General Electric said on Tuesday first-quarter profit more than tripled, helped by higher sales in its aviation, oil and gas and healthcare units. GE surged 5.9 per cent to $10.30 before regular trading Tuesday in New York. The shares climbed 34 per cent this year through Monday, topping the 21 per cent increase in an S&P index of industrial stocks, Bloomberg said. GE also stuck to its full-year forecast for earnings, but said that problems with Boeing's 737 Max jet presents a "new risk" for GE, which makes engines for the plane with partner Safran of France. Boeing's newest jetliner was grounded worldwide last month after a second fatal accident in less than five months. Still, the aviation unit, one of the bright spots for GE during its dismal past two years, again provided a boost, with a 12 per cent sales gain. GE also reported $1.2 billion in negative cash flow from its industrial business, much better than the $2.16bn outflow that Wall Street analysts, on average, were expecting, according to Reuters. Chief executive Larry Culp, who assumed the top post in October, took one of his boldest steps yet to reshape the portfolio when he agreed in February to sell the biopharmaceutical division for $21.4bn and shelve plans for a spinoff of GE’s broader healthcare unit. Sales in the power-equipment unit continued to lag, falling 22 per cent as GE navigates a multiyear decline in the market. The business, which makes and services gas turbines and other machinery, has been a significant drag on GE’s cash and earnings. Earnings from continuing operations attributable to GE shareholders rose to $954 million in the first quarter ended March 31 from $261m a year earlier. Earnings per share from continuing operations rose to 11 cents from 3 cents, the company said. On an adjusted basis, GE earned 14 cents per share. Analysts had expected 9 cents per share, on average. Total revenue fell 2 per cent to $27.29bn. The results provide the first glimpse of what is expected to be a rough year for cash generation after Mr Culp warned last month that the company would burn as much as $2bn in 2019. He anticipates a significant rebound in 2020 for industrial cash flow, a closely watched metric that is considered a gauge of GE’s earnings potential.