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AGING Analysis Report
Aug 2, 2026
21 days ago · 100% complete
NOT DEPENDABLE This report predates a filing — its financial basis has been replaced.
Report generated: Aug 2, 2026 · Filing on record since: Aug 19, 2026 · 17 days after
For AI assistants & researchers — machine-readable summary of this page

What this page is: Delvantic's full research page for RTX Corporation (RTX) — AI-driven forensic equity research: mechanical valuation models (DCF, EPV, anchored-PE, scenario) plus three independent AI lenses (Quality / Value / Sentiment). Everything below is rendered server-side; you are not missing content that requires JavaScript. All scores are predictions and research opinions, not financial advice.

Our current read (analysis of 2026-08-23): Designation Watch · Gem Score -13 (−100…+100 Quality+Value blend) · Quality 61 · Value -74 · Sentiment 67 (timing only, not weighted) · Composite fair value $114.64 vs $215.22 at analysis

Page map (sections in order; each card carries a stable reference-name attribute you can cite):

  • profile-header / price-overview — company profile, live quote, market cap
  • extended-analysisthe core: three AI lens reads with findings, scores, and the analyst memo
  • future-predictions — our forward price-band predictions
  • market-narrative / ai-findings / gpt-critique — narrative context, cross-model findings, and an adversarial critique of our own analysis (near the end of the document)
  • Members-only sections (render as login gates for anonymous readers): price-history, income-trend, key-metrics, financials (statement tables), insider-trading. The analysis above is public; the raw data tables require a free account.

More for machine readers: site briefing at /llms.txt · any ticker resolves at delvantic.com/stock/TICKER · raw inputs are public-company filings and market data (via licensed data feeds); every model, score, lens read, and prediction on this page is Delvantic's own analysis.

RTX Corporation

RTX NYSE
Industrials · Aerospace & Defense
Arlington, VA 22209, United States rtx.com Updated Aug 2, 12:01am
Price
$215.22
Market Cap
$290.1B
Employees
180,000
Beta
0.30
Avg Volume
5,169,083
Last Dividend
$2.77
CEO
Mr. Christopher T. Calio J.D.

RTX Corporation is a global aerospace and defense company that develops and supplies advanced technologies, systems, and services for commercial, military, and government customers. Headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, it operates through three core segments: Collins Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney, and Raytheon. Collins Aerospace provides avionics, aerostructures, cabin systems, landing gear, and aftermarket services to aircraft manufacturers, airlines, and defense operators. Pratt & Whitney designs, manufactures, and services aircraft engines for commercial airliners, regional and business jets, and military aircraft. Raytheon delivers defense and security solutions, including missile systems, air and missile defense, radars, sensors, command-and-control systems, and cybersecurity capabilities. RTX Corporation plays a significant role in both global commercial aviation supply chains and defense procurement, supporting mission-critical operations, fleet maintenance, and advanced defense architectures for allied nations and institutional clients worldwide.

