Stock Markets March 9, 2026

Rothschild Redburn Lifts GE Vernova to Buy as AI-Driven Gas Turbine Demand Strengthens

Brokerage raises price target to $1,100 citing higher margins and a larger gas turbine market tied to rapid data center growth

By Leila Farooq GEV
Rothschild Redburn Lifts GE Vernova to Buy as AI-Driven Gas Turbine Demand Strengthens
GEV

Rothschild Redburn has upgraded GE Vernova from Sell to Buy and more than doubled its price target to $1,100 from $560, citing stronger demand and improving margins in power equipment and services. The firm projects materially higher 2028 EBITDA and a larger global gas turbine market driven in part by expanding AI-related data center capacity, while warning of risks that could reverse margin gains.

Key Points

  • Rothschild Redburn upgraded GE Vernova from Sell to Buy and raised its price target to $1,100 from $560.
  • Analysts project GE Vernovas 2028 EBITDA to be about 47% above consensus and 52% above the companys floor guidance, with an expected 2028 EBITDA margin above 30% versus a 22% floor guidance.
  • The brokerage increased its estimate of global gas turbine demand to over 100 gigawatts in both 2026 and 2027, up from previous low-80 gigawatt estimates.

Overview

Rothschild Redburn has moved GE Vernova from a Sell rating to a Buy rating, and increased its price target to $1,100 from $560. The brokerage cites rising demand and improved margins across power equipment and services, driven in part by accelerated data center construction related to artificial intelligence, which is lifting the outlook for gas turbines.

Demand and margins

According to the brokerage, indicators tied to AI-powered power requirements and gas turbine orders have risen sharply. Order-level margins for new gas turbines and associated services are improving, supporting a more optimistic earnings trajectory for the company.

Forecast revisions

Rothschild Redburn now expects GE Vernova’s 2028 EBITDA to be roughly 47% above current consensus estimates and about 52% higher than the company’s own floor guidance. The upgrade in the earnings outlook is attributed mainly to better profitability in the power segment, with analysts forecasting an EBITDA margin above 30% in 2028 compared with the company’s floor guidance of 22%.

The brokerage also raised its estimate of the global gas turbine market size, now seeing demand exceeding 100 gigawatts in both 2026 and 2027 versus its earlier view in the low-80 gigawatt range.

Valuation implications

Despite stronger earnings, analysts note that the improved outlook reduces the company’s longer-term valuation multiple. Under the new forecasts, GE Vernova’s 2028 price-to-earnings ratio would be about 18 times, according to the brokerage.

Risks and caveats

Rothschild Redburn warns that current share prices are hard to reconcile on a discounted cash flow basis unless high margins are sustained over the long term. The firm highlights several scenarios that could erode the recent margin strength: a slowdown in AI adoption, or constraints on data center growth stemming from permitting delays, labor shortages, or infrastructure bottlenecks. Those risks could diminish gas turbine demand and related service margins.

At the same time, the brokerage observes that the possibility of further upward revisions to company guidance and consensus estimates makes it more difficult to maintain a negative stance.

Other coverage

Rothschild Redburn kept a Neutral rating on Siemens Energy and lifted its price target for that company to 180 from 117.


This report outlines the brokerages revised financial expectations and the demand dynamics underlying them, while noting the uncertainties that could temper the improved outlook.

Risks

  • Sustaining elevated margins long term is necessary to justify current share prices on a discounted cash flow basis - failure to sustain those margins would pose valuation risk. This impacts equity valuation in the power equipment and services sector.
  • If AI adoption slows or if permitting, labor, or infrastructure constraints limit data center expansion, gas turbine demand and associated service margins could weaken, affecting the power equipment and data center infrastructure markets.
  • Improved earnings reduce the longer-term valuation multiple, suggesting that shifts in profit expectations could materially change investor returns in the energy equipment sector.

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