We all know that aerospace stock Boeing (BA) has not had much luck in space lately. The Starliner excursion was a debacle by just about any standard of measurement. Even the Space Launch System (SLS) is facing some growing concerns. And this is leaving Boeing on the back foot in terms of a future in space. But investors were oddly upbeat, and gave Boeing shares a nearly 2% boost in Monday afternoon’s trading.
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NASA, under the Trump administration, seems to be increasingly prioritizing value in its operations. Commercial alternatives are proving their value, and leaving Boeing behind. A large-scale support network has so far saved Boeing—the Artemis rocket program has suppliers in all 50 states—but reports note that the White House plans to look harder for commercial alternatives.
It does not help matters for Boeing that the space program is on a tear lately. The Artemis II rocket recently cleared the dark side of the moon, the farthest out in space any human has been in history. And the program has milestones planned through the rest of the Trump administration, building up to 2028, when humans return to the moon for the first time in decades. This led to what Commercial Space Federation president Dave Cavossa called “…the most pro-commercial administration…we’ve ever seen.”
Going Out With a Boom
Meanwhile, a Boeing 757 recently played a big part in one pilot’s retirement. An Icelandair pilot flew said 757 shockingly close to the ground in a bid to mark his final flight with the airline. Video of the event shows the flight extremely low indeed, with one report suggesting the flight was about 100 meters off the ground. By way of comparison, most commercial aircraft operate at a height of 9,000 to 12,000 meters.
Icelandair, for its part, is investigating the flight, noting that the flight was not authorized. Chief Pilot Linda Gunnarsdottir noted, “This is a very serious matter that we will review internally. In aviation, everything is tightly governed by procedures and checklists in normal passenger operations, and this does not fall within that framework.”
Is Boeing a Good Stock to Buy Right Now?
Turning to Wall Street, analysts have a Strong Buy consensus rating on BA stock based on 14 Buys and one Hold assigned in the past three months, as indicated by the graphic below. After a 36.63% rally in its share price over the past year, the average BA price target of $274.92 per share implies 24.01% upside potential.