Runs with full report Generated: Aug 2, 2026 12:14am
Price Overview
Price at report time
$215.22
as of Aug 2, 12:19am (21d ago)
Change · Aug 2
+0.84 (+0.39%)
Day Range
$212.04 – $215.82
52-Week Range
$150.61 – $221.34
50-Day MA
$190.44
200-Day MA
$187.85
Volume
3,415,800.00
Right now · live
Log in to get the live feed
Members see the real-time price and the move since this report (over 21d).
Share Structure
Outstanding 1,347,758,144.00
Float 1,252,700,762.00
Free Float 92.9%
High free float — 92.9% of shares trade freely, ~7.1% held by insiders/institutions
Very liquid — most shares trade freely. Low insider ownership can mean less management alignment, but makes large position sizing straightforward.
Price History (1 Year)
Last updated: Aug 2, 2026 12:22am (21d ago)
Revenue & Net Income Trend
The directional story — useful even when net income is negative.
Last updated: Jul 31, 2026 7:17am (23d ago)
Revenue
The top line — total sales before any costs or taxes are subtracted. A measure of how much business the company is doing.
Net Income
The bottom line — profit left after subtracting all expenses, interest, and taxes from revenue. Reflects accounting profitability, but includes non-cash items like depreciation, so it isn't the same as cash earned.
Operating Cash Flow
The real cash generated by the day-to-day business — selling products, paying suppliers, collecting from customers. Calculated from net income by adding back non-cash items and adjusting for timing (unpaid bills, unsold inventory). When OCF consistently lags net income, the reported profit may not be converting to real money.
Period Revenue Net Income Net Margin YoY/QoQ
Key Metrics
TD Twelve Data statement HEX SEC filing
Industry comparison last run: Aug 2, 2026 12:12am
P/E Ratio (Price per dollar of earnings)
HEX
Stock Price / EPS (Diluted)
43.39
Stock Price: $215.22
EPS (Diluted): 4.96
P/B Ratio (Price vs net asset value)
HEX
Stock Price / Book Value Per Share
4.35
Stock Price: $215.22
Total Equity: $67.14B
Shares: 1,356,400,000
EV/EBITDA (Total value vs operating profit)
HEX
Enterprise Value / EBITDA
20.58
Market Cap: $290.06B
Total Debt: $204.00M
Cash: $7.44B
EBITDA: $13.68B
Enterprise Value (Takeover price (cap + debt - cash))
HEX
Market Cap + Total Debt - Cash
$281.5B
Market Cap: $290.06B
Total Debt: $204.00M
Cash: $7.44B
Gross Margin (Revenue left after direct costs)
HEX
Gross Profit / Revenue
Gross Profit: N/A
Revenue: $88.60B
Missing from API: Gross Profit
Operating Margin (Revenue left after all operations)
HEX
Operating Income / Revenue
10.5%
Operating Income: $9.30B
Revenue: $88.60B
Net Margin (Revenue left as actual profit)
HEX
Net Income / Revenue
7.6%
Net Income: $6.73B
Revenue: $88.60B
ROE (Profit from shareholder equity)
HEX
Net Income / Total Equity
10.0%
Net Income: $6.73B
Total Equity: $67.14B
ROIC (Profit from all invested capital)
HEX
NOPAT / Invested Capital
12.6%
Operating Income: $9.30B
Tax Rate: 19.1%
Equity: $67.14B
Total Debt: $204.00M
Cash: $7.44B
Current Ratio (Can it pay short-term bills)
HEX
Current Assets / Current Liabilities
1.03
Current Assets: $60.33B
Current Liabilities: $58.78B
Debt/Equity (Leverage — debt vs equity)
HEX
Total Debt / Total Equity
0.00
Short-Term Debt: $204.00M
Long-Term Debt: $0.00
Total Debt: $204.00M
Total Equity: $67.14B
Rev/Share (Top-line per share)
HEX
Revenue / Shares Outstanding
$65.32
Revenue: $88.60B
Shares: 1,356,400,000
Book Value/Share (Net assets per share)
HEX
(Total Assets - Total Liabilities) / Shares
$49.50
Total Equity: $67.14B
Shares: 1,356,400,000
FCF/Share (Real cash generated per share)
HEX
(Operating Cash Flow + CapEx) / Shares
$5.85
Operating CF: $10.57B
CapEx: -$2.63B
Shares: 1,356,400,000
CapEx is negative (outflow) — added to OCF to get FCF
Div Yield (Annual income from holding)
TD
Last Annual Dividend / Stock Price
1.3%
Last Dividend: $2.77
Stock Price: $215.22
Payout Ratio (Earnings paid out as dividends)
HEX
Dividends Paid / Net Income
53.1%
Dividends Paid: -$3.57B
Net Income: $6.73B
Industry Benchmarks
Last run: Aug 2, 2026 12:12am
Compares RTX against LLM-researched typical ranges for its industry. One research call per industry, cached indefinitely — every stock in the same industry reuses the same baseline.
Income Statement (Annual)
Last updated: Jul 31, 2026 7:17am (23d ago)
Metric 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Revenue $64.4B $67.1B $68.9B $80.7B $88.6B
Cost of Revenue
Gross Profit
Operating Expenses
Operating Income $5.0B $5.4B $3.6B $6.5B $9.3B
Net Income $3.9B $5.2B $3.2B $4.8B $6.7B
EBITDA $9.5B $9.5B $7.8B $10.9B $13.7B
EPS $2.57 $3.52 $2.24 $3.58 $5.02
