Continue reading Boeing Wins $35B USAF Contract

Boeing Wins $35B USAF Contract originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 25 Feb 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Deutsche Bank upgraded Dr Pepper Snapple (DPS) to buy from hold based on valuation. The firm keeps a $39 target on the stock.
• Piper Jaffray upgraded Kenexa (KNXA) to overweight from neutral, citing a strengthening of trends for the company. The firm has a $29 price target on the stock.
• Janney Montgomery upgraded Gaylord Entertainment (GET) to buy from neutral on expectations the company will benefit from strong trends in 2011. The firm raised its target for shares to $35 from $32.50.
• MeadWestvaco (MWV) was upgraded to outperform from neutral at Credit Suisse.
• EADS (EADSY) was upgraded to overweight from neutral at JPMorgan.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: BAC, CPB, CSX, DPS, GET, KMB, KNXA, MGA, MKGAY, UA ...

Analyst Calls: BAC, CPB, CSX, DPS, GET, KMB, KNXA, MGA, MKGAY, UA ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 24 Sep 2010 10:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Boeing receives yet another big plane order

Boeing receives yet another big plane order originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading With 787, 747-8 roll-outs delayed, runway getting bumpy for Boeing

With 787, 747-8 roll-outs delayed, runway getting bumpy for Boeing originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 17 Nov 2008 15:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Boeing, Airbus may end up 'storing' 200 new planes in the desert

Boeing, Airbus may end up 'storing' 200 new planes in the desert originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 12 Nov 2008 17:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Boeing delays 787 Dreamliner test flight to beyond Q4, citing previous strike

Boeing delays 787 Dreamliner test flight to beyond Q4, citing previous strike originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 05 Nov 2008 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Reuters reports that EADS, the parent of Airbus, has suggested it may not bid for the $35 billion Air Force contract for airborne refueling tankers. Reuters quotes a senior EADS manager as saying, "We will only bid if we can be sure that we stand a fair chance." This threat mirrors the one that Boeing Inc. (NYSE: BA) made recently -- a threat that paid off for Boeing when the Secretary of Defense announced this week that the tanker competition would be canceled and rebid sometime after the November election.

This puts a French company as a player in this November's election. How so? Because one of the candidates, John McCain, is rooting for an EADS victory. That's because his former chief of finance, Tom Loeffler, is a lobbyist for EADS whose employees have contributed $14,000 to McCain's campaign. And those ties likely corrupted the previous bidding process that led the General Accounting Office (GAO) in June to report that the process was flawed -- leading to a rebid. It is too early to know whether EADS money will pay off in an election victory for McCain.

However, for Boeing, the news of EADS copying its tactic of threatening to withdraw its bid is the sincerest form of flattery. Meanwhile, Boeing's victory in getting the bid delayed could be a Pyrrhic one -- in other words it could win a short-term battle and lose the war as did "King Pyrrhus of Epirus, whose army suffered irreplaceable casualties in defeating the Romans at Heraclea in 280 BC and Asculum in 279 BC during the Pyrrhic War," according to Wikipedia.

Continue reading Will Airbus leave the $35 billion tanker to Boeing?

Will Airbus leave the $35 billion tanker to Boeing? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 13 Sep 2008 08:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Time may be on Boeing's side after Pentagon delays tanker contest

Time may be on Boeing's side after Pentagon delays tanker contest originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 10 Sep 2008 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Yesterday I speculated that McCain picked Sarah Palin as his VP over the objections of his advisers. I thought that McCain -- who prides himself on fighting corruption in politics -- somehow saw himself in her. But both politicians have experience with the very thing they pride themselves on fighting.

In the case of McCain, his efforts to rid politics of the corrupting influence of corporate money followed his protection of Charles Keating who was securing a real estate deal for his wife, Cindy. The bankruptcy of Keating's S&L cost taxpayers $3.4 billion. More recently former McCain Finance Chair Tom Loeffler, a lobbyist for French company EADS, parent of Airbus, helped it and Northrop Grumman (NYSE: NOC) to prevail in a $35 billion competition for airborne refueling Tankers in February over Boeing Inc. (NYSE: BA) before the General Accounting Office (GAO) concluded that the process was flawed.

