Boeing to raise as much as $25 billion to shore up balance sheet

Boeing said Tuesday that it could raise as much as $25 billion in shares or debt over three years, a move to increase liquidity as the troubled manufacturer faces a more than monthlong machinist strike and problems throughout its aircraft programs.

“This universal shelf registration provides flexibility for the company to seek a variety of capital options as needed to support the company’s balance sheet over a three year period,” Boeing said in a statement.

Earlier, Boeing separately said in a filing that it has an agreement with a consortium of banks for a $10 billion credit agreement.

“The credit facility provides additional short term access to liquidity as we navigate through a challenging environment,” the company said in a statement. “The company has not drawn on this facility or its existing credit revolver.”

Boeing shares are down nearly 43% this year through Monday’s close.

Boeing is trying to shore up its balance sheet as it faces warnings from credit ratings agencies that it could lose its investment-grade rating.

S&P Global Ratings, one of the agencies that warned about a downgrade, last week estimated that the machinist strike is costing Boeing more than $1 billion a month. The two sides have been at an impasse.

On Friday, Boeing’s new CEO, Kelly Ortberg, warned that the company plans to lay off about 17,000 employees, or 10% of its global workforce to cut costs.

“We need to be clear-eyed about the work we face and realistic about the time it will take to achieve key milestones on the path to recovery,” he said, adding that Boeing needs to focus resources on “areas that are core to who we are.”

The announcement came alongside preliminary financial results, showing mounting losses and $5 billion in charges in Boeing’s defense and commercial airplane units.

On Oct. 23, Ortberg will hold his first quarterly investor call since becoming Boeing’s CEO in August.