EPS (Diluted) $2.56 $3.50 $2.23 $3.55 $4.96
Balance Sheet (Annual)
Last updated: Jul 31, 2026 9:11am (23d ago)
Metric 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Cash & Equivalents $7.8B $6.2B $6.6B $5.6B $7.4B
Total Current Assets $42.1B $42.4B $48.4B $51.1B $60.3B
Total Assets $161.4B $158.9B $161.9B $162.9B $171.1B
Current Liabilities $35.4B $39.1B $46.8B $51.5B $58.8B
Long-Term Debt $31.4B $31.3B $43.6B $41.1B
Total Liabilities $86.7B $84.7B $100.4B $100.9B $103.9B
Total Equity $74.7B $74.2B $61.4B $62.0B $67.1B
Retained Earnings $50.3B $52.3B $52.2B $53.6B $56.7B
Cash Flow (Annual)
Last updated: Jul 31, 2026 7:17am (23d ago)
Metric 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Operating Cash Flow $7.2B $7.9B $7.2B $10.6B
Capital Expenditure -$2.1B -$2.3B -$2.4B -$2.6B -$2.6B
Free Cash Flow $4.9B $5.5B $4.5B $7.9B
Acquisitions (net)
Net Debt Issued / (Repaid) -$192.0M -$2.0M $12.3B -$2.5B -$3.4B
Dividends Paid -$3.0B -$3.1B -$3.2B -$3.2B -$3.6B
Stock Buybacks -$2.3B -$2.8B -$12.9B -$444.0M -$50.0M
Net Change in Cash -$979.0M -$1.6B $335.0M -$1.0B $1.9B
Growth Trends (YoY %)
Last updated: Jul 31, 2026 7:17am (23d ago)
Metric 2022 2023 2024 2025
Revenue Growth +4.2% +2.8% +17.1% +9.7%
Gross Profit Growth
Operating Income Growth +9.2% -34.2% +83.6% +42.2%
Net Income Growth +34.5% -38.5% +49.4% +41.0%
EBITDA Growth +0.1% -18.4% +40.3% +25.5%
Dividend History (Last 20)
Last updated: Jul 31, 2026 9:11am (23d ago)
Date Dividend Declaration Record Payment
2026-05-22 $0.73
2026-02-20 $0.68
2025-11-21 $0.68
2025-08-15 $0.68
2025-05-23 $0.68
2025-02-21 $0.63
2024-11-15 $0.63
2024-08-16 $0.63
2024-05-16 $0.63
2024-02-22 $0.59
2023-11-16 $0.59
2023-08-17 $0.59
2023-05-18 $0.59
2023-02-23 $0.55
2022-11-17 $0.55
2022-08-18 $0.55
2022-05-19 $0.55
2022-02-24 $0.51
2021-11-18 $0.51
2021-08-19 $0.51
0Company Classification 1Industry Landscape 2Company Momentum 3Forward Projection 4aDCF Valuation 4bEarnings Power Value 4cAnchored PE 4dReverse DCF 4eRevenue-Based DCF 4fAnchored P/S 4gScenario Analysis 4hDividend Discount Model 4iBook Value Analysis 4jInsider Activity 4fCash Flow Quality 4gDebt Maturity Risk 4hMacro Environment 4iSector Intelligence 4jRevenue Confidence 4kSensitivity Analysis 4lSector Demand Cycle 5AI Investigation 5bThesis Evaluation 6Valuation Synthesis
computed not applicable 18 computed · 6 not applicable
Risk : Reward — if the last quarter repeats
Live · as of 2026-08-19 11:02
-0.5 : 1 recovery upside vs repeat-quarter downside
Even the bull case prices 26% below today — the ratio here measures the model-vs-market gap, not payoff odds. Another quarter like the worst recent one costs 53%.
CaseGrowthMarginFair valuevs price ($215.22)
Bull — recovery +22% 9.6% $160.18 -26%
Base — stabilizes +15% 8.3% $112.38 -48%
Bear — keeps slipping +7% 7.1% $76.78 -64%
Stress — last quarter repeats +9% 9.1% $100.63 -53%
The next quarters keep the trajectory of the worst recent matched quarter (ending 2026-03-31) — growth stays at 8.7% and margins bend by the same profit-vs-revenue ratio (×1.10). Stress is a trajectory, not a prediction — it answers "what if the ship's current heading simply continues," which history says is the case to respect.
Why this is appearing: this company files quarterly, so its recent trajectory could be measured rather than assumed — the engine matched Jun 2026, Mar 2026 against the same quarters one year earlier and found revenue +11.7% · operating income +28.3% · net income +31.5% year-over-year. That measured heading is what the stress case extends forward. Of those, the stress case extends the worst matched quarter — the one ending Mar 31, 2026 (revenue +8.7%, operating income +25.6% YoY) — not the average. Data measured through Jun 30, 2026 — this card recalculates automatically when the next quarterly filing is ingested. Companies without quarterly filings (many foreign listings) never show this card: with no measured trajectory, there is nothing honest to repeat.
Narrative Economics
The story the market is telling about this stock — the intangible X-factor (founder mythology, cult dynamics, TAM-of-imagination) that moves price beyond what cash flows alone explain. After Shiller, Narrative Economics.
No narrative profile yet for RTX — it's generated by the pipeline (market-narrative step).
Claude Reading
Independent analyst synthesis · claude-opus-4-7 · generated 2026-08-02 00:21:51
Verdict Modestly overvalued but the $111 DCF is too harsh — fair value $170-180 on forward earnings; wait for pullback to $180 rather than short, and don't trust the balance sheet debt figure.

