Moody's Ratings raised Embraer S.A.'s credit rating to Baa2 from Baa3 and shifted the outlook from positive to stable, citing the Brazilian planemaker's stronger credit profile through 2026. The agency highlighted a mix of improved leverage, recovering operating margins and conservative liquidity management as the basis for the upgrade.
In Moody's metrics, Embraer's adjusted gross leverage fell to 2.4x in the twelve months ended June 2026, down from 3.6x at the end of 2025. Over the same timeframe, adjusted operating margins improved to 9.0% from 8.1%. Moody's expects the company to keep adjusted gross leverage in a 2.0-2.5x range going forward, and notes that Embraer will remain net cash while using cash generation to further bolster its balance sheet.
The company reported a backlog of $34.5 billion at the end of June 2026, a 16% increase from the comparable period in 2025. Historical cash generation and deleveraging also underpinned the rating action: Embraer generated roughly $1.7 billion in free cash flow from 2021 through 2025 and reduced its debt by about $7.7 billion during that same period.
Moody's factored in the potential for support from Brazilian public banks if funding were required. As of the end of June 2026, Embraer had $2.3 billion in cash and short-term investments, a level Moody's says is sufficient to cover the company's debt maturities through 2030. Additionally, Embraer maintains $1 billion in committed credit lines due in August 2029.
Despite the upgrade, Moody's reiterated constraints on the rating tied to the structural characteristics of the aviation industry. The agency pointed to the sector's cyclicality and rising competition, noting that substantial ongoing investments are required to satisfy evolving customer demands. The capital-intensive nature of aircraft manufacturing - including significant working capital pressure and high investment needs - remains a limitation on rating upside.
The upgrade to Baa2 reflects Moody's assessment that recent operating and balance-sheet improvements have materially strengthened Embraer's resilience. However, the firm-level and industry-level pressures cited by Moody's continue to cap the rating at the current level while the company maintains its investment in product development and production capacity.
Contextual note: The rating action rests on measurable changes in leverage, margins and liquidity as reported for 2026 and on Moody's expectation for near-term leverage stability and continued net cash status. The assessment also explicitly includes the potential for public-bank support and recognizes industry headwinds that keep the rating constrained.