Boeing narrowed its third-quarter loss after higher defense sales, but CEO Kelly Ortberg told staff the manufacturer had “still more work to do.”
Here’s what Boeing reported for the third quarter compared to what Wall Street analysts forecast, according to LSEG consensus estimates:
- Loss per share: 34 cents adjusted versus expected loss of 21 cents
- Income: $24.19 billion expected versus $23.84 billion expected.
For the quarter ended Sept. 30, Boeing reported a net loss of $116 million, or 26 cents per share, compared with a loss of $5.34 billion, or $7.14 per share, a year earlier. Including one-time items, the company reported a loss of 34 cents per share. A year earlier, Boeing took on nearly $5 billion for its long-delayed 777X plane program.
Revenue climbed 4% for the year to $24.19 billion. Free cash flow increased to $464 million from $238 million in the third quarter of 2025.
Revenue at the company’s defense unit rose 15% in the third quarter from a year earlier, to $7.94 billion.
Boeing delivered 161 commercial planes in the third quarter, one more plane than a year earlier.
Revenue from the all-important commercial aircraft sector fell 3% to $10.72 billion. The unit recorded a negative operating margin of 6.5% due to a “less favorable delivery mix, higher projected costs associated with future production rate adjustments and higher estimated supply chain costs,” Boeing said.
The planemaker’s executives are expected to update investors on how quickly it can ramp up plane production in the coming months during the quarterly earnings conference call Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. ET.
Boeing produces about 47 of its 737 Max jets per month, but is aiming for more. CEO Kelly Ortberg told investors last month that production was taking “a little longer” than expected to stabilize, and that the company planned to increase its aircraft production next year.
“Looking ahead, expectations are rising, and they should,” Ortberg said in a memo to staff Tuesday. “This means increasing our performance through Lean, productivity and efficiency improvements in our daily work while maintaining our high levels of safety and quality.”
Aircraft production and deliveries are key to Boeing’s recovery since most of the price of a plane is paid when the customer receives it.
But the manufacturer has recorded some victories in recent times. The US Navy called on Boeing to develop its next-generation fighter jet.
And the Federal Aviation Administration last week approved the 737 Max 10, the largest in the Max family. This followed the approval of the 737 Max 7 in August and marked the final certifications for the aircraft family.
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