting and sole-source forgings like F-35 bulkheads, a domain resistant to software substitution. Rising AI/data-center electricity demand is instead a revenue tailwind via its gas-turbine segment, up 39% YoY in Q1 2026 (2026-05-07).

Who is Howmet Aerospace's biggest competitor?

Berkshire Hathaway-owned Precision Castparts is Howmet's closest rival, forming an effective duopoly in single-crystal turbine airfoil casting, per a June 3, 2026 analysis. Smaller players like Consolidated Precision Products and Doncasters are growing but unproven at OEM-qualified scale.

Who owns Howmet Aerospace?

Howmet Aerospace (NYSE: HWM) is a publicly traded S&P 500 company with no controlling shareholder; it was created April 1, 2020 when Arconic Inc. split into Howmet Aerospace and Arconic Corporation, per Howmet's own 2020 press release.

What is Howmet Aerospace's 2026 revenue guidance?

As of May 6, 2026, Howmet guided FY2026 revenue to about $9.65 billion with adjusted EBITDA near $3.06 billion and adjusted EPS around $4.94, raising organic growth guidance from 10% to 14%, according to its earnings call transcript.

Did Howmet Aerospace make any acquisitions in 2026?

Yes. Howmet closed its roughly $1.8 billion acquisition of Consolidated Aerospace Manufacturing from Stanley Black & Decker on April 6, 2026, after also buying Wisconsin-based Brunner Manufacturing for about $120 million in February 2026, per company and Stanley Black & Decker press releases.

Manufacturing companies · United States

Howmet Aerospace

howmet.com ↗

Makes precision-cast turbine blades and forgings for jet engines and gas turbines.

Hard to displace

Assessed 20 July 2026 · Evidence as of 20 July 2026

Strong structural protection; the business model survives ai pressure.

On the recordSince 20 July 2026 · Checkable from August 6, 2026 · Every call on the record Checkpoint: Q2 2026 earnings, testing whether CAM integration and gas-turbine capacity keep pace with guidance

The call

Howmet's real risk is a Boeing/Airbus production slowdown or a botched acquisition, not AI, and so far demand for its parts is only climbing.

Howmet casts special turbine blades and forgings for jets and power plants using processes that take years to copy and require government approval. It faces no real competitor because Precision Castparts is the only other option, and both are locked into long-term contracts with plane and engine makers. The main threat is not someone copying them, but a slowdown in airplane production or defense spending, plus how well they absorb their recent acquisition and whether they have enough factory space as data centers demand more power equipment.

Why

AI pressure: None apparent. AI can't cast a single-crystal turbine blade; data-center power buildout is actually pushing more gas-turbine orders Howmet's way. Could AI do the core job? Unlikely.

Bigger players: GE Aerospace / Precision Castparts (Berkshire Hathaway). GE has floated insourcing airfoil casting and rivals like Consolidated Precision Products keep trying, but nobody has landed real OEM qualification at scale yet. Could a giant copy it? No, they are blocked.

What protects it. Decades of FAA/DoD qualification data and sole-source contracts that took years to earn and would take a rival years to replicate.

What would change this call

Whether Boeing/Airbus build-rate cuts of 20%+ materialize through 2026-2027. Would signal real cyclical demand risk to Howmet, not competitive loss.
Whether GE Aerospace ships insourced airfoil casting capacity at scale, not just plans. Would show the duopoly moat with Precision Castparts is eroding.
Whether CPP or Doncasters announces a completed OEM qualification win. Would show a rival credibly breaking into Howmet's sole-source positions.

