Global A&D financial performance study

Our 2014 Global aerospace and defence sector financial performance study assessed 100 global aerospace and defence (A&D) companies. Our comprehensive report brings you the findings.

A&D – flying high?
We gathered data from sources ranging from public company filings to press releases and studied sales revenues, operating earnings and operating margins.

In our report, we share our observations about the state of the A&D industry globally

Some key findings

Among many significant developments in the global A&D sector, we found that:

• Global aerospace and defence sector growth slowed in 2013, with the US defence subsector slowdown a key contributor
  
• Top 10 global A&D companies rankings have changed from the previous year, reflecting growth in commercial aerospace
  
• While the A&D sector becomes more global, US companies continue to dominate
  
• Europe is gaining momentum in revenue growth, but losing ground in profitability
  
• Profitability is improving across the global A&D industry
  
• A&D sector share prices outpaced global equity indices

Download the 2014 Global aerospace and defence sector financial performance study.

The clear picture

Our infographic sums up the key financial indicators across the global A&D industry. It shows that:

• Revenues grew US$706 billion
• Operating earnings outpaced global growth to reach US$63 billion
  
• Operating margin grew by a record 8.8 per cent
  
• Return on invested capital was 17 per cent
  
• Free cash flow increased 5.1 per cent
  
• Number of A&D employees increased slightly to 2,042,252