BA vs AIRBUS Stock Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
Boeing and Airbus are the only two manufacturers of large commercial jets in the world — a true duopoly. Both are production-constrained (orders exceed their ability to deliver), but Airbus has been executing much better while Boeing works through manufacturing quality reforms. Airbus has been gaining market share, delivering more planes annually, and maintaining production ramp targets more reliably. Boeing is working through significant quality, safety, and financial challenges while the aviation industry grows strongly post-pandemic.
BA vs AIRBUS is Boeing navigating the most severe manufacturing quality and financial crisis in its history while maintaining a large backlog and defense business (Boeing) versus Airbus gaining commercial market share with A320neo dominance and more reliable production execution (Airbus) — aviation duopoly at very different execution quality levels.
EADSY holds the edge across 3 of 5 key metrics in this comparison. EADSY leads on both 1-year return (-0.11%) and forward P/E quality (23.64x vs 51.45x for BA), a relatively favorable combination of momentum and valuation. EADSY leads on both revenue growth (27.70%) and operating margin (11.36%), suggesting a stronger fundamental setup on both dimensions. Analyst consensus implies meaningfully more upside for BA (+30.60%) than for EADSY (+11.52%).
Human Wall Street analysts' price targets, typically implying a ~12-month view — a separate signal from this site's own AI Prediction Signal further down the page, which is a 5-/30-day machine-learning forecast based on price history alone.
- prefer a potential turnaround in the world's second-largest commercial jet manufacturer if new CEO Kelly Ortberg's manufacturing reforms restore production quality and delivery ramp
- value Boeing's large defense business providing $25B+ government contract revenue during commercial aviation recovery
- want aviation duopoly exposure at potentially depressed valuation if Boeing's production quality improves and 737 MAX/787 ramp returns to target
- are comfortable with ongoing quality risk discoveries, significant debt from years of cash burn, and Airbus market share gains continuing in the near term
- prefer Airbus as the better-executing aviation duopoly member with A320neo dominance and more reliable production and delivery performance than Boeing
- value Airbus's 9,000+ aircraft commercial backlog providing multi-year revenue visibility as global aviation expands
- want aviation sector exposure with the company demonstrating superior manufacturing execution in the duopoly
- are comfortable with A320neo engine supply constraints limiting Airbus's production ramp, European ADR currency exposure, and commercial aviation cycle risks
| Metric | BA | EADSY |
|---|---|---|
| AI scorei | 42.0 | N/A |
| AI ranki | #975 | N/A |
| Latest closei | $198.20 | $55.50 |
| 1M returni | -10.80% | -8.33% |
| 6M returni | -1.48% | +22.24% |
| 1Y returni | -8.10% | -0.11% |
How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?
| Period | BA | EADSY |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | $9.19K (-8.1%) started 2025-09-18 | $10.18K (+1.8%) started 2025-09-18 |
| 5Y ago | $9.46K (-5.4%) started 2021-09-20 | $20.23K (+102.3%) started 2021-09-20 |
| 10Y ago | $18.44K (+84.4%) started 2016-09-19 | $53.96K (+439.6%) started 2016-09-19 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
| Metric | BA | EADSY |
|---|---|---|
| Market capi | $166.33B | $175.74B |
| Trailing P/Ei | 75.70 | 25.82 |
| Forward P/Ei | 51.45 | 23.64 |
| Price/Salesi | 2.29 | 2.28 |
| EV/Revenuei | 2.08 | 2.30 |
| Analyst targeti | $274.85 | $61.91 |
| Target upsidei | +30.60% | +11.52% |
| Metric | BA | EADSY |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growthi | 8.00% | 27.70% |
| Earnings growthi | N/A | 125.80% |
| EPS growthi | N/A | +125.80% |
| FCF margini | +5.98% | +4.06% |
| Operating margini | 0.00% | 11.36% |
| Profit margini | 2.59% | 7.71% |
| ROIC proxyi | 173.54% | 23.19% |
| Return on equityi | 173.54% | 23.19% |
| Dividend yieldi | N/A | 1.68% |
| Payout ratioi | 0.00% | 42.62% |
| Dividend growth streaki | No increase yet | 3 yrs |
| Betai | 1.21 | 0.88 |
| Debt/equityi | 790.88 | 54.99 |
| Current ratioi | 1.14 | 1.15 |
| Quick ratioi | 0.30 | 0.36 |
Over the past year, BA and EADSY have moved moderately in the same direction (correlation of 0.42), based on daily returns.