Alaska's governor, Sarah Palin, knows a thing or two about lobbyists. The New York Times reveals that she won that post after taking on bribery charges from the oil industry against politicians -- her attack against such corrupting influences helped her prevail over former Alaska governor, Frank Murkowski. That's why it came as a surprise to learn that as governor Palin employed a lobbyist for an energy company for which she procured $500 million in state subsidies so it could build a gas pipeline.

Continue reading Palin and McCain share a love of lobbyists

Palin and McCain share a love of lobbyists originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 30 Aug 2008 08:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

BusinessWeek reports that Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA) has repeated its threat not to bid on the $35 billion competition to supply an airborne refueling tanker to the Air Force. This is a competition that pits a Republican presidential candidate and his lobbyist former finance chair on the dole of a French aircraft company and its Alabama partner against the future prospects of a Democratically controlled Congress and White House that would tend to favor Boeing -- which has many workers in Washington state.

By threatening not to bid, Boeing is taking many big risks. The Air Force may decide to keep the terms of the competition the same -- bids due October 1 -- and contract wrap up before New Year's Day. If Boeing does not bid and the competition proceeds, EADS, parent of Airbus, and Northrop Grumman (NYSE: NOC) -- with many of its workers in the Republican-leaning Alabama -- would win the bid uncontested. If the Air Force extends the process another four months -- which Boeing would prefer -- there is a chance that the Air Force would still end up choosing the French company.

But Boeing is gambling that the odds of a more favorable outcome are greater if it threatens not to bid. Boeing thinks that Congress will not want only one bid for the Tanker and that Congress and the White House are likely to be controlled by the Democratic party in January. With the French lobbyist-backed candidate in the Senate minority, Boeing will be in a better position to shape the Tanker competition in a way that favors its victory.

Continue reading To bid, or not to bid: That is Boeing's question

To bid, or not to bid: That is Boeing's question originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 22 Aug 2008 12:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Global airline industry seen losing $6 billion in 2008

Global airline industry seen losing $6 billion in 2008 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 21 Aug 2008 14:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Reuters reports that Boeing Inc. (NYSE: BA) is signaling that it may not submit a bid for the $35 billion Air Force contract for Tankers -- airborne refueling vehicles. Is Boeing serious about not submitting a bid or is it using its leverage to get the Air Force to revise the bidding process to create a more level playing field?

The tanker contract has a long history. The Air Force awarded it this February to EADS, parent of Airbus, and Northrop Grumman (NYSE: NOC). Boeing protested the award citing errors in the way the process was run. The General Accounting Office (GAO) sided with Boeing. And the Air Force announced that it would rebid the contract. But many thought that the rebidding process favored the French company.

Now Boeing is considering not submitting a bid. If Boeing ends up not bidding, it will be an embarrassment for the Air Force, which was bending over backwards to change the specifications to keep Airbus and Northrop in the process so there would be two bidders. Or it might have been to satisfy Thomas Loeffler, an EADS lobbyist who headed up John McCain's finance committee. Regardless of why it was done, if Boeing doesn't bid, the Air Force will be in a tight spot.

Continue reading Will Boeing bail on bid for $35 billion tanker deal?

Will Boeing bail on bid for $35 billion tanker deal? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 11 Aug 2008 15:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Parts shortage slowing assembly of Boeing's 777, Airbus' A330

Parts shortage slowing assembly of Boeing's 777, Airbus' A330 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 08 Aug 2008 14:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading ILFC may order 300 Boeing, Airbus planes for aircraft leasing business

ILFC may order 300 Boeing, Airbus planes for aircraft leasing business originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 25 Jun 2008 17:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Government Accountability Office has decided that the Air Force has done Boeing (NYSE: BA) dirty. It says that in the bidding process for a new air tanker, the Air Force should not have favored Northrop-Grumman (NYSE:NOC) for the project. NOC won the tanker deal several months ago.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the decision "effectively gives Boeing the chance to recapture its decades-long lock on the business of supplying planes that can refuel other planes in midair." The GAO said the Air Force analysts had made mistakes in some of their evaluation analysis.

