Boeing stock climbed Monday on a series of price target hikes after Air India crash investigators found the Dow Jones manufacturer unlikely to be at fault. Fellow aerospace stock TransDigm also received some hefty increases to its price target from analysts.
Bernstein on Monday raised its Boeing price target to 282 from 249, The Fly reported, noting it has greater confidence in the manufacturer following its Strategic Decisions Conference. The firm lifted its outlook for Boeing's Defense, Space & Security Systems, as well as its Global Services division. The preliminary Air India crash report also found no issues related to the 787 itself, a positive for Boeing. Bernstein kept an outperform rating on the shares.
Susquehanna in a separate note said that Boeing's commercial operations are improving as 737 production, delivery levels and orders are all up from last year. The improved stability is a favorable development for the entire commercial supply chain, the firm wrote. Susquehanna raised its price target on Boeing stock by 13 to 265 and maintained a positive rating on the shares.
How To Read Stock Charts
Citi said that the aerospace and defense sector continues to show momentum heading into Q2 results. The firm raised its price target on Boeing stock to 270 from 220. It kept a buy rating on shares as part of an earnings preview for the group. Boeing releases Q2 results on July 29.
TransDigm was included in that Citi research note. The firm raised its price target on TDG stock to 1,895 from 1,635 and kept a buy rating on shares.
Susquehanna on Monday wrote that the commercial aerospace and defense sectors have a number of tailwinds heading into quarterly results. That sets the stage for an optimistic outlook the rest of 2025 and beyond. The firm raised its price target on TransDigm stock to 1,600 from 1,300. It kept a neutral rating on the shares.
Boeing is due to report second-quarter results on July 29. Transdigm has not yet announced a reporting date.
Preliminary Air India Crash Report
Elsewhere, preliminary findings from the investigation into the Air India crash last month determined the aircraft's fuel supply to the engines was likely cut off. India's Aircraft Investigation Bureau found that the fuel control switches in the cockpit of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner had been flipped during ascent from "RUN" to "CUTOFF", which starved the engines of fuel.
Audio recording in the cockpit shows that one pilot asked the other why they had flipped the switches to off. The other responded that he did not do so, according to CNN. The switches were quickly reversed back to the correct position. The engines were in the process of powering back up when the crash occurred.
The Air India crash resulted in the death of all but one of the 242 passengers and crew, as well as 19 people on the ground.
Boeing Not The Cause
The FAA and Boeing privately issued notices that the fuel switch locks on Boeing planes are safe, Reuters reported.
"Although the fuel control switch design, including the locking feature, is similar on various Boeing airplane models, the FAA does not consider this issue to be an unsafe condition that would warrant an Airworthiness Directive on any Boeing models, including the Model 787," the FAA wrote to the Civil Aviation Authorities.
The preliminary crash investigation from the AAIB did refer to a 2018 FAA advisory, which recommended inspecting the locks for fuel cutoff switches on multiple Boeing models. However, Air India did not carry out the suggested inspections as the advisory was not a mandate. Maintenance records showed that the throttle control module, which includes the fuel switches, was replaced in 2019 and 2023 for the plane involved in the crash.
"All applicable airworthiness directives and alert service bulletins were complied on the aircraft as well as engines," the report said.
The investigation findings are also a positive for GE Aerospace, which provided the GEnx-1B engines for the 787. Citi on Monday also raised its price target on GE stock to 296 from 227 and kept a buy rating on the shares as part of its aerospace earnings preview.
Boeing Stock Rises Early
BA shares climbed 1.6% Monday. Boeing stock has jumped more than 30% so far this year. BA is trading at its highest level since January 2024.
TransDigm stock rose 2% Monday. Shares have cleared a buy zone, above a 1,488.54 buy point for a flat base.
The buy zone, which stretches 5% beyond the buy point, extends to 1,562.97.
TDG stock has rallied almost 24% in 2025.
GE stock swung 2.7% higher Monday. GE Aerospace reports Q2 results early Thursday. Shares are up more than 57% this year and are trading around record highs.
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