Sector reports›Aerospace & Defence
Aircraft maintenance
repair, overhaul and aviation services
Edition 6 · figures read up to 6 Oct 2026 · 4 listed companies, 4 transactions
Listed companies (4)
| Value (m) | Share price | 2026E | 2027E | Operating | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Company | Ccy | Enterprise value | Equity value | Price | % of 52-wk high | Change, 12 months | Div. yield | EV / Sales | EV / EBITDA | EV / Sales | EV / EBITDA | P / E | Net debt / LTM EBITDA | Sales growth 26–27E | EBITDA margin 2027E |
| AAR Corp | USD | 4,840 | 3,960 | 99.90 | 65% | 11% | – | 1.4x | 11.1x | 1.3x | 9.9x | 15.8x | 2.3x | 8.3% | 12.9% |
| CAE Inc. | USD | 9,580 | 7,670 | 24.04 | 70% | (19%) | – | 2.7xe | 14.7xe | 2.7xe | 14.7xe | – | 2.8x | – | 18.6%e |
| FTAI Aviation Ltd. | USD | 20,340 | 17,180 | 167.32 | 52% | 0% | 1.2% | 5.2x | 15.0x | 3.1x | 9.3x | 13.3x | 3.2x | 69.2% | 33.2% |
| StandardAero, Inc. | USD | 9,271 | 6,880 | 21.17 | 61% | – | – | 1.4x | 10.3x | 1.3x | 9.1x | – | 3.0x | 9.4% | 14.4% |
| Median | 63% | 0% | 1.2% | 2.1x | 12.9x | 2.0x | 9.6x | 14.6x | 2.9x | 9.4% | 16.5% | ||||
Money in millions of each company’s own currency. e Argonaut’s own estimate · g the company’s guidance · ~ one fiscal year standing for the calendar year · † after capitalised development cost · n.m. not meaningful. No mark: the analysts’ consensus, or a year the company has reported. Appendix A says how each figure was obtained.
Transactions (3 with a multiple)
| Announced | Buyer | Target | Status | Ccy | Enterprise value (m) | Sales LTM (m) | EBITDA LTM (m) | EV / Sales LTM | EV / EBITDA LTM | EV / Sales forward | EV / EBITDA forward |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Oct 2026 | Malaysia Aviation Group | Sepang Aircraft Engineering | Announced | n.d. | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 28 Sept 2026 | AAR Corp. | MRO Holdings | Announced | USD | 4,000 | 1,000 | 285 | 4.0xcurrent year | 14.0xcurrent year | – | – |
| 29 Jan 2026 | VSE Corporation | Precision Aviation Group | Completed 5 May 2026 | USD | 2,025 | 615 | – | 3.3x | 15.0xestimate | – | – |
| 16 Jan 2026 | TransDigm Group | Jet Parts Engineering and Victor Sierra Aviation | Completed | USD | 2,200 | 280 | – | 7.9x | – | – | – |
Appendix A - the listed companies’ figures, and how each estimate was obtained
Where the EBITDA comes from, in this order of preference: the analysts’ consensus; else the company’s guidance (g); else Argonaut’s own estimate (e). 2026E: consensus 3, guidance 0, Argonaut’s estimate 1. 2027E: consensus 3, guidance 0, Argonaut’s estimate 1.
| Company | Year end | Price of | Enterprise value is | Sales (m) | How the sales were obtained | EBITDA (m) | How the EBITDA was obtained | To know, and source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AAR CorpNYSE · US · USD | May | 1 Oct 2026 | as read | 2026E3,5132027E3,806 | 2026E: consensus, calendarised - 5/12 of FY to May 2026 (3,308, reported) and 7/12 of FY to May 2027 (3,660)2027E: consensus, calendarised - 5/12 of FY to May 2027 (3,660) and 7/12 of FY to May 2028 (3,910) | 2026E4372027E490 | 2026E: consensus, calendarised - 5/12 of FY to May 2026 (401, reported) and 7/12 of FY to May 2027 (462)2027E: consensus, calendarised - 5/12 of FY to May 2027 (462) and 7/12 of FY to May 2028 (511) | Source: stockanalysis.com - AAR Corp. (AIR) Statistics; AAR Corp - Form 8-K Ex.99.1, Q4 FY2026 results (SEC; net debt at 31 May 2026); stockanalysis.com - AAR Corp. (AIR) Stock Forecast; AAR Corp - Form 8-K Ex.99.1, MRO Holdings acquisition (SEC; AAR the buyer, deal pending, not in the EV); StockAnalysis.com - AAR Corp. overview, statistics and forecast pages, read 2 October 2026; MarketScreener - AAR Corp. finances page, read 6 October 2026 |
| CAE Inc.Nasdaq · US · USD | – | 1 Oct 2026 | as read | 2026E3,5102027E3,510 | Argonaut estimate - the sales of the last twelve months as a data site printed them on 2026-10-02, held: the library keeps no forecast | 2026E6542027E654 | Argonaut estimate - the EBITDA of the last twelve months as a data site printed them on 2026-10-02, held: the library keeps no forecast | US line, figures in US dollars; the consensus is printed in Canadian dollars and is not keptSource: StockAnalysis.com - CAE Inc. overview, statistics and forecast pages, read 2 October 2026 |
| FTAI Aviation Ltd.Nasdaq · US · USD | Dec | 1 Oct 2026 | as read | 2026E3,9002027E6,600 | consensus | 2026E1,3582027E2,189 | consensus | Source: StockAnalysis.com - FTAI Aviation Ltd. overview, statistics and forecast pages, read 2 October 2026; MarketScreener - FTAI Aviation Ltd. finances page, read 6 October 2026 |
