Boeing investors have more 737 MAX issues to worry about. Wall Street doesn't seem concerned yet.
Monday, the Federal Aviation Administration said a recently discovered software glitch, which can impact landing procedures, will delay Federal Aviation Administration certification of the 737 MAX 10.
The MAX 10 is the longest version of the MAX. Boeing has more than 1,500 orders for the 10.
"The aircraft [flying today] are safe," said FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford at a press conference on Monday, adding the glitch doesn't take away control from the pilots. The 737 MAX was grounded worldwide for almost two years after deadly crashes that were linked to faulty flight control software. In those instances, the computer essentially took control away from the pilots.
Still, "we haven't concluded whether this is a safety-of-flight issue or not," said Bedford. "But we will be delaying the 10 until we're satisfied that we don't have an issue here."
Seaport analyst Richard Safran believes the FAA will decide the glitch isn't a flight safety issue and that the MAX 10 certification will be delayed by weeks. Still, he isn't sure, leaving investors uncomfortable for some time. Safran rates Boeing stock Buy and has a $285 price target.
Certification delays are simply not what investors want. Boeing's commercial airplane business has been bogged down for years amid certification delays, supply-chain issues, Covid, production quality problems, and trade conflict. Boeing delivered 600 jets in 2025, the company's best year since 2018, the year before the second tragic MAX crash, when it delivered more than 800 planes.
Investors expect production to rise in the coming years. By 2028, Wall Street projects 830 jets delivered, generating almost $10 billion in free cash flow. Any delays that push back the delivery and free cash flow recovery can impact Boeing stock.
Short term delays are manageable, says BofA analyst Ron Epstein. The glitch clearly isn't positive, but it's a much smaller issue that prior issues, he adds. Epstein rates shares Buy and has a $270 price target for the stock.
Shares were up 0.3% at $185 in premarket trading on Tuesday after dropping &% on Monday, while S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average futures were flat.
MAX 10 certification delays aren't good news, but after Monday's decline it may be reflected in the stock.