Boeing (NYSE:BA) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Jefferies Financial Group Analyst Says

Boeing (NYSE:BA - Free Report) had its price objective increased by Jefferies Financial Group from $230.00 to $250.00 in a report issued on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the aircraft producer's stock.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Susquehanna reaffirmed a "positive" rating and set a $240.00 price target (up previously from $205.00) on shares of Boeing in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Boeing from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $181.00 to $218.00 in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Boeing from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 17th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $200.00 price target on shares of Boeing in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Boeing in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, seventeen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $207.85.

Boeing Stock Performance

BA stock traded up $2.01 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $211.03. 6,069,723 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 9,239,457. The company has a market cap of $159.12 billion, a P/E ratio of -11.52 and a beta of 1.43. Boeing has a 52-week low of $128.88 and a 52-week high of $215.80. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $182.59 and its 200 day moving average price is $174.64.

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

Insider Transactions at Boeing

In related news, SVP Brendan J. Nelson sold 640 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $206.28, for a total value of $132,019.20. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 13,258 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,734,860.24. This trade represents a 4.60% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Jeffrey S. Shockey sold 3,205 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $202.87, for a total transaction of $650,198.35. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 20,513 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,161,472.31. This trade represents a 13.51% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 7,744 shares of company stock worth $1,511,370. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Boeing

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of BA. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Boeing by 24.4% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 64,442,717 shares of the aircraft producer's stock valued at $11,406,361,000 after buying an additional 12,641,715 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Boeing by 29.5% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 15,171,869 shares of the aircraft producer's stock valued at $2,677,170,000 after buying an additional 3,452,075 shares during the period. Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Boeing during the 4th quarter valued at about $568,000. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. acquired a new position in Boeing during the 4th quarter valued at about $526,889,000. Finally, Zimmer Partners LP acquired a new position in Boeing during the 4th quarter valued at about $393,736,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.82% of the company's stock.

About Boeing

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.