Boeing reports higher loss

Article Excerpt

BOEING CO. $174 remains a hold. The aircraft maker (New York symbol BA; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing sector; Shares outstanding: 613.9 million; Market cap: $106.8 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.7; Dividend suspended in June 2020; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk; www.boeing.com) delivered 57 commercial jetliners in the fourth quarter of 2024, down from 157 a year earlier. That drop is mainly due to quality control problems with its 737 Max planes. In January 2024, a fuselage panel came loose on one of those planes. As a result, regulators ordered Boeing to slow 737 production. The slowing deliveries also cut revenue in the quarter by 30.8%, to $15.24 billion from $22.02 billion. Losses also worsened to $18.36 a share (or a total of $11.88 billion) from $3.67 a share (or $2.22 billion). If you factor out unusual items, including the impact of a strike by its machinists, the company still lost $5.90 a share in the latest quarter. Boeing expects to increase 737 Max production in 2025 as…