Lower drawdown and smaller single-period drops generally indicate a smoother ride, though they do not guarantee lower future risk.
| Period | Metric | BA | EADSY |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growthi | -8.10% | -0.11% |
| CAGRi | -8.10% | -0.11% | |
| Volatilityi | 33.70% | 30.85% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | -0.22 | 0.00 | |
| Sortino ratioi | -0.33 | 0.01 | |
| Max drawdowni | 24.96% | 29.47% | |
| Current drawdowni | 21.40% | 11.77% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 10.24% | 10.51% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 11.87% | 13.27% | |
| Max daily dropi | 6.32% | 6.74% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 11.32% | 8.67% | |
| 5Y | Growthi | -5.39% | +84.90% |
| CAGRi | -1.10% | +13.10% | |
| Volatilityi | 36.69% | 30.53% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 0.03 | 0.41 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 0.04 | 0.59 | |
| Max drawdowni | 50.29% | 36.70% | |
| Current drawdowni | 25.00% | 11.77% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 22.01% | 10.18% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 25.14% | 13.22% | |
| Max daily dropi | 10.47% | 9.35% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 21.19% | 20.98% | |
| 10Y | Growthi | +68.98% | +349.13% |
| CAGRi | +5.39% | +16.22% | |
| Volatilityi | 41.83% | 36.22% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 0.23 | 0.47 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 0.33 | 0.69 | |
| Max drawdowni | 77.92% | 64.74% | |
| Current drawdowni | 53.94% | 11.77% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 38.43% | 12.74% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 45.02% | 18.70% | |
| Max daily dropi | 23.85% | 22.55% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 46.26% | 42.93% |
| Category | BA | EADSY |
|---|---|---|
| Company | The Boeing Company | Airbus SE |
| Sector | Industrials | Industrials |
| Industry | Aerospace & Defense | Aerospace & Defense |
| Core business | Boeing is one of the world's two commercial jet manufacturers (alongside Airbus), producing the 737, 777, and 787 families. Boeing also operates a substantial defense, space, and security business (F-15, F/A-18, Apache helicopters, satellites). Boeing has faced severe operational challenges since the 737 MAX crashes (2018–2019) and subsequent production quality issues (2024 door plug blowout on Alaska Airlines 737-9). The company has been burning cash, losing commercial market share to Airbus, and undertaking significant manufacturing process reforms under new CEO Kelly Ortberg. | Airbus is the world's largest commercial aircraft manufacturer by deliveries, producing the A320 (narrow-body), A330 (wide-body), and A350 (advanced wide-body) families. Airbus has been consistently delivering more aircraft per year than Boeing since the 737 MAX grounding. Airbus's A320neo family is the best-selling commercial jet in history. Airbus also produces defense products (Eurofighter Typhoon, A400M military transport) and helicopters. Airbus stock (EADSY) trades in the US as an ADR. |
| Investor focus | Investors track 737 MAX and 787 production ramp rates (monthly deliveries), defense backlog, cash burn and debt levels, and whether Boeing can return to free cash flow positive as production quality improves. | Investors track annual delivery count (Airbus measures success by deliveries vs order targets), commercial backlog (9,000+ aircraft), A320neo production ramp rate, and H225M/H175 helicopter programs. |
- Commercial aviation duopoly — airlines globally have only two choices for mainline commercial jets at scale (Boeing and Airbus)
- 737 MAX backlog remains large — despite quality issues, airlines still need Boeing jets because Airbus is also production-constrained, keeping Boeing's order book substantial
- Defense business provides $25B+ of diversified government revenue independent of commercial aviation recovery timeline
- World's largest commercial jet delivery volume — Airbus has delivered more planes than Boeing for several consecutive years, demonstrating production reliability advantage
- A320neo family is the world's best-selling commercial aircraft with 9,000+ aircraft in backlog — providing revenue visibility for many years of production
- European and Asian airline relationships provide geographic customer diversification — Airbus has stronger positions in European, Asian, and Middle Eastern airline fleets vs Boeing's US dominance
- Quality and safety issues continue to be discovered in Boeing's manufacturing — the door plug blowout followed years of 737 MAX MCAS issues and 787 electrical problems
- Airbus has been gaining commercial market share — A320neo family has outsold 737 MAX for several years and A350 competes with 787
- Boeing's debt load from years of cash burn requires either increased deliveries, equity issuance, or asset sales — balance sheet repair is a multi-year process
- Airbus also faces production supply chain constraints — cannot ramp A320neo production as fast as it wants due to engine supplier (CFM/Pratt) and aerostructure supply bottlenecks
- CFM LEAP and Pratt GTF engine issues have delayed deliveries and created customer relations problems similar to Boeing's quality issues
- Defense business is smaller than Boeing's — Airbus is more concentrated in commercial aviation where cycles can significantly impact revenue
Want deeper AI forecasts?
This comparison page is public and free forever. Subscribers can unlock saved watchlists, full AI rankings, detailed forecasts, and interactive analysis tools.
Full valuation workup with AI Score, Monte Carlo forecast, and bull/bear case — free preview, premium data from $3.99.