Carrier cuts annual revenue forecast on weak consumer demand, shares fall

(Reuters) - Carrier Global cut its annual revenue forecast on Thursday due to weak consumer spending on non-essential items such as heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, sending its shares down more than 7%.

Households are deciding against spending on energy-efficient upgrades as persistent inflation eats into savings.

A slow housing market due to high mortgage rates and a surge in home prices have also impacted demand for the company's heating and ventilation business in North America.

Carrier expects 2024 revenue to be $22.5 billion compared with its previous forecast of around $26 billion.

The company said it expects adjusted earnings per share to be about $2.5, lower than the midpoint of its prior expectation of between $2.80 to $2.90.

It reported a third-quarter net income of $447 million, or 49 cents per share, compared with $357 million, or 42 cents per share a year ago.

(Reporting by Kannaki Deka and Nathan Gomes in Bengaluru; Editing by Vijay Kishore)