Boeing Co. earnings per share increased by 24 percent in the first quarter despite battery problems with its new 787 Dreamliner and the federal budget sequester which trimmed military spending.
Those earnings, which excluded certain variable pension expenses, were $1.73 a share, well above the $1.49 per share that was the consensus prediction by Wall Street analysts. Boeing shares, which closed Tuesday at $88.18 a share, surged above $90 a share in pre-opening trading this morning.
Boeing compensated for the freeze in Dreamliner deliveries in part with increased production and deliveries of its two biggest cash cows, the 777 and …