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Will Solid Defense Deliveries Aid Boeing's (BA) Q4 Earnings?

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The Boeing Company’s (BA - Free Report) Defense, Space & Security (BDS) segment is expected to have witnessed significant top-line growth in fourth-quarter 2019, courtesy of solid deliveries from the company’s varied defense products. Margins are also likely to have increased.

Boeing’s fourth-quarter 2019 results are scheduled to be released on Jan 29.

Click here to know how the company’s overall Q4 performance is expected to be.

Steady Order Flow to Aid the Top Line

With the current U.S. administration spending significantly on the nation’s defense for the past couple of years, Boeing’s defense and space unit has been witnessing solid order flow from the Pentagon, NASA and Congress for its varied products. This, in turn, has been boosting BDS unit’s revenues.

In particular, the BDS segment has been witnessing strong procurement of F-15EX and F-18 fighter jets, Apache and V-22 Osprey rotorcraft, JDAM weapons, satellite programs, the Space Launch System, along with key derivative programs like KC-46 Tanker and P-8. Such procurement has been bolstering defense products’ sales volume. It is expected to have contributed to BDS segment’s growth.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues at Boeing’s defense unit is pegged at $7,026 million, indicating 15% growth from the year-ago reported figure.

The Boeing Company Price and EPS Surprise

The Boeing Company Price and EPS Surprise

The Boeing Company price-eps-surprise | The Boeing Company Quote

Impressive Deliveries & Bottom-Line View

Boeing’s fourth-quarter 2019 delivery figures reflected a solid surge of 78% in defense shipments from the year-ago period. In the quarter, its defense deliveries totaled 57, up from 32 in the year-ago period. Such impressive delivery figures are expected to have significantly boosted the defense segment’s top line as well as bottom line.

The company’s KC-46 Tanker program has been gaining solid traction in recent quarters, post its launch in the first quarter of 2019. Notably, during the fourth quarter, the company delivered nine such tankers. Considering this development, BDS unit’s fourth quarter results are likely to reflect impressive numbers, with KC-46 tanker being a strong contributor. Higher sales volume is expected to have boosted margin for this unit and in turn contributed to bottom-line growth.   

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the BDS unit’s earnings is pegged at $807 million, indicating 20% improvement from the year-ago quarter.

What the Zacks Model Unveils

According to the Zacks model, the combination of two key ingredients — a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) or better —  increases the odds of an earnings surprise.

Boeing has an Earnings ESP of -7.83% and a Zacks Rank #3, which makes surprise prediction difficult. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.

Stocks to Consider

Here are some defense companies you may want to consider, which have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat in the to-be-reported quarter:

Textron (TXT - Free Report) is scheduled to report fourth-quarter 2019 results on Jan 29. The company has an Earnings ESP of +1.85% and a Zacks Rank #3.

Heico Corporation (HEI - Free Report) is expected to release fourth-quarter 2019 results soon. The company has an Earnings ESP of +8.94% and a Zacks Rank #1.

Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings is expected to release fourth-quarter 2019 results soon. The company has an Earnings ESP of +2.17% and a Zacks Rank #3.

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