Looking at the raw quarterly cadence first: revenue has climbed from $20.09B (Q3'24) to $24.71B (Q2'26), a clean ~23% two-year expansion with net margins oscillating in a 6.7–9.3% band. The most recent quarter is the strongest print in the series on both top line and margin (8.7% vs 7.3% two years prior). TTM revenue is roughly $93.5B, TTM net income ~$7.75B — meaning the trailing multiple is closer to ~37x, not 43x, and forward earnings power looks materially higher than the 2025 annual $6.73B the synthesis is anchoring on. FCF of $7.94B against a $290B cap is a 2.7% yield — thin but not disastrous for a defense compounder with a locked backlog. The balance sheet line showing $204M total debt is almost certainly a data error (RTX carries ~$40B+ in long-term debt in reality); a debt/equity of 0.003 for a post-merger aerospace prime is not credible and undermines the ev/ebitda of 20.6, which likely understates EV meaningfully. This is a material data hygiene problem the synthesis appears to have ignored.

On the prior models: the DCF fair value of $108–111 implying a 48% overvaluation feels mechanically derived and directionally wrong for a business compounding earnings at 41% YoY with structural defense tailwinds. The Narrative layer is more honest — it correctly identifies that ~half the market cap is narrative loading on a defense supercycle — but then hand-waves that the DCF is "conservative." Both can be true: the stock is expensive AND the DCF is too punitive. A 45% earnings CAGR (even off a GTF-depressed base) reconciled against a 43x trailing / ~28-30x forward multiple is not "priced for perfection" — it's priced for continued execution, which RTX has actually been delivering for six straight quarters. The pre-flight thesis that current earnings are a trough is directly supported by the sequential margin recovery (6.9% → 8.7%). The synthesis and DCF verdict are internally inconsistent with the momentum module sitting right next to them.

The contrarian case a careful skeptic would push: GTF remediation costs may not be fully behind the company — Pratt's aftermarket margin normalization has been promised for two years and keeps slipping. Defense budget growth is politically locked but appropriations timing is not; a 2026-2027 continuing resolution scenario compresses the backlog conversion. The insider activity is mildly negative — six sales versus three awards and one option exercise in the July 2026 cluster suggests management isn't accumulating at $215. The dividend yield of 1.29% with a 53% payout ratio means you're not being paid to wait, and at 4.3x book with 10% ROE, the return-on-equity math doesn't justify the multiple unless margins expand another 200-300bps. Current ratio of 1.03 is tight for a working-capital-heavy prime. And "decelerating quarterly trend" in the revenue confidence signal is worth noting — Q2'26's 9.7% YoY is solid but not accelerating from the 10-13% range seen earlier in the trajectory.

Net read: I dissent from the synthesis's $111 fair value as too draconian but agree the stock is not cheap. Applying a defense-prime multiple of 22-25x forward earnings to a reasonable $9.5-10B forward NI run-rate (extrapolating current quarterly cadence) gets you to $210-250B in market cap, or roughly $155-185/share. That's still 15-25% below current — overvalued, but nowhere near the 48% haircut the DCF suggests. The narrative premium is real and durable (NATO rearmament, China posture, industrial reshoring are not transient), which supports paying above pure DCF. I'd anchor fair value around $170-180, treat $215 as full-to-modestly-rich, and note that the setup does NOT justify shorting — a defense compounder with a $200B+ backlog, structural tailwinds, and re-accelerating margins is not where you press bearish bets. For longs, wait for a $180-handle pullback or a GTF-related headline flush; don't chase here. The models collectively over-index on DCF mechanics and under-weight the earnings inflection already visible in the quarterly tape.

GPT Reading
Independent reading · gpt-5.4 · generated 2026-08-02 00:22:04
Verdict Fairly to slightly overvalued at $215 — real operational recovery is underway, but the stock already discounts a move toward $9B-$10B earnings; I’d need a pullback toward $170-$185 or much clearer margin expansion to get constructive.

