Sales surged 57% to $23.95 billion as commercial aircraft deliveries hit their highest point since 2018.
Boeing could potentially post its first profit this year since 2018. The manufacturer delivered 600 airplanes last year, up from 348 a year earlier.
Boeing's plans to increase jetliner production and its outlook for improving free cash flow in the coming years will be key topics for analysts and investors when the planemaker reports fourth-quarter earnings on Tuesday. While the company is expected to report another quarterly loss, investors are looking for continued recovery from years of crises.
Boeing (BA), which reports earnings this week, might be the most interesting company from an “expected forward return” perspective. Despite the Trump Administration's best efforts to negotiate tariff deals with foreign countries that include commitments for these countries to buy Boeing airplanes, the trend in the consensus EPS and revenue estimates is less than joyous. 2026 expected EPS is down 79% since June '24, and 2027 expected EPS is down 55% from June '24. Expected revenue revisions are not nearly as steep in terms of revisions as EPS indicate, which is typical of capital-intensive industries with large manufacturing footprints.
The Boeing Company is executing a turnaround, with free cash flow turning positive and production stabilizing, but faces persistent EPS volatility and certification delays. Despite a 45% rally over the past year, I assign BA a Hold rating due to negative EPS revisions and risk of profit-taking if results disappoint. Operational momentum is evident: 2025 deliveries are up, backlog is growing, and Defense margins have turned positive, yet cost control remains a key concern.
U.S. companies signed foreign government procurement contracts worth $244 billion in 2025 with assistance from the U.S. Commerce Department, nearly triple the total in 2024 as Boeing logged a massive increase in jetliner orders, the agency's International Trade Administration said on Friday.
Nvidia Corporation faces uncertainty as China blocks H200 chip shipments, making Chinese sales an unreliable upside catalyst. NVDA's H200 inventory risk is mitigated by halting production, given limited non-China demand and rapid architectural advances. Price targets range from $201.54 (low-end) to $303.20 (optimistic), but upside is capped without China sales resuming.
Beyond analysts' top-and-bottom-line estimates for Boeing (BA), evaluate projections for some of its key metrics to gain a better insight into how the business might have performed for the quarter ended December 2025.
Both BA and LMT are leading US aerospace and defense contractors with significant revenues tied to Pentagon spending and long-term government contracts.
Boeing ended 2025 with robust order inflow and its highest annual deliveries since 2018, signaling a credible production recovery. December orders reached 175 units, driven by Alaska Airlines, with net orders for the year at 1,075 units valued at $114.6 billion. BA's delivery ramp is supported by increasing 737 MAX and 787 production rates, with a sustainable path to 700 jets in 2026.
BA's Q4 results may gain on stronger commercial aircraft deliveries, Spirit AeroSystems acquisition, but supply-chain issues could weigh on profits.
It's an uncertain time, which is why you're seeing safe-haven assets like gold and silver make new all-time highs. But in turbulent times, defense stocks can also be a safe place for capital to hide, and this fact only increased when the Trump administration announced plans to increase defense spending to $1.5 billion in 2027.