#Helicopters

Leonardo: A Re-Rating With Real Earnings Behind It, Priced Like the Quality Gap to BAE and Thales Is Already Closed

Leonardo S.p.A. is Italy's state-influenced aerospace and defense group, whose profit engine sits in defense electronics and helicopters and is now backed by a €56.8 billion Q1 2026 order backlog. FY2025 orders reached €23.8 billion and EBITA €1.75 billion as Europe's rearmament cycle drove a sharp re-rating, yet the stock now trades near a 30.9x trailing P/E, roughly matching cleaner peers such as Thales and BAE Systems even though Leonardo still carries a persistent state-governance discount and weaker aerostructures drag. Rating Hold: order momentum and cash generation are real, but the price already assumes much of the quality convergence that has not yet fully happened, leaving the ideal buy zone at €39-43.