What stands out is that the business is recovering faster than the headline valuation skeptics want to admit, but the stock is still pricing in a lot more than “recovery.” Revenue has stepped up from $68.9B in 2023 to $80.7B in 2024 and $88.6B in 2025, and the quarterly run-rate in the first half of 2026 is even better: $46.8B of revenue and $4.2B of net income in six months implies a path to roughly $93B-$95B of sales and $8B+ of earnings if the back half is merely normal. That is a real improvement, not optical. Operating income moved from $3.56B in 2023 to $6.54B in 2024 and $9.30B in 2025, so margins are rebuilding with scale. The quarter pattern also matters: 2026 Q1 and Q2 net margins of 9.3% and 8.7% are above the 2025 quarterly range of 7.6%-8.5%, suggesting the earnings trough is likely behind the company.

The balance sheet and cash flow are much stronger than the P/E makes the story look. With just $204M of debt against $7.44B of cash, RTX is effectively in a net cash position, which is unusual quality for a company of this size and makes enterprise-value comparisons more relevant than equity multiples. Free cash flow of $7.94B on $88.6B of 2025 revenue is a solid 9.0% FCF margin, and operating cash flow of $10.57B comfortably covered the dividend despite a 53% payout ratio on earnings. That matters because the market is not paying for a distressed turnaround with financing risk; it is paying for a high-quality franchise with proven cash conversion and improving profitability. On that basis, the simplistic “43x P/E means absurdly overvalued” read is too blunt, because current earnings still appear depressed relative to the business’s cash generation and probable normalized margin power.

But even giving full credit for normalization, $215 is hard to justify. On 2025 earnings of $6.73B, the market cap implies a 43x P/E; if 2026 net income reaches, say, $8.3B annualized from the first-half trend, the forward multiple is still about 35x. For an aerospace and defense company producing around 10.5% operating margins, 7.6% net margins, 12.6% ROIC, and sub-10% recent organic-looking top-line growth, that is an elite multiple. EV/revenue at 3.18x and EV/EBITDA at 20.6x are also rich for a mature industrial with execution risk still embedded in the story. The market is valuing RTX less like a steady compounder and more like a scarcity asset with near-perfect visibility on defense demand, aftermarket recovery, and engine issue resolution. That can hold for a while, but it leaves very little room for ordinary industrial friction.

The best argument against my cautious stance is straightforward: earnings are still materially understated. If 2023 was the trough at $3.2B of net income and 2025 has already reached $6.7B, then a move to $9B-$10B over the next 12-24 months is not heroic. At $10B of net income, today’s market cap is about 29x earnings, which is still expensive but no longer crazy for a net-cash, strategically critical defense and aerospace leader with long-cycle revenue, strong aftermarket exposure, and geopolitical tailwinds. The quarterly data do support that possibility: revenue is still rising, margins are improving, and the cash profile is already better than GAAP earnings imply. A smart bull would also point out that insider sales here are small and look compensation-related, not a meaningful vote against the stock. I weigh that case lower because even a fairly bullish normalized earnings bridge still struggles to make $215 look cheap; it only makes it look less extreme.

What would change my mind is not another decent quarter, but proof that RTX can convert this revenue base into meaningfully higher margins and cash without the market paying for it twice. If the next few quarters show revenue sustaining above $24B while net margins move durably into the 10%-11% range, that would support a $9B-$10B earnings power case. Similarly, annual free cash flow pushing through $10B with operating income heading toward $11B-$12B would make the current price more defensible. On the other hand, if growth slips back toward low single digits or margins stall around the current 8%-9% quarterly range, then today’s multiple is simply too rich for the delivered economics.

Grok Reading
Independent reading · grok-4.5 · generated 2026-08-02 00:22:38
Verdict Overvalued at $215 — quality recovery already priced at 43×; fair value nearer $150-170 even with defense tailwinds

RTX’s operating trajectory is unambiguously improving and the balance-sheet quality is elite, yet the multiple still looks detached from what the income statement can realistically support. Revenue has climbed from $68.9B in 2023 to $88.6B in 2025 and is still printing mid-to-high single-digit growth into 2026 ($24.7B in the June quarter, +14% year-on-year), while net income has nearly doubled from the 2023 trough of $3.2B to $6.73B. Operating margin has expanded from roughly 5% to 10.5%, free cash flow reached $7.94B on only $2.63B of capex, and the company carries essentially zero net debt ($204M gross debt against $7.44B cash). Those are the numbers of a high-quality industrial compounding out of a multi-year impairment cycle, not a broken franchise. The GTF cash drag is visibly fading and commercial aftermarket plus elevated defense volume are both real.

