If the whole Boeing (NYSE:BA) affair wasn’t looking distressing enough, the two recent deaths of whistleblowers in the case might have done the job. But now, it turns out there’s a whole new crop of whistleblowers ready to step in and start testifying. Despite this, Boeing shares are up nearly 2% in Monday afternoon’s trading.
Interestingly, that “whole new crop” is actually pretty substantial: 10 new whistleblowers are set to add their perspectives on what was going on at Boeing, and they’re all coming in under one central ideological banner: “People’s lives are at stake.”
Given the fact that one whistleblower died of an infection and the other committed suicide by gunshot, it shouldn’t be much of a surprise that “conspiracy theories” have already emerged surrounding the deaths. And attorneys on both sides—particularly the representative for the original two whistleblowers, Brian Knowles—aren’t especially interested in talking about those possibilities, either.
All This and Union Troubles, Too
And at perhaps the worst possible time, Boeing found itself embroiled in union troubles. It recently locked out a slate of unionized firefighters who have been negotiating with Boeing for the last two and a half months. This is the first time in more than 40 years that such a lockout has taken place. Meanwhile, Boeing turned to its backup plan, calling for “highly qualified firefighters” that do the work of the union firefighters and ensure “…safe operations at our Puget Sound area sites.”
Is Boeing Stock a Buy or Sell?
Turning to Wall Street, analysts have a Moderate Buy consensus rating on BA stock based on 15 Buys, eight Holds, and two Sells assigned in the past three months, as indicated by the graphic below. After a 7.08% loss in its share price over the past year, the average BA price target of $222.48 per share implies 21.55% upside potential.
