Is Boeing's Q4 Delivery Growth Indicating Better Execution?

The Boeing Company BA recently reported its fourth-quarter 2025 delivery figures, reflecting steady activity across both its commercial and defense businesses. During the quarter, the company delivered 160 commercial airplanes, much higher than 57 aircraft delivered in the year-ago period.

For the full year, Boeing delivered 600 commercial jets, marking a sharp increase from 348 deliveries in 2024. Most fourth-quarter commercial deliveries came from the 737 program, with 117 aircraft handed over to customers. The company also delivered 27 787, along with smaller numbers of 767 and 777 models.

On the defense side, Boeing’s Defense, Space and Security segment delivered 37 aircraft in the fourth quarter compared with 36 units in the same period last year. These deliveries included new and remanufactured AH-64 Apache helicopters, CH-47 Chinooks and KC-46 tankers.

For the full year, defense deliveries totaled 131 aircraft, up from 112 units delivered in the prior year. Although defense volumes remain lower than commercial deliveries, they continue to support Boeing’s diversified aerospace portfolio. Overall, the year-over-year improvement in both quarterly and annual deliveries reflects better production execution and a steadier delivery pace.

Higher deliveries should help Boeing convert production into revenues more efficiently and improve overall cash flow. A steadier delivery pace also signals better operational control, which can strengthen customer confidence. In addition, balanced growth across commercial and defense programs supports more stable performance and highlights the benefits of Boeing’s diversified business.

Delivery Performance of Key Industry Players

Airbus SE EADSY: Airbus delivered 793 commercial aircraft in 2025, higher than Boeing’s 600 deliveries for the year. The total also increased from 766 aircraft delivered in 2024, reflecting steady year-over-year growth. Strong execution across the A220, A320, A330 and A350 programs helped Airbus maintain a higher overall delivery volume.

Embraer S.A. EMBJ: Embraer delivered 148 aircraft in the first nine months of 2025, including 46 commercial and 102 executive jets. This compares with 128 total deliveries in the first nine months of 2024, which included 42 commercial and 86 executive jets. While smaller in scale than Boeing and Airbus, Embraer continues to see steady demand across its regional and business jet markets.

The Zacks Rundown for BA

Shares of BA have surged 47.2% in the past year compared with the industry’s 35.4% growth.

The company’s shares are trading at a discount on a relative basis, with its forward 12-month Price/Sales being 1.96X compared with its industry’s average of 2.76X.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for BA’s 2026 earnings has moved south over the past 60 days.

BA stock currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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