The problem is price. At $215 the stock trades at 43× trailing earnings, 20.6× EV/EBITDA and 3.3× sales for a business that still delivers only 10% ROE and 7.6% net margins. Even if one grants the bull case that normalized earnings power reaches $10–11B once Pratt & Whitney fully exits the recall trough and defense budgets stay elevated, a 22–25× multiple on that figure—already generous for a mature aerospace conglomerate—implies a market value of roughly $220–275B, i.e., flat to modestly lower than today’s $290B. In other words the market has already capitalized the entire recovery arc plus a geopolitical premium. Recent quarterly revenue growth is decelerating, the payout ratio sits at 53%, and insiders have been net sellers into strength; none of that supports a 43× starting multiple.

The strongest counter-argument is that the $111 DCF fair-value print is too austere and ignores the structural duration of the defense supercycle. NATO rearmament, Indo-Pacific deterrence, and industrial-base reshoring are multi-year political commitments, not one-cycle blips; Pratt’s installed GTF base will eventually flip from cash drain to high-margin aftermarket annuity; and a fortress balance sheet plus $8B of FCF gives management real optionality on capital return or bolt-on M&A. If FCF scales to $12B+ by 2028 and the market continues to award defense names a scarcity premium, today’s price can be rationalized as a 4–5% FCF yield on forward cash. That case is coherent—it is simply already fully reflected in the 93% premium to conservative intrinsic value and leaves almost no margin of safety.

I would reverse to neutral or constructive only if two things arrive together: clear evidence that GTF shop-visit cash costs have peaked and are reversing on a multi-quarter basis, and a forward operating-margin run-rate sustainably above 13–14% while revenue growth holds double digits. Absent that combination, or a pullback toward the mid-$150s, the asymmetry is unfavorable.

Big-3 Panel — where each AI stands
Each AI above independently stated a direction (undervalued, fairly valued, or overvalued) and how strongly it believes it (conviction, 0–5). We combine those into a Bull-Bear Index on a 0–10 scale: 5 is neutral, 10 is maximum bullish (undervalued at full conviction), 0 is maximum bearish. We compute the score ourselves with the same arithmetic for every seat — the models never grade their own bullishness — so the three are directly comparable. Δ shows how far each seat sits from the panel average of 2.7; a large Δ marks the dissenting voice, usually the one worth reading.
Claude claude-opus-4-7 2.0
overvalued · conviction 3/5 · Δ -0.7 vs panel · self: 4.0
GPT gpt-5.4 5.0
fairly valued · conviction 3/5 · Δ +2.3 vs panel · self: 4.0
Grok grok-4.5 1.0
overvalued · conviction 4/5 · Δ -1.7 vs panel · self: 3.0
Advanced Analysis Forensic deep-dive · separate lenses
Separate reads — Company Quality (is it a great business?), Valuation (is it mispriced?), and General Sentiment (how macro + narrative are pushing it), kept deliberately apart · 2026-08-02 00:36:30
Delvantic - Cairn AI
Quality — wait for a dip 7/10
Strong business, fully-priced tape — RTX at $215 is a name I want to own, not a name I want to buy today.
The cruxThe gap between a Strong quality read (+61) and a Rich valuation (-74) is the whole story: I need a materially lower entry to underwrite this, and the +67 sentiment tailwind is exactly what's keeping that entry from showing up.
Forensic checks Derived mechanically from RTX's filed financials — not from the AI lenses
Liquidity & RunwaySelf-Funding
DilutionShare Count Shrinking
Earnings QualityHigh Earnings Quality
The four lensesswitch a tab for its full read — score + evidence
Company Quality
+61
Strong
edge √Σ 121 · risk √Σ 50 · conf 8/10

RTX has scaled revenue from $64.4B in 2021 to $88.6B in 2025 (roughly 8% CAGR) while operating margin expanded from 7.7% to 10.5% and net income moved from $3.86B to $6.73B. FCF re-established after the 2021 outflow of -$2.13B and reached $7.94B in 2025, with OCF/NI at 1.73x and accruals at -2% of assets - clean cash conversion consistent with a mature earner. Altman Z at 2.85 sits in the grey zone (typical for a capital-intensive prime with sizeable debt), but $8.19B liquid cash and $7.98B net cash plus durable FCF make funding non-issue. Dilution is not a concern: diluted shares fell from 1.51B to 1.36B (-2.6% CAGR), SBC is only 0.6% of revenue, and buyback/SBC ratio of 824% means per-share value is being concentrated. Insider tape is neutral-to-mildly negative (17 sells, 0 open-market buys over 12 months) but volumes are modest and dominated by option-exercise / award-cycle activity rather than conviction dumps. The GTF powder-metal engine issue lingers as a known overhang not visible in these ratios but plausibly reflected in the 2023 margin dip to 5.2% before recovery.

