Spirit AeroSystems Holdings, Inc. SPR posted third-quarter 2017 adjusted earnings of $1.26 per share, which came in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Earnings improved 9% from the year-ago figure of $1.16.Spirit Aerosystems Holdings, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Spirit Aerosystems Holdings, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise | Spirit Aerosystems Holdings, Inc. Quote Highlights of the ReleaseTotal revenues of $1,748 million in the third quarter surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1,729 million by 1.1%. Moreover, revenues rose 2% year over year.Backlog at the end of the reported quarter was $45 billion, lower than the prior-quarter figure of $46 billion.Segment PerformanceFuselage Systems: Revenues at the segment grew 8.7% to $957 million from the prior-year figure of $880.3 million. Higher production deliveries of the Boeing 737 and 787 programs as well as increased defense work and non-recurring activities on certain Boeing programs drove the results.Propulsion Systems: The segment recorded revenues of $407.9 million in the reported quarter, down 10% from $453 million a year ago. The decline was owing to lower production deliveries on the Boeing 777 program and decreased GCS&S activity.Wing Systems: Revenues at the segment increased 1.4% to $382.2 million from $376.8 million in the prior-year quarter.Financial PositionAs of Sep 28, 2017, Spirit AeroSystems had $726.6 million in cash and cash equivalents compared with $697.7 as of Dec 31, 2016.As of Sep 28, 2017, long-term debt (excluding current portion) was $1,060.9 million compared with $1,060 million at the end of 2016.Cash flow from operating activities increased to $624.6 million in the third quarter from $574.4 million in the year-ago period.Capital expenditure totaled $51 million in the third quarter compared with $52 million in the prior-year quarter.GuidanceSpirit AeroSystems reiterated its financial guidance for 2017. The company continues to expect to generate adjusted earnings per share in the range of $5.00-$5.25 and revenues in the band of $6.8-$6.9 billion.Management has also kept its free cash flow expectation in the range of $500-$550 million for 2017.Zacks RankSpirit AeroSystems currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.Recent Peer ReleasesRaytheon Company RTN reported third-quarter 2017 earnings from continuing operations of $1.97 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.90 by 3.7%. The figure also improved 7.1% from $1.84 recorded in the year-ago quarter.Rockwell Collins Inc. COL reported financial results for fourth-quarter fiscal 2017 (ended Sep 30, 2017). The company’s adjusted earnings per share of $1.80 came in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Reported earnings grew 10.4% from $1.63 per share a year ago.General Dynamics Corporation GD reported third-quarter 2017 earnings from continuing operations of $2.52 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.43 by 3.7%. Its third-quarter total revenues of $7,580 million missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $7,892 million by 4%.More Stock News: This Is Bigger than the iPhone!It could become the mother of all technological revolutions. Apple sold a mere 1 billion iPhones in 10 years but a new breakthrough is expected to generate more than 27 billion devices in just 3 years, creating a $1.7 trillion market.Zacks has just released a Special Report that spotlights this fast-emerging phenomenon and 6 tickers for taking advantage of it. If you don't buy now, you may kick yourself in 2020.Click here for the 6 trades >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report General Dynamics Corporation (GD): Free Stock Analysis Report Rockwell Collins, Inc. (COL): Free Stock Analysis Report Spirit Aerosystems Holdings, Inc. (SPR): Free Stock Analysis Report Raytheon Company (RTN): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here.