Carrier Global forecasts 2026 profit below estimates on weak residential HVAC demand

Feb 5 (Reuters) - Carrier Global CARR.N forecast 2026 profit below Wall Street estimates on Thursday, reflecting tighter consumer spending on discretionary items such as heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems.

Shares of the company were down nearly 7% in premarket trading.

Weakness in the North American housing market, driven by elevated mortgage rates and higher home prices, has pressured demand for the company's heating and ventilation offerings.

While commercial and data-center cooling remain relative bright spots, broader industry momentum has weakened, pressuring margins and weighing on near-term growth expectations.

"We continue to control the controllables, reducing discretionary costs and building backlog in our long-cycle businesses to mitigate residential market challenges," CEO David Gitlin said.

For full-year 2026, the company expects annual adjusted profit per share of $2.80, compared with analysts' average expectations of $2.91, according to data compiled by LSEG.

Total net sales for the fourth quarter fell to $4.84 billion, from $5.15 billion a year earlier, compared with analysts' estimate of $4.99 billion.

The Palm Beach Gardens, Florida-based reported an adjusted profit of 34 cents per share for the quarter ended December 31, below analysts' estimate of 37 cents per share.