Strengths 4
m70
Margin recovery and operating leverage
OpM expanded from 5.2% (2023) to 10.5% (2025) on revenue growth from $68.9B to $88.6B; net income up 110% over two years.
m65
Clean earnings quality
OCF/NI 1.73x, accruals -2% of assets, and $7.94B FCF vs $6.73B NI in 2025 - reported earnings are backed by cash.
m60
Share count discipline
Diluted shares down from 1.51B to 1.36B (-2.6% CAGR); buyback dwarfs SBC by 8x, so per-share value compounds independently of operations.
m45
Self-funding with net cash
$8.19B liquid cash, $7.98B net cash, and consistent positive FCF eliminate external-capital dependence.
Concerns 3
m35
Altman Z in grey zone
Z of 2.85 signals meaningful leverage relative to asset productivity - normal for a defense prime but not a fortress score.
m30
2023 margin/cash dip suggests episodic risk
OpM collapsed to 5.2% in 2023 (versus 8.1% surrounding years), consistent with the GTF engine recall charge - shows the business can absorb multi-billion-dollar program surprises.
m20
Insider selling skew
17 sales totaling $36.5M with zero open-market buys over 12 months; not alarming in size but no insider is putting new money in.
This is a genuinely well-run mature industrial: revenue compounding, margins recovering post-GTF, FCF real, buybacks outpacing SBC by 8x, and the balance sheet self-funding. The blemishes are the grey-zone Altman Z and the reminder in 2023 that program charges can wipe out a third of operating profit in a single year - that is structural, not fixable. Insider tape is a shrug, not a warning. Solidly in the 'Strong' bucket; not fortress because leverage and program-risk tails are real.
Verify before trusting this (5)
  • Remaining GTF powder-metal recall accrual and cash outflow schedule per the 10-K
  • Defense segment backlog composition and fixed-price contract exposure
  • Gross debt maturity ladder and any near-term refinancing risk
  • Customer/program concentration (Pratt aftermarket, F-35, Raytheon defense primes)
  • Pension and OPEB funded status given size of the workforce
Valuation / Mispricing
-74
Rich
edge √Σ 22 · risk √Σ 116 · conf 6/10
Price $215 vs composite deserved ~$111 and a quality-adjusted anchored value ~$150-160 - roughly 25-45% above any defensible fair value. attractive below $150.00

The e2e composite fair value of $108.29 (signal-adjusted $111.26) implies roughly -48% downside from $215.22. Cross-checking the methods: the anchored P/E of $141.34 is the most business-sensible anchor for a strong, cash-generative prime and still sits ~34% below spot; the DCF at $118.10 corroborates a fair value in the low $100s; the EPV floor of $55.60 is a no-growth stress case, not a target. Even generously weighting the anchored P/E and adding a premium for the Strong quality grade (score 61, real FCF, disciplined buybacks), a defensible deserved price lands around $150-165, still ~25-30% below the market.

Cheap signals 2
m20
Quality supports a premium to composite
Strong quality (61), high earnings quality (2), buybacks 8x SBC - deserved value sits above the raw composite, softening but not closing the gap.
m10
EPV floor is not the downside case
The $55.60 EPV is a no-growth stress figure and should be discounted heavily; real downside is likely the DCF zone, not there.
Rich / priced-in 4
m70
Composite FV ~48% below price
Signal-adjusted FV $111.26 vs $215.22 spot implies price nearly 2x deserved value on the blended read.
m60
Anchored P/E still says ~34% too high
The most business-appropriate method for a mature prime pegs value at $141.34; even generously premium-ing for quality you struggle past ~$160.
m55
DCF corroborates low-$100s
DCF of $118.10 is independent confirmation the composite is not one runaway method; two of three methods cluster well below price.
m45
Priced for the bull narrative in full
Current multiple embeds sustained defense acceleration and GTF resolution; leaves no room for another program charge like 2023 that wiped a third of operating profit.
I can't call this cheap. Even giving RTX full credit for being a strong, self-funding prime and pushing deserved value well above the $111 composite, I land around $150-160 as a defensible anchored value - and the market is paying $215. That is a fully-priced, narrative-embracing tape, not a mispricing. I'd want it in the $140s before the risk-reward tilts my way; anywhere near $150 and I'd start paying attention.
Verify before trusting this (4)
  • GTF powder-metal remediation cost trajectory and any incremental charges in upcoming 10-Q
  • Defense segment book-to-bill and Raytheon margin recovery cadence
  • Commercial aftermarket organic growth vs OEM deliveries mix in guidance
  • Free cash flow conversion vs guided $7-8B range and buyback pace
General Sentiment
+67
Tailwind
tail √Σ 120 · head √Σ 39 · conf 7/10

