Someone remind me: What is it you're supposed to do in
case of a crash landing? Duck and cover? Stop, drop, and
roll? Whatever calisthenics you practice, I doubt they'll
make
Boeing 's(NYSE: BA) Q3 earnings report (due
out Wednesday) look any better. But at least you can be
prepared.
What analysts say:
Buy, sell, or waffle? Thirty-five analysts
keep Boeing on their radar, but don't think that makes it a
"popular" stock. Only six of 'em rate Boeing a buy, while
25 say it's just a hold, and four think it's
time to sell.
Revenue. Yet the numbers aren't all bad.
Analysts predict 12.4% sales growth to $17.2 billion.
Earnings. They predict a reversal of last
year's profits, for a $2.12-per-share loss.
What management says:
Give Boeing this much -- its press department is no
wallflower. Hardly a week goes by without Boeing making news
in one way or another. In recent weeks, we've seen the
restart of last year's
KC-X contestbetween Boeing and
Northrop Grumman (NYSE: NOC), congressional
wrangling over the
C-17 transport, and a series of delivery delays in
high-profile airliners like the
747-8 freighterand the
787 Dreamliner.
What management does:
Yet from a numerical perspective, we also saw Boeing
begin a turnaround in the second quarter. Across the board,
gross, operating, and net margins, all of which had seemingly
been in freefall, ticked up in Q2:
Margins
March 2008
June 2008
September 2008
December 2008
March 2009
June 2009
Gross
19.8%
19.2%
18.7%
17.3%
16.2%
16.6%
Operating
9.1%
8.7%
8.2%
6.1%
4.8% Continued... |