"One of the most successful quarters ever": Boeing's results unexpectedly beat forecasts

Boeing cut its quarterly loss in the second quarter of 2025 stronger than Wall Street forecasts and achieved its highest volume of airplane deliveries since 2018. Wall Street analysts say the aircraft maker is showing "signs of recovery," but it still has a long way to go before a final recovery. Boeing shares fell more than 3% in trading on July 29.

Boeing more than halved its quarterly loss for the second quarter of 2025. Adjusted loss per share was $1.24 versus Wall Street's expected $1.48, reports CNBC, citing LSEG data. Revenue also beat analysts' estimates, rising 35% year-over-year to $22.75 billion versus a projected $21.84 billion. Free cash flow utilization, a key indicator of liquidity for Wall Street, came in at $200 million, nearly nine times better than analysts' expectations ($1.72 billion), adds Reuters, citing LSEG data. In addition, the company reported positive operating cash flow of $227 million for the first time since 2023, emphasizes Bloomberg.

"If we continue to focus on safety, quality and stability, we can manage global instability and make 2025 a watershed year," Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg said in a letter to employees. He alsoadded in an interview with CNBC that the company intends to start generating cash in the fourth quarter.

Boeing delivered 150 airplanes during the second quarter - the last time the company shipped that many in 2018 and the last time it reported annual profits then, CNBC notes. The company also increased production of its flagship 737 Max jetliners to 38 per month - the maximum allowed by the U.S. air regulator after an incident involving a door plug that flew off during a flight in January 2024, the channel adds. Boeing's CEO said earlier that the company intends to seek authorization to further increase production as early as this year.

The increase in shipments was a major milestone in Boeing's recovery from a string of failures and accumulated debt, Reuters notes. The fact that the company was able to almost stop the cash drain is the first results of the anti-crisis strategy launched by new CEO Kelly Ortberg a year ago, Bloomberg adds. If the current momentum continues, Boeing could reach positive free cash flow in the second half of the year, which is critical amid $53.3 billion in debt, the agency adds. Bloomberg Intelligence analyst George Ferguson called it a "sign of recovery" for the company. "Of course, it's a huge plus, because they [Boeing] need to generate cash to rebuild their balance sheet," Ferguson noted.

"This is probably one of the best quarters for Boeing in a long time, but the company is in no hurry to conquer the top," Bank of America aerospace analyst Ron Epstein said in a Bloomberg statement. - There are still a lot of steps to be taken."

After the publication of the report, Boeing's quotations rose on the premarket by more than 3%. However, at the opening of trading, the company's shares fell by the same amount - to $228.6. They have already added more than 30% since the beginning of the year, leading the gains in the Dow Jones Industrial Average index, Bloomberg notes. By comparison, Boeing's stock has fallen 32% in 2024, a bad year for Boeing.

Boeing is recovering from one of the toughest periods in its history: the company has endured a series of incidents on its airplanes and a major strike by its employees, and was forced to raise $24 billion through a stock offering amid financial pressure in 2024. Ortberg, an industry veteran, returned from retirement to launch a crisis transformation. One of the drivers of the recovery has been orders for airplanes, which are heavily leveraged in U.S. trade negotiations - President Donald Trump is linking agreements to Boeing contracts. As a result, the company has already surpassed its rival Airbus in terms of orders in 2025, Bloomberg notes.

Nevertheless, the road to recovery remains difficult: Boeing said on Tuesday that certification of the 737 Max 7 and Max 10 models (the smallest and largest in the Max lineup) is unlikely to happen this year, despite Ortberg's May forecast. Additional risks are created by the situation in the defense division of the aircraft maker: after the recent refusal of employees to approve a new labor agreement, a strike is possible there from Sunday, notes Reuters.

This article was AI-translated and verified by a human editor