Mercedes-Benz cuts 2026 outlook. Mercedes-Benz stock falls 5.05 percent

Published on 10/27/2026 at 10:22 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS

Cars margin guidance is 2 to 3 percent versus 3 to 5 percent. Mercedes-Benz stock costs EUR 39.28 on October 27, 2026, 5.05 percent below Xetra close.

Outlook and trading dates

Mercedes-Benz lowered its 2026 Cars margin outlook on October 27, 2026.
Third-quarter EBIT reached EUR 1.77 billion against EUR 1.60 billion consensus.
Mercedes-Benz stock trades at EUR 39.28 at 10:13 a.m. CET at Lang & Schwarz on October 27, 2026, 5.05 percent below the Xetra close of October 26, 2026.
Mercedes-Benz will publish its third-quarter report on October 28, 2026.

Mercedes, DE0007100000, Illustration mit AI erstellt.

Mercedes-Benz stock (ISIN DE0007100000) trades at EUR 39.28 at Lang & Schwarz on October 27, 2026, at 10:13 a.m. CET, down 5.05 percent versus the Xetra close of October 26, 2026, at EUR 41.37. Mercedes-Benz cut its 2026 outlook before publishing its third-quarter report. The update puts margin delivery ahead of the earnings release.

Guidance drops before results

According to Der Aktionär, Mercedes-Benz Cars now expects an adjusted return on sales of 2 percent to 3 percent for 2026, compared with 3 percent to 5 percent previously. Group EBIT is now expected at the prior-year level instead of clearly above it, while industrial free cash flow is expected to be clearly below the prior year.

The preliminary third-quarter figures provide a mixed counterweight. Adjusted Cars return on sales was 2.5 percent against 2.4 percent consensus, while Group EBIT reached EUR 1.77 billion against EUR 1.60 billion consensus, according to the same October 27, 2026 release. Industrial free cash flow of EUR 172 million was below the EUR 422 million consensus.

What does the margin cut mean?

The key issue is the gap between operating execution and the full-year cost outlook. A 2.5 percent Cars margin in the third quarter sits inside the new 2 percent to 3 percent range, but the lower ceiling leaves less room for higher material costs and weaker demand in China.

Mercedes-Benz had already shown softer volume trends before the outlook change. Simply Wall St reported that third-quarter 2026 sales reached 491,700 cars and vans, down 6 percent from a year earlier. That volume figure makes the revised margin range the central test for the full report.

Three dates shape the story

The recent chronology runs from revenue of EUR 31.60 billion in the first quarter, reported on April 29, 2026, to EUR 32.06 billion in the second quarter, reported on July 28, 2026, and then to the October 27, 2026 outlook cut with third-quarter EBIT of EUR 1.77 billion. Investing.com lists the first-quarter and second-quarter revenue figures and their reporting dates.

The next two dated events are the third-quarter interim report and analyst conference call on October 28, 2026, followed by the sustainability update on November 10, 2026, according to Mercedes-Benz Group.

Stock reprices the update

Mercedes-Benz stock was trading at EUR 39.28 at Lang & Schwarz on October 27, 2026, at 10:13 a.m. CET, 5.05 percent below the Xetra close of October 26, 2026, at EUR 41.37. The market reaction leaves the October 28 report as the next direct test of whether the stronger quarterly EBIT can offset the weaker annual margin outlook. The further course of trading is shown by the continuously updated real-time quote of Mercedes-Benz stock.