It finally happened. Beleaguered aircraft maker Boeing (NYSE:BA) launched the Starliner, which is currently ferrying NASA astronauts to the International Space Station. That finality brought with it just a twinge of positive investor sentiment, as shares ticked up fractionally in Wednesday afternoon’s trading.
The long-delayed launch of the Starliner has been in the works for years, but at 10:52 ET this morning, Cape Canaveral saw what is hoped to be the start of a whole new era for Boeing. Its Starliner finally got off the ground and into the skies and beyond. Reports noted that the launch went smoothly, and from the flight to the release of the capsule itself, everything went as expected.
Further reports note that the flight will go radio silent for a while as Boeing won’t be able to relay any video until Starliner reaches the International Space Station. Of course, some have already pointed out that SpaceX’s Dragon capsule has been making similar runs for years now without incident.
Meanwhile, Closer to Earth…
But as great a success as this launch was, in a time when Boeing desperately needed a win, reality emerged to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Another whistleblower has emerged, and he’s eager to get his story out despite the fact that two whistleblowers have already died doing just that. While Santiago Paredes has already broken cover to talk about his experience at Boeing, he’s joined by Roy Irvin.
Irvin worked with deceased whistleblower John Barnett, who police say died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in a hotel parking lot. Irvin detailed problems that cropped up regularly, including bolts that hadn’t been fully tightened and safety devices that were outright missing.
Is Boeing Stock a Buy or Sell?
Turning to Wall Street, analysts have a Moderate Buy consensus rating on BA stock based on 17 Buys, seven Holds, and two Sells assigned in the past three months, as indicated by the graphic below. After a 8.99% loss in its share price over the past year, the average BA price target of $215.87 per share implies 14.16% upside potential.
