Boeing has applied to the Federal government for a $60 billion bailout. The troubled aircraft manufacturer is in need of rescuing but has indulged in $54.9 billion of stock buybacks in support of its stock price.
Former UN ambassador and ex-South Carolina governor, Nikki Halley resigned from Boeing’s board, saying that she opposes federal support for Boeing. Smart political move. Public anger is growing.
Many corporations used stock buybacks to boost earnings per share after earnings growth slowed in 2014/15. Boeing was no exception.
The company had a reputation for engineering fine aircraft but in recent years that focus has shifted to financial engineering and cost-cutting to boost earnings per share. Free cash flow was squandered on stock buybacks, dividends and executive bonuses. No reserves were accumulated for a rainy day.
Well, a rainy day finally arrived in 2018. The Boeing 737 MAX airliner, which began service in 2017, was involved in two fatal accidents, Lion Air on October 29, 2018, and Ethiopian Airlines on March 10, 2019, caused by a malfunction of the aircraft’s new MCAS automated control system. The aircraft was grounded by airline authorities around the world and Boeing suspended production in December 2019. After a software bug was discovered in January, the return to service was delayed. Despite an outstanding issue over non-compliant wiring bundles the FAA has indicated that they expect the 737 Max to return to service in the second half of 2020.
The company had to raise almost $10 billion in bonds to help it weather the setback. CEO Dennis Muilenburg was ousted in late 2019 but still walked away with a golden parachute of up to $50 million.
A hit from the 2020 Coronavirus outbreak has put the company into difficulties, with the stock getting pounded. Boeing has been forced to apply for a government bailout.
The company is a strategic asset of the United States and should be protected.
But rewarding bad behavior would promote moral hazard on a wide scale. To give management and stockholders a free ride would encourage risk-taking by other companies — with the expectation that they will be bailed out if something goes wrong.
Support the company but hurt the stockholders
Management and existing stockholders need to feel the pain.
Offer support in the form of $60 billion of convertible bonds or preference shares, ranking behind creditors but ahead of stockholders. Conversion into ordinary shares should be in 10 years time but at the current stock price of $100. Stockholders and management awards will take a huge hit, while taxpayers can look forward to a sizeable gain when the company recovers.
Support should be non-voting (bonds or prefs) to keep political interference to a minimum.
Buybacks
Preventing future buybacks is a completely separate issue that should be addressed on a national basis and not by placing restrictions on individual companies. For the record, we are against buybacks because they can be used to artificially support stock prices. Companies that need to return capital to stockholders should declare a special dividend.
Avoid a Domino-effect
There are a string of companies lining up with bailout requests. It is important to put emotions aside and save those that are still viable businesses and not just strategic assets like Boeing. Millions of jobs are at stake. And disruption to credit markets could have a Lehman-like domino effect.
Just ensure that it is on terms that favor the taxpayer, so that stockholders will think twice about future profligacy.