The whole matter stinks. Boeing has been able to push its agenda in Washington by lobbying hard to keep jobs for the tanker in the US. The Northrop proposal would have had EADS, the European airplane maker, do some of the work. Several senators got behind the idea that Boeing should get another chance.

Was the GAO influenced by Congress? Who will ever know, but if Boeing, which is the incumbent for supplying the military tankers, can get into the position to bid again, something seems a bit off.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.

GAO hammers Northrop-Grumman hopes, opens door for Boeing originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 19 Jun 2008 08:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Airbus said 2008 orders for the A380 superjumbo jet may be one-third lower than previously forecast, as higher fuel costs and an economic slowdown moderate travel growth, Bloomberg News reported Wednesday.

Airbus said it may receive about 20 orders in 2008 for the 525-seat A380 superjumbo, the world's largest commercial jetliner. Earlier, Airbus had projected up to 30 orders for the A380 in 2008.

Airbus' announcement did not negatively impact the stock, at least not at the outset. Shares of Airbus' parent EADS gained 28 cents to 14.95 euros in Wednesday afternoon trading on the Paris exchange.

Continue reading Airbus says A380 superjumbo jet orders may be 33% lower

Airbus says A380 superjumbo jet orders may be 33% lower originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 28 May 2008 12:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Airbus now expects to deliver 12 A380 planes in 2008, down from 13, and 21 planes in 2009, down from 25, the company announced Tuesday.

Promoted as the world's most economical, large aircraft, the A380 is about two years behind schedule. The A380 will seat 525 passengers in a normal configuration, at least 50-120 seats more than its chief competition, Boeing's (NYSE: BA) 747, the wide-body industry standard.

In Europe, shares of Airbus's parent EADS were virtually unchanged on the news, down just 2 euro cents to 12.72 euros in afternoon trading. Boeing's shares gained five cents to $84.87.

Continue reading Airbus delays delivery of some A380s

Airbus delays delivery of some A380s originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 13 May 2008 13:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Today's Washington Post reports on the latest successful purchase of John McCain's services -- yielding a sweet real estate deal for an Arizona developer in the wake of his $100,000 campaign contribution. But that railer against the role of money in politics appears to have been bought many times before -- and American workers and taxpayers have paid the price.

The Washington Post reports that McCain pushed legislation that let an Arizona rancher trade remote grassland and ponderosa pine forest there for acres of valuable federally owned property that is ready for development, a land swap that now stands to directly benefit one of his top presidential campaign fundraisers. Specifically, Steven A. Betts, who raised $100,000 for McCain, got the job of developing rancher Fred Ruskin's land after McCain's legislation helped Ruskin pick it up at below market rates.

But this is at least the fifth transaction where a campaign contributor has benefited from McCain's power. Here are five others:

Continue reading How to buy John McCain

How to buy John McCain originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 09 May 2008 15:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Boeing (NYSE: BA) is thumping its chest about the likelihood that it can get Congress to reverse a deal giving a $35 billion military tanker contract to Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) and EADS, the parent of Airbus.

According to Reuters Mark McGraw, a company vice president, said he was "as confident as I can be" that congressional auditors would find fault with the U.S. Air Force's February 29 choice of the rival team. Brave words, especially when the Air Force claims that the Boeing proposal lost on every key metric for building the tanker.

Boeing is counting on members of Congress who don't want American jobs to go overseas to push back on a contract which includes Europe-based EADS. But, it may not be that simple.

The Wall Street Journal reports that "Government contracting documents show that the U.S. Air Force preferred the size and capability of aerial refueling tankers" being offered by EADS and Northrop. The EADS Airbus 330 can carry more fuel that its Boeing competition.

Boeing is almost certainly wasting its time. No matter how much some Congressmen would like to save jobs for their districts, they cannot be seen as favoring a deal which is probably substantially inferior.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.

Boeing's (BA) fight for Air Force contract heats up originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 19 Mar 2008 10:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Boeing tankers are a lose-lose proposition originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 14 Mar 2008 11:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.