| StandardAero, Inc.NYSE · US · USD | Dec | 1 Oct 2026 | built | 2026E6,4542027E7,063 | consensus | 2026E8962027E1,015 | consensus | the fiscal year is taken to end in December, as the page of its consensus prints itSource: StockAnalysis.com - StandardAero, Inc. overview, statistics and forecast pages, read 2 October 2026; MarketScreener - StandardAero, Inc. finances page, read 6 October 2026 |
Appendix B - the transactions in detail
| Announced | Transaction | Value, multiples and source | Editor’s note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Oct 2026 | Malaysia Aviation Group / Sepang Aircraft EngineeringAirbus's maintenance unit in Malaysia: A320 maintenance, painting and component repair; price not disclosedSeller: AirbusAnnounced | No public value.Sets no multiple: a price without a public figure of the target, a figure without a price, or the parties alone.Source: AviTrader, 1 October 2026 - avitrader.com | – |
| 28 Sept 2026 | AAR Corp. / MRO HoldingsAirframe maintenance, repair and overhaul, about 10,000 staff and 115 maintenance lines; AAR buys 65% with options over the rest, USD 4.0bn being the implied value of the wholeSeller: Roberto Kriete and other owners; Bain Capital a minority shareholderAnnounced | Enterprise value USD 4,000m: the buyer's figure.The twelve months: current year to 2026-12-31, ending after the announcement - the target's expected calendar 2026 sales (about USD 1.0bn) and adjusted EBITDA (USD 285m) as stated by AAR - the year of the announcement, before synergiesMultiple as stated (current year): 10.7x CY2026E adjusted EBITDA including USD 75m of run-rate cost synergies and net of tax benefitsSource: AAR press release, 28 September 2026 - aarcorp.com | AAR buys 65% for about USD 1.8bn of equity value, with options over the rest; USD 4.0bn is the implied value of the whole. AAR's own 10.7x is a current year multiple, on expected 2026 adjusted EBITDA, and counts USD 75m of run-rate cost synergies and tax benefits; before them the same figures give 14.0x. About 90% of the revenue comes from US customers. Closing is expected in AAR's quarter ending February 2027. |
| 29 Jan 2026 | VSE Corporation / Precision Aviation GroupComponent repair, distribution and supply-chain services for commercial, business and general aviation, rotorcraft and defence; USD 1.75bn cash and about USD 275m of shares, an earn-out of up to USD 125m not countedSeller: GenNx360 Capital PartnersCompleted 5 May 2026 | Enterprise value USD 2,025m: the buyer's figure.The twelve months: LTM to 2025-12-31 - the target's expected fiscal 2025 adjusted revenue (about USD 615m) as stated by VSE - the year just ended at the announcement; EBITDA worked back from VSE's own multiple: USD 2,025m over 13.5 is USD 150m with synergies, and USD 135m without the USD 15m a year of synergies VSE counts at the least - 22% of that revenue; VSE says more than USD 15m, so the EBITDA is at most that and the multiple at least 15.0xMultiple as stated (LTM): 13.5x 2025E adjusted EBITDA including full run-rate synergiesSource: VSE press release, 29 January 2026 - ir.vsecorp.com | USD 1.75bn in cash and about USD 275m in VSE shares, with an earn-out of up to USD 125m tied to 2026 adjusted EBITDA on top. VSE's 13.5x is an LTM multiple, on expected 2025 adjusted EBITDA, the year just ended at the announcement, and counts full run-rate synergies. With the synergies taken out at the USD 15m a year VSE gives as their floor, the price is an LTM multiple of at least 15.0x EBITDA, an estimate worked back from VSE's two figures. |
| 16 Jan 2026 | TransDigm Group / Jet Parts Engineering and Victor Sierra AviationProprietary aftermarket parts and repairs for commercial, business and general aviation; completion from a press headline onlySeller: Vance Street CapitalCompleted | Enterprise value USD 2,200m: the buyer's figure.The twelve months: LTM to 2025-12-31 - the two companies' combined revenue for calendar 2025, about USD 280m, as stated by TransDigm; no EBITDA publishedSource: TransDigm press release, 16 January 2026 - transdigmgroupinc.gcs-web.com; Vance Street Capital press release, 16 January 2026 - prnewswire.com | About USD 2.2bn in cash, tax benefits included, for two makers of alternative aftermarket parts that together had about USD 280m of revenue in 2025, nearly all of it from the commercial aftermarket: an LTM multiple of 7.9x revenue. TransDigm gives no EBITDA and no multiple. |
How to read it
- Money is in millions of each company’s or transaction’s own currency, named in its line; nothing is converted. The multiples are computed here from the figures the site keeps, not copied from a data site; the one that is quoted from a buyer is marked.
