General Motors Authorizes $20 Billion Buyback After Third-Quarter Results

General Motors authorized a $20 billion share repurchase program and raised its 2026 adjusted automotive free cash flow forecast Tuesday after stronger third-quarter results, even as it anticipates higher costs.

GM released the results at 6:30 a.m. ET (10:30 UTC), the time set for its third-quarter earnings announcement before U.S. markets opened.

Revenue for the three months ended Sept. 30 reached $50.015 billion, up from $48.591 billion a year earlier. Net income attributable to stockholders rose to $3.335 billion from $1.327 billion. Adjusted diluted earnings increased to $3.70 per share from $2.80.

Adjusted automotive free cash flow reached $5.882 billion, compared with $4.201 billion a year earlier. GM now expects $11.5 billion to $12.5 billion for 2026, up from its previous forecast of $9.5 billion to $11.5 billion.

GM also narrowed its 2026 adjusted operating profit forecast to $14.5 billion to $15.5 billion from $14 billion to $16 billion. Its North American operations generated $3.592 billion in adjusted operating profit during the quarter, compared with $4.106 billion companywide.

The new buyback authorization covers multiple years and has no expiration date. It follows the completion of a $6 billion repurchase program announced in January.

For 2026, GM projects roughly $2 billion in commodity inflation, a category that includes logistics and memory-chip costs. Electric-vehicle-related charges totaled $11.2 billion from the second half of 2025 through the third quarter of 2026. Of the $7.4 billion in charges with a cash impact, GM had paid $4.6 billion by Sept. 30.