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Yet Boeing has more than doubled from its lows, and some Wall Street analysts are highly bullish on the stock. While the average share price target of $230 is only about 7% higher than its most recent close, analysts at Baird upgraded the stock last November from neutral to outperform and set a price target of $306 per share. That would represent a 42% rise from here.
As Baird sees it, the return of the 737 MAX to service should lead to a return to long-term growth for the aircraft manufacturer. Moreover, favorable trends in COVID-19 case counts and the gradual progress in vaccinations could bode well for air travel to go back to past traffic levels sooner rather than later.
Boeing suffered huge losses in 2020 and faces more uncertainty ahead as airlines retrench and figure out how to move forward. Nevertheless, as one of two major global commercial aircraft manufacturers, Boeing should rebound as long as people don’t give up on air travel for good.
2. Goldman Sachs
Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) has already given long-term investors a big reward for sticking with the investment banking giant over the past year. Although shares fell sharply at the beginning of the coronavirus crisis because of fears about massive unemployment causing major loan defaults and economic chaos, Goldman’s stock started hitting new all-time highs at the beginning of 2021 and has already risen 13% in less than six weeks.