Boeing’s Cash Flow, Delivery Struggles Likely To Continue in Q2, CFO Says

Boeing’s (BA) troubled year looks set to continue, as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Brian West said during a conference Thursday that the company’s cash flow and production woes are likely to continue in the current quarter.

The company will likely continue to see similar negative cash flow in the second quarter after burning through $4 billion in the first quarter, West said, as production and deliveries were forced to slow down amid supply chain issues and a series of safety incidents that sparked investigations from regulators and law enforcement.

Q2 Free Cash Flow Will Be ‘More in Line, Possibly a Little Worse’ Than Q1

Analysts currently project Boeing to burn through about $2.12 billion in cash for the second quarter, returning to positive free cash flow in the second half of the year, according to estimates compiled by Visible Alpha. West said the company projects the cash it generates in the second half of the year will roughly offset what it uses in the first half, noting the second quarter will likely be “more in line, possibly a little worse” than the first quarter.

West said during Wolfe Research’s Global Transportation & Industrials Conference Thursday that Boeing expects cash flow to be more positive in the second half of 2024, acknowledging that the company’s strategy of favoring safety and working slowly to improve will likely bother some customers and shareholders, but said he believes it will pay off in the long term.

“We have frustrated and disappointed our customers because of some of the production supply chain issues that we’re up against,” West said. “And while I understand that frustration, the most important thing we can do for our customers and supply chain in the industry is to focus on the actions that are underway as we speak.”

Deliveries Also Likely To Suffer

Deliveries likely won’t see a “step up” in the second quarter, West said, after the manufacturer recorded its lowest number of quarterly deliveries since 2021 in Q1. The company has been forced to slow production since a January incident on an Alaska Airlines flight where a door plug detached from a Boeing-made plane in midair caused international scrutiny, and resulted in a number of investigations and the grounding of the 737 Max fleet.

The company’s struggles has also led to shakeups at the executive level, with the March announcement that Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dave Calhoun would be stepping down at the end of 2024. Boeing’s board chair and head of the commercial airplanes division were also replaced.

In the first quarter, Boeing reported a smaller loss than analysts had expected despite the production slowdown. West said supply chain issues aside from the safety-related production slowdown are also impacting Boeing’s delivery schedule.

Boeing shares were down 7% to $173.30 as of 2 p.m. ET Thursday and are 33% lower this year.