Boeing Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:BA)

The Boeing Company (NYSE:BA - Get Free Report) saw some unusual options trading on Thursday. Stock traders purchased 168,674 call options on the company. This represents an increase of 44% compared to the typical daily volume of 116,984 call options.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on BA shares. TD Securities reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $180.00 price target on shares of Boeing in a report on Thursday, April 24th. StockNews.com raised shares of Boeing from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday. Susquehanna increased their price target on shares of Boeing from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a "positive" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Cowen reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Boeing in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Boeing from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, seventeen have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $201.85.

Insider Activity at Boeing

In other news, EVP Uma M. Amuluru sold 3,159 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.69, for a total value of $570,799.71. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 19,213 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,471,596.97. This represents a 14.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP David Christopher Raymond sold 3,899 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.01, for a total value of $729,151.99. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 42,513 shares in the company, valued at $7,950,356.13. This trade represents a 8.40 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Boeing

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BA. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Boeing by 6.1% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 666,244 shares of the aircraft producer's stock worth $101,296,000 after buying an additional 38,332 shares during the period. CWA Asset Management Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Boeing by 37.1% in the 4th quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 3,009 shares of the aircraft producer's stock valued at $533,000 after purchasing an additional 815 shares during the period. Diversified Trust Co boosted its position in shares of Boeing by 109.1% during the fourth quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 5,097 shares of the aircraft producer's stock valued at $902,000 after purchasing an additional 2,659 shares in the last quarter. Sterneck Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Boeing by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Sterneck Capital Management LLC now owns 2,992 shares of the aircraft producer's stock worth $530,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the period. Finally, Weaver Consulting Group lifted its position in Boeing by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Weaver Consulting Group now owns 11,874 shares of the aircraft producer's stock valued at $2,102,000 after buying an additional 363 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 64.82% of the company's stock.

Boeing Price Performance

Boeing stock traded up $2.83 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $194.53. The stock had a trading volume of 7,653,112 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,097,826. The stock has a market cap of $146.68 billion, a PE ratio of -10.62 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $167.01 and a 200-day simple moving average of $166.91. Boeing has a 52 week low of $128.88 and a 52 week high of $196.95.

Boeing (NYSE:BA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The aircraft producer reported ($0.49) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($1.39) by $0.90. The business had revenue of $19.50 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.57 billion. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 17.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned ($1.13) EPS. Research analysts predict that Boeing will post -2.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Boeing Company Profile

The Boeing Company, together with its subsidiaries, designs, develops, manufactures, sells, services, and supports commercial jetliners, military aircraft, satellites, missile defense, human space flight and launch systems, and services worldwide. The company operates through Commercial Airplanes; Defense, Space & Security; and Global Services segments.