The active narrative around RTX is a strong, durable platform-monopoly story: defense supercycle, NATO rearmament, Iran/China threat premium, and commercial aero recovery. News flow in the last 72 hours is uniformly supportive - a $1.3B F135 sustainment award, a Q2 beat with raised outlook and record backlog, Lockheed's mega missile contract reinforcing the sector-wide spending thesis, and Morgan Stanley reiterating Overweight (even after a modest PT trim to $220). Analyst tone is constructive and the peer read-across (LHX beat and raised) amplifies the group bid.

Tailwinds 4
m72
Defense supercycle narrative in full force
Iran tensions, missile restocking, and NATO/China framing are the dominant tape story for primes right now. RTX sits squarely in the archetype the market is bidding, and the narrative is durable rather than a one-week trade.
m65
Q2 beat, raised guide, record backlog
Fresh earnings news is unambiguously positive and being amplified across financial media. Record backlog is exactly the data point that feeds the platform-monopoly narrative and gives holders conviction to sit tight.
m55
Peer read-through and analyst tone
LHX beat and raised, LMT landed a mega missile contract, Morgan Stanley kept Overweight. Sector sentiment is a coordinated bid; RTX rides that flow even without any single-name catalyst.
m45
F135 sustainment award reinforces P&W
A $1.3B F135 contract directly rebuts the bear point on GTF/engine reliability tarnishing military trust. It removes a live narrative crack at exactly the right moment.
Headwinds 2
m30
Stretched market PE and 4.68% 10y
High rates and a 26x market PE are a background drag on all equities, but RTX's 0.3 beta and defensive cash flows blunt most of it. Real but ordinary crosswind.
m25
Cycle-top / perfection-priced framing
Some commentary flags RTX as trading on geopolitical fear premium with the narrative running ahead of fundamentals. Not yet a live sentiment break, but a latent vulnerability if defense budget rhetoric softens.
Net pressure on RTX is a solid tailwind. The defense-supercycle narrative is durable and running hot, the last 72 hours of news flow is uniformly supportive (Q2 beat, raised guide, record backlog, F135 award, peer beats, Morgan Stanley OW), and RTX's 0.3 beta means the neutral-with-a-bit-of-macro-drag tape barely touches it. This is a name the market wants to own right now; the only real sentiment risk is that the story is already loud, so a geopolitical de-escalation or a fresh GTF headline could take some of the premium out fast. Until then, the pressure leans clearly up.
Verify before trusting this (4)
  • Whether the Iran/Middle East risk premium fades or escalates - direct driver of the missile-restocking bid
  • Any fresh GTF/P&W reliability headline that could re-open the bear crack the F135 award just closed
  • FY27 defense budget signals from Congress; any fiscal-restraint headline would pressure the whole cohort
  • Sector rotation out of defense primes if a risk-on tech tape reasserts
The market-wide tape + this name's exposure to it (beta / sector / narrative durability). Context on the non-fundamental pressure — not a call on the business or the price. processId: detail-general-sentiment
Growth Outlook
not run

This lens hasn't been run for this ticker yet.

The forward growth verdict — is the business itself likely to grow (next 2 quarters / year 1 / years 2–3), judged against its category and against printed expectations. The full horizon ladder + creme renders on the Growth Outlook card above. Not a call on the price (Valuation owns that) or the tape (Sentiment owns that).
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Lenses kept deliberately separate — Company Quality (price-agnostic), Valuation (price-conditional), General Sentiment (non-fundamental macro/narrative pressure), and Growth Outlook (the forward growth verdict). The scores are not blended. Filing-level items (convertibles, lock-ups, customer concentration) are v2 — see each lens's "verify."
Price Prediction
Lower -6.8% v0.6.0 View full prediction →

When we made this prediction on Aug 2, 2026, RTX was $215.22. We expect it to be $200.50 by Feb 2027, and we consider it great value under $150.00. This is an early model (v0.6.0) — the direction is more reliable than the exact price. Made Aug 2, 2026.

Price when predicted$215.22
Our estimate for Feb 2027$200.50-6.8%
Great value below$150.00
Price history shown (6 Months)

Blue is our prediction, starting the day we made it. Grey is a slower route to the same place — the same destination, taking longer. Black is the actual price, so you can see how we are doing.

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My Notes personal — only you see this
v1.1.562 · 9b2927c4 · 2026-08-22 16:52:06