Short Interest in Boeing Jumped 13%

Photo of Paul Ausick
By Paul Ausick Updated Published
This post may contain links from our sponsors and affiliates, and Flywheel Publishing may receive compensation for actions taken through them.

Boeing logo
Wikimedia Commons
Short interest through July 15th was released on Friday after markets closed and we thought we’d take a look at what short sellers are thinking about The Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA). Short interest in Boeing jumped 12.9% compared with the June 30th reading, from 12.86 million shares short to 14.52 million. The new total represents about 2.1% of Boeing’s float and days to cover rose from 4 to 5.

The total is at its highest since the April 30th reporting date. Interestingly, if we look back at Boeing’s short interest history, it has risen in each two-week period that includes a company earnings report. That is likely due to the fact that Boeing’s earnings reports have included some piece of good news that offsets the not-so-good news in the reports. The bump in short interest probably indicates that some investors don’t think that the company can keep up its high-wire act.

Boeing has chosen to focus investors’ attention on its cash and free cash flow. The company has stuck by its outlook that cash flow in 2015 will be above $9 billion. In the first quarter of this year, cash flow was a tiny $88 million, but the second quarter brought the first half total to $3.39 billion. If Boeing can repeat that performance for the next two quarters it will have met its outlook.

In our look at how much a 787 costs we noted that Boeing continues to lose money on each of the planes it sells. The current per plane loss is estimated at around $26 million.

Since reporting second quarter results on July 22nd, five firms have issued notes on the company:

  • Jefferies reiterated its Buy rating and price target of $185
  • Bernstein reiterated its Buy rating and raised its price target from $190 to $196
  • Credit Suisse reiterated a Neutral rating and lowered its price target from $156 to $146.47
  • RBC Capital Markets reiterated a Sector Perform rating and raised its price target from $157 to $163
  • Deutsche Bank reiterated its Buy rating and maintained a price target of $175

Boeing’s stock closed at $144.06 on Friday, down 1.4%, in a 52-week range of $116.32 to $158.83. The consensus price target on the stock is $165.26 from 19 analysts polled by Thomson/First Call.

ALSO READ: The 10 Most Oil-Rich States

Photo of Paul Ausick
About the Author Paul Ausick →

Paul Ausick has been writing for a673b.bigscoots-temp.com for more than a decade. He has written extensively on investing in the energy, defense, and technology sectors. In a previous life, he wrote technical documentation and managed a marketing communications group in Silicon Valley.

He has a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Chicago and now lives in Montana, where he fishes for trout in the summer and stays inside during the winter.

Featured Reads

Our top personal finance-related articles today. Your wallet will thank you later.

Continue Reading

Top Gaining Stocks

CBOE Vol: 1,568,143
PSKY Vol: 12,285,993
STX Vol: 7,378,346
ORCL Vol: 26,317,675
DDOG Vol: 6,247,779

Top Losing Stocks

LKQ
LKQ Vol: 4,367,433
CLX Vol: 13,260,523
SYK Vol: 4,519,455
MHK Vol: 1,859,865
AMGN Vol: 3,818,618