After experiencing severe headwinds through most of 2024 due to faulty aircraft from the MAX series and a major worker strike, things appeared to be finally looking up for Boeing (NYSE: BA) in November 2024.
Indeed, as the company reached an agreement with its employees and as the news of technical issues with its airplanes became more scarce, BA shares entered a major rally that enabled them to rally 15.45% in the last 30 days to their December 27 closing price of $180.72.
The rise was, however, abruptly ended in the pre-market on December 30 as Boeing stock plunged 4.08% to its press time price of $173.35.
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Why Boeing stock is crashing
The downturn came soon after – and is, indeed, likely linked to – three accidents over the weekend between Christmas and New Year.
The first of these involved a Boeing 737-800 operated by the Dutch KLM, which was forced to make an emergency landing in Norway on Sunday, December 29.
Only hours before, on the very same day, a Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 crashed, killing most of its 181 occupants. Finally, an Air Canada De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400 experienced issues during landing due to faulty landing gear.
Though the fire erupted in the Air Canada accident, only minor injuries have been reported by press time on December 30. De Havilland became a subsidiary of Boeing in 2000.
Given that much of BA shares’ issues in 2024 can be traced to a series of crashes and accidents of varying severity that can be traced back all the way to the deadly crash in Ethiopia in 2019 and in Indonesia in 2018, it comes as no surprise that investors appear anxious following the latest string of incidents.
Why BA shares are likely to continue rallying long-term
Still, it is worth pointing out that the latest stock drop is likely to be only temporary. None of the accidents involved the MAX series of aircraft, and the most likely culprit for the crashes and crash landings is the combination of airplane age and lackluster maintenance.
Furthermore, the American aeronautics giant is likely to show significant long-term strength as the agreement reached with the workers’ union involved a pledge to bolster quality control in the manufacturing process, along with securing better pay and benefits for the employees.
A similar assessment was also shared by Wolfe Research analyst Myles Walton, who reiterated their ‘outperform’ – ‘ buy’ – rating for BA stock and a $195 price target on December 30 while opining that the tragic crash of the Jeju Airlines plane is unlikely to have a profound impact on Boeing’s performance.
Featured image via Shutterstock
