GE Vernova: A Most Curious Turbine Tale

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Now, listen closely. This GE Vernova (GEV +3.93%) – a name that sounds suspiciously like a villain from a penny dreadful – has been doing rather well for itself. Up 98.7% in the last year, they say. And another 13% already this year. One begins to suspect a rather clever scheme, doesn’t one? A bit like those toffee apples that look delightful but are secretly filled with wasps.

They’re telling you this is a good thing, a “buy.” But I smell a rat. A very large, well-fed rat with a fondness for shareholder money. Still, let’s see what mischief they’ve been up to.

2025: A Year of Gobblefunking Good Fortune

Apparently, this lot – the world’s biggest maker of whirling, whooshing wind turbines and gassy gas turbines – managed to snag orders worth a staggering $10.2 billion in just the first three months of the year. And a backlog? A whopping $123 billion. It’s enough to make a grown accountant weep. They even did a deal with Duke Energy in April, supplying turbines for those enormous, power-hungry data centers.

These data centers, you see, are like ravenous beasts, constantly demanding more and more electricity. The existing power grid is creaking and groaning under the strain. So, GE Vernova swoops in with its turbines, promising quick fixes. It’s a bit like selling umbrellas during a hurricane, really. Very clever, if utterly predictable.

Their yearly results? A rather plump $59 billion in orders, a backlog ballooning to $150 billion, revenue up 9% to $38 billion, and $3.7 billion in free cash flow. And nearly $9 billion sloshing around in the bank. They’re practically swimming in it. They even doubled the dividend and decided to buy back shares – a trick as old as time to make the stock price look a bit more respectable.

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And as if that wasn’t enough, they’ve gobbled up the remaining half of transformer maker Prolec GE for $5.3 billion. Positioning themselves, they say, to dominate the grid infrastructure market. It’s all rather…ambitious, isn’t it? Like a greedy giant trying to fit into a thimble.

You Might Regret Not Joining the Fray

They’ve raised their guidance for 2026 and 2028, of course. They always do. Expecting at least 15% revenue growth to $44 or $45 billion in 2026, and a hefty $5 to $5.5 billion in free cash flow. By 2028, they’re dreaming of $56 billion in revenue and a cumulative $24 billion in cash. It’s a fantastical vision, frankly. A bit like promising everyone a pony.

They’re right in the thick of this data center boom, growing their backlog at a frightening pace. A rock-solid stock, they claim. Perhaps. Or perhaps it’s just a very cleverly disguised bubble, waiting to burst. One can only watch and wait, with a healthy dose of skepticism, of course. After all, in the world of finance, things are rarely as delightful as they appear.

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2026-02-06 19:43