Key numbers

FY2025 revenue $8.3B, up 11% YoY (2026-02-12)
Gas turbines segment revenue up 39% YoY in Q1 2026 (2026-05-07)
>50% global share in gas-turbine airfoils (2026-02-12)

Named risks

Integration execution on ~$1.8B CAM acquisition closed April 2026 with net leverage risen to ~1.6x. Severity: medium
Aerospace demand cycle exposure to Boeing/Airbus build rates and defense budgets. Severity: high
Capacity timing mismatch in gas turbines segment amid surging AI-driven data-center power demand. Severity: medium
Ongoing litigation including asbestos (Burford v. Howmet, adverse ruling stands as of 2026-04-17) and wage/overtime collective actions. Severity: medium
Pattern of large insider selling by CEO and executives (~$100M+ in May 2025). Severity: low

Rivals, as read in July 2026

Rival	Direction	Evidence
Precision Castparts (Berkshire Hathaway)	contesting	Effective duopoly in single-crystal turbine airfoil casting, described 2026-06-03
Consolidated Precision Products	contesting	Growing PE-backed castings rival, but unproven at OEM-qualified scale as of 2026
DPC Holdings / Doncasters Group	contesting	UK castings/forgings rival that completed a US public listing, per 2026 report
TransDigm Group	gaining on	Cited as closest business-model peer among public aerospace component suppliers, 2026-05-19

Questions people ask

Is Howmet Aerospace profitable in 2026?: Yes. Howmet reported FY2025 net income of $1.5 billion (EPS $3.71), up from $1.2 billion in 2024, and Q1 2026 adjusted EPS rose 42% YoY to $1.22 as of May 7, 2026, per its own earnings release.
Could AI replace Howmet Aerospace's manufacturing?: No. Howmet's core value is physical metallurgy, single-crystal turbine-blade casting and sole-source forgings like F-35 bulkheads, a domain resistant to software substitution. Rising AI/data-center electricity demand is instead a revenue tailwind via its gas-turbine segment, up 39% YoY in Q1 2026 (2026-05-07).
Who is Howmet Aerospace's biggest competitor?: Berkshire Hathaway-owned Precision Castparts is Howmet's closest rival, forming an effective duopoly in single-crystal turbine airfoil casting, per a June 3, 2026 analysis. Smaller players like Consolidated Precision Products and Doncasters are growing but unproven at OEM-qualified scale.
Who owns Howmet Aerospace?: Howmet Aerospace (NYSE: HWM) is a publicly traded S&P 500 company with no controlling shareholder; it was created April 1, 2020 when Arconic Inc. split into Howmet Aerospace and Arconic Corporation, per Howmet's own 2020 press release.
What is Howmet Aerospace's 2026 revenue guidance?: As of May 6, 2026, Howmet guided FY2026 revenue to about $9.65 billion with adjusted EBITDA near $3.06 billion and adjusted EPS around $4.94, raising organic growth guidance from 10% to 14%, according to its earnings call transcript.
Did Howmet Aerospace make any acquisitions in 2026?: Yes. Howmet closed its roughly $1.8 billion acquisition of Consolidated Aerospace Manufacturing from Stanley Black & Decker on April 6, 2026, after also buying Wisconsin-based Brunner Manufacturing for about $120 million in February 2026, per company and Stanley Black & Decker press releases.

Timeline

2026-05-07Q1 2026 results: revenue $2.31B up 19% YoY, adjusted EPS $1.22 up 42% YoY
2026-04-17Texas Supreme Court denied Howmet's petition for review in Burford v. Howmet asbestos case
2026-04-06Completed ~$1.8B acquisition of Consolidated Aerospace Manufacturing from Stanley Black & Decker
2026-03-31Sold Savannah, GA disk-forging facility for ~$230M
2026-03-03Issued $1.2B in notes to finance CAM acquisition
2026-02-13Fitch upgraded Howmet's Long-Term Issuer Default Rating to A-
2026-02-12Reported FY2025 revenue ~$8.3B, up 11% YoY; record Q4 EBITDA margin 30.1%
2025-12-22Agreed to acquire CAM from Stanley Black & Decker for ~$1.8B
2020-04-01Howmet Aerospace launched as standalone company after Arconic Inc. split

Revision history

20 July 2026

First assessed. Hard to displace. The text above is fixed as of this date and is not edited afterwards.

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