Boeing stock slips as April deliveries miss expectations, lawsuit looms

Shares of Boeing fell on Tuesday after the aerospace manufacturer reported April aircraft deliveries that came in slightly below investor expectations, while the company also faced renewed legal scrutiny tied to its 737 MAX aircraft program.

Boeing BA shares declined 2.98% to $231.11, putting the stock on track to snap a five-session winning streak.

The stock remains up 9.15% so far in 2026 and has gained 19% over the last 12 months, though shares are still nearly 43% below their March 2019 record high of $440.62.

The decline followed Boeing’s monthly operational update, which showed the company delivered 47 aircraft in April and booked 136 gross new orders.

Boeing deliveries remain below pace needed for targets

Although Boeing’s April deliveries were significantly above the eight aircraft delivered during April 2025, investors had been hoping for monthly deliveries above 50 aircraft as the company continues working through its multi-year turnaround.

Wall Street currently expects Boeing to deliver 662 aircraft in 2026, according to FactSet estimates.

To meet that target, the company would need to average roughly 59 deliveries per month over the remaining eight months of the year.

Through the first four months of 2026, Boeing has delivered 190 aircraft, representing a 9% increase compared with the same period last year.

For comparison, Boeing delivered 46 aircraft in March, 51 in February, and 46 in January.

The company said 34 of April’s deliveries were 737 MAX aircraft, while six were 787 Dreamliners.

Boeing also noted that some deliveries were affected by delays tied to premium seat certifications.

Even so, the company still expects to deliver between 90 and 100 Dreamliners during the year.

Among Boeing’s largest April customers were United Airlines and Hong Kong-based CDB Leasing, each of which received six aircraft deliveries.

American Airlines and Ireland-based Avolon Aerospace Leasing were also among the company’s key customers during the month.

Order activity remains strong despite production pressures

Boeing reported 136 gross aircraft orders in April, including 57 orders for 737 MAX jets and 51 orders for 787 Dreamliners.

The largest group of orders came from unidentified customers.

Ethiopian Airlines ordered six 787-9 aircraft, while EL AL ordered one 787-10 and five 787-9 jets.

After accounting for cancellations, Boeing has booked 284 net orders so far in 2026, marking the company’s strongest order pace since 2014.

Boeing continues to compete closely with Airbus in global aircraft deliveries.

Airbus delivered 67 aircraft during April, ahead of Boeing’s 47 for the month, though Boeing remains ahead on a year-to-date basis with 190 deliveries versus Airbus’ 181.

LOT Polish Airlines lawsuit revives MAX scrutiny

Separately, Boeing is also facing a lawsuit from LOT Polish Airlines related to the grounding of the 737 MAX fleet in 2019.

LOT alleges Boeing was aware of critical safety issues involving the aircraft as early as 2016 and claims the company caused “lies and deception and…devastating financial harm.”

The airline initially filed suit in 2021 seeking compensation for revenue losses linked to the worldwide grounding of the MAX fleet.

Boeing’s legal team responded by highlighting that LOT continues to operate 737 MAX aircraft.

Boeing attorney arguments stated that LOT was “…crying foul and fraud out of one side of their mouth in the courtroom…,” while continuing to fly the aircraft.

The attorney also asked, “Is that how the victim of a multimillion-dollar fraud scheme behaves?”

Despite the latest legal and operational challenges, Wall Street analysts continue to maintain a bullish stance on Boeing shares. 

The stock currently holds a Strong Buy consensus rating based on 15 Buy ratings and one Hold recommendation.