- Listed companies. The enterprise value is the one read on the day of the price, or the market value plus net debt, or, for a company under offer, the one before the offer: Appendix A says which. The price against its 52-week high, its change over twelve months and the dividend yield are as a data site prints them. Net debt / LTM EBITDA is on the EBITDA of the last twelve months as a data site prints them, else of the last reported year; net cash is in brackets, and beyond 15x either way, or on an EBITDA of zero or less, it is n.m.
- 2026E and 2027E. The calendar year of the edition’s last update and the next: an edition updated in 2027 shows 2027E and 2028E. Each figure is the best estimate the report can make: the analysts’ consensus, or what the company has reported for a year already ended; else the company’s guidance, marked g; else Argonaut’s own estimate, marked e - sales carried forward at the growth the company’s own figures show, by 25% a year at most, and EBITDA as those sales at the margin of the nearest year the library holds, a forecast year’s, else the last reported year’s, else the last twelve months’. Where a fiscal year does not end in December, the two fiscal years are weighted by the months each has in the calendar year; where only one of them is held and it covers at least half the year, it stands in, marked ~. Appendix A gives every figure with how it was obtained.
- EBITDA. In this order: the analysts’ consensus; else the company’s guidance, marked g; else Argonaut’s own estimate, marked e. Appendix A says which of the three each figure is, and where it was read. Where the library holds the development cost a company capitalised in its last reported year, read in its annual report, it is taken off both years’ EBITDA, as a bank’s comps do for companies reporting under IFRS, and the multiple and the margin are marked †; where it holds none, nothing is taken off. P / E is the share price over the consensus earnings per share of the year, weighted by months as the other figures are and marked ~ where one fiscal year stands in. Sales growth is the second year’s sales over the first’s; where a fiscal year stands for the first, it is that fiscal year’s growth to the next, marked ~, and none is shown where the second year is only the first held. The EBITDA margin is the second year’s.
- Transactions. The value is the buyer’s own figure where it gives one. The columns are the bases a valuation counts on, LTM and forward; the word under a multiple says what its year really is when it is not that. LTM: the twelve months, or the last full year, before the announcement. Current year: the year running at the announcement, which the buyer only expected. Next year: the year after; a later year, one further out. NTM: the twelve months after the announcement, from a forecast of the time or, where it is marked projected, estimated from the target’s reported growth with the LTM margin held. Where the buyer states its own multiple and no figure, the multiple is quoted as stated and marked the buyer’s multiple, on the twelve months before the announcement as on the year after. No LTM figure is worked back from a multiple the buyer states. Marked estimate: the EBITDA is Argonaut’s, from the buyer’s own figures - the revenue it expects at the margin it gave, a range taken at its midpoint, or the EBITDA its multiple after synergies implies, less the synergies it counts; on the twelve months before the announcement too, where the EBITDA column then stays empty. Marked consensus: the forward figures are the analysts’ consensus for a listed target; where two readings of it differ by more than 2%, the multiple is a range, and where they differ by more than 10% none is shown. A value marked estimate is one no party states: the price of a stake scaled to the whole, plus the debt. ‡: a figure a newspaper reported, not one the buyer or the target states. A figure may come from the buyer’s release, its acquisition call or presentation, the target’s own accounts or the press that names its source: Appendix B says which. n.d.: not disclosed. Appendix B gives what each target makes, who sold it, what its figures rest on, the editor’s note and the source.
- An EBITDA multiple above 35x, or on a figure of zero or less, is shown as n.m. (not meaningful), as is a P / E above 100x or on earnings of zero or less; both are left out of the medians, which also leave out a company without the figure. A median is the middle value of a segment’s companies.
- Charts. Each bar is a listed company, named without its legal form, the highest first, and the line the segment’s median; a company whose multiple is not meaningful keeps its line and says n.m., and one without the figure is not drawn. A multiple with fewer than three figures has no chart.
- Sources. All are public. Each transaction names its own. The notes on the transactions are the editor’s comments, not sourced figures. The valuation in a profile does not rest on this report: it stays on the next twelve months. The listed companies’ figures were read from, with the number of companies in brackets where more than one: StockAnalysis.com (4); MarketScreener (3); the companies’ own reports, releases and filings. Appendix A names each company’s sources.