Spoiler alert: General Electric's (NYSE: GE) stock is worth buying.

I'm giving away the ending now because the same investors I'm saying are safe to buy the stock also need to understand that, after seeing the company's fourth-quarter earnings and outlook, the recurring theme for 2023 will be patience. Across all three segments (the healthcare segment is now listed separately as GE HealthCare Technologies), it's a case of profit and cash flow headwinds in 2023. The reasons behind the headwinds are what is setting up the company for improved long-term growth.

GE Aerospace is the company's most substantial segment, and it's the one that beat management's guidance in the fourth quarter. Overall guidance for 2023 though appears to be a little weak on a headline basis. Looking back at the investor day presentation given in March 2022, management told investors to expect earnings of $3.8 billion to $4.3 billion and free cash flow (FCF) of $4.6 billion, which will be down slightly from 2021. The 2023 guidance in that March report called for $6 billion in earnings and improved FCF.

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Source Fool.com