Boeing Co (NYSE:BA) shares are trading lower Thursday afternoon as traders weighed fresh defense-contract headlines against a mixed tape for industrial names.

The pullback comes even after Boeing logged 143 commercial deliveries in the first quarter (up from 130 a year ago) and 30 defense deliveries (up from 26), keeping the delivery cadence in focus ahead of the April 22 earnings date in the first quarter.

Army Chinook Contract Adds Defense Momentum

The U.S. Army on Wednesday awarded Boeing a $324 million contract for six CH-47F Block II Chinook helicopters, lifting the total number of Block II aircraft under contract to 24. Boeing says it has already delivered six CH-47F Block II production helicopters to the Army, with the first unit expected to field no later than mid-CY28 after delivery of Lot 3 aircraft.

Boeing is also pushing incremental value on the commercial side by evaluating Viasat’s AERA electronically steered antenna as a selectable line-fit option across programs including the 737 MAX and 777X, with AERA targeted to enter service in early 2028 in a selectable line-fit.

MACD Signals Improving Momentum For Boeing

Boeing is sitting in the middle of its 52-week range ($153.54 to $254.35), which points to a market still debating the next leg of trend. The stock is trading 5% above its 20-day simple moving average (SMA), a sign near-term trend is still pointed up, but it is also trading 0.9% below its 100-day SMA, which hints the intermediate trend is still trying to firm up.

The moving average structure is mixed: the 20-day SMA is below the 50-day SMA (bearish), but the golden cross in January (50-day SMA above the 200-day SMA) keeps the longer-term backdrop from looking broken. With price also about 1% below the 200-day SMA, the chart is acting like it’s stuck in a “prove it” zone where rallies need follow-through.

The moving average convergence divergence (MACD), a trend/momentum measure, is in a bullish posture with the MACD line above the signal line and a positive histogram, which leans toward improving upside momentum. That setup reads as buyers having a bit more control than sellers right now, even with Thursday’s pullback.

  • Key Resistance: $232.00 — an area where rallies have recently tended to stall.
  • Key Support: $187.50 — a zone where buyers have previously shown up to defend price.

Boeing Earnings Countdown Is Now Underway

The countdown is on: Boeing Company is set to report earnings on April 22.

  • EPS Estimate: Loss of 60 cents (Down from a loss of 49 cents YoY)
  • Revenue Estimate: $22.01 Billion (Up from $19.50 Billion YoY)
  • Valuation: P/E of 90.3x (Indicates premium valuation relative to peers)

Analysts Still See Upside In Boeing Shares

Analyst Consensus & Recent Actions: The stock carries a Buy Rating with an average price target of $276.40. Recent analyst moves include:

  • Citigroup: Buy (Lowers Target to $256.00) (April 2)
  • Wells Fargo: Initiated with Overweight (Target $250.00) (April 1)
  • Tigress Financial: Buy (Raises Target to $290.00) (March 19)

BA Shares Edge Lower Thursday

BA Stock Price Activity: Boeing shares were down 2.76% at $217.75 at the time of publication on Thursday, according to Benzinga Pro data.

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