Boeing shares are set for a turnaround after a rough 2024, according to Hightower Advisors’ Stephanie Link. “I think the worst is behind the company,” the firm’s chief investment strategist and portfolio manager said Tuesday on CNBC’s ” Halftime Report .” “I think this is a 2025 story — my favorite one.” Link’s remarks come after a tumultuous year for the aerospace giant, which kicked off with a panel on the side of a Boeing 737 Max 9 operated by Alaska Airlines flying off midflight in January. In the months following the incident, aerospace veteran Robert “Kelly” Ortberg became Boeing’s new chief executive in August, replacing Dave Calhoun. That move took place five months after Calhoun had announced his decision to step down from the role as part of a broad management shakeup at the company. Then, just weeks after Ortberg assumed the role, Boeing machinists went on a nearly two-month strike, which ended when 59% of them approved a new four-year labor deal that included 38% raises. By year’s end, Boeing shares declined 32.1%. BA 1Y mountain BA, 1-year Link, who recently bought more shares, thinks Boeing’s new leadership is a good sign for the company, saying that Ortberg “has a proven track record of strong execution.” The strategist also said the company recently raising about $21.1 billion through a common stock offering gives it three years to buy itself time to “get through some of these problems.” Over the next three years, she thinks Boeing will generate around $6 billion to $7 billion in free-cash-flow growth, citing a potential improvement in plane deliveries this year as a catalyst for growth. The strategist isn’t the only one who’s taking a bullish stance on Boeing in the new year. Barclays analyst David Strauss on Monday upgraded shares to overweight from equal weight and hiked his price target by $20 to $210. That implies about 23% upside potential, as of Monday’s close. His call joins other analysts on Wall Street with similar take on the stock. Of the 30 analysts covering it, 17 have a strong buy or buy rating, according to LSEG data. Another 11 have a hold rating on the stock. Its average target of about $187 reflects more than 9% upside from here. In the past month, the stock has substantially outperformed the broader market, posting a one-month gain of more than 12%. The S & P 500 has declined more than 2% over the same period.
