Boeing hones $15b financing plan to weather crises, sources say
Boeing is closing in on a plan to raise around $15 billion with common shares and a mandatory convertible bond as the jetmaker bolsters finances worsened by a crippling strike, but the timing remains unclear, four sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.
The company said on Tuesday in regulatory filings that it could raise as much as $25 billion in stock and debt with its investment-grade credit rating at risk. One of the sources cautioned that a $15 billion sale may not be enough for Boeing to address its ongoing crises.
Boeing is also considering a structured finance transaction to raise up to $5 billion that could resemble the securitization of a portion of a subsidiary's revenue, according to a separate source familiar with its financing plans. Boeing did not respond immediately to a request for comment on the securitization plan, which had not been reported previously.
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The aerospace giant has been dealing with increased regulatory scrutiny, production curbs and a loss of confidence from customers since a door panel blew off a 737 MAX plane in midair in early January. Shares gained 1% on Wednesday, but are down more than 40% this year.
Boeing has been burning through cash all year, leading to its Tuesday announcements that it will raise money in the capital markets and that it had also secured a $10 billion credit agreement with major lenders: Bank of America Citibank (C.N), Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan.
Four investor and banking sources said representatives from those lenders were inquiring about appetite for a combined offering of new shares and a mandatory convertible bond – a hybrid bond that could convert into equity on or before a predetermined date.
Roughly $10 billion in new shares are being contemplated to be sold by the company along with nearly $5 billion in mandatory convertible bonds, the sources said.
One of the four sources said the deal was scheduled to be priced shortly after Boeing's Oct. 23 third-quarter earnings report. But another investor source said the company was trying to avoid a raising during the month-old strike that analysts estimate is costing tens of millions of dollars per day.
