The Boeing Company (BA) towed the first 747-8 Freighter model out of its factory in Everett. The long-awaited freighter is now being put up for test flights. The 747-8 Freighter is the new high-capacity 747 that will give cargo operators the lowest operating costs and best economics of any freighter airplane while providing enhanced environmental performance. It is 250 feet, 2 inches (76.3 m) long, which is 18 feet and 4 inches (5.6 m) longer than the 747-400 series Freighter. The stretch provides customers with 16% more revenue cargo volume compared to its predecessor. That translates to four additional main-deck pallets and three additional lower-hold pallets. Boeing to date has secured 105 orders for the 747-8 series aircrafts, 78 of which are orders for the freighter variant. The rest orders are for the passenger variant. The 747-8 Freighter series will boost the commercial aircraft segment of ...

For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – October 22, 2009 – Zacks Equity Research highlights Gentiva Health Services, Inc. (GTIV) as the Bull of the Day and MetroPCS (PCS) the Bear of the Day. In addition, Zacks Equity Research provides analysis on Yahoo! Inc. (YHOO), Google (GOOG) and Boeing Company (BA).

Full analysis of all these stocks is available at http://at.zacks.com/?id=2676

Here is a synopsis of all five stocks:

Bull of the Day:

Gentiva Health Services, Inc. (GTIV) has scheduled its third quarter earnings call for October 29th, one week from today. Gentiva reported a second-quarter net income of 59 cents per share which was much higher than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 45 cents.

The company boasts of a diversified product portfolio. Its product offerings include home health, hospice, respiratory therapies and home medical equipment. Gentiva serves nearly 500,000 patients annually

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The Boeing Company (BA) has posted a third quarter loss of $1.6 million or $2.23 per diluted share, worse than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of a loss of $2.12 per share. Last year, the company reported a net income of $695 million or 96 cents per share. Earnings in the quarter were affected due to reclassification to research and development of costs for the first three 787-series test airplanes incurred in July ($2.46 per share) as well as in August and September (14 cents per share). The company also digested a charge of 99 cents per share from the delay in producing a new version of the 747-8 series freighter jet leading to late design changes. On the other hand, revenues rose 9% to $16.7 billion from $15.3 billion in the year-ago period. The upside came from increased military aircraft deliveries and higher volume in services ...

The Boeing Company (BA) yesterday announced that it will record a $1 billion charge in the third quarter of fiscal 2009. The company attributed the charge from a delay in producing a new version of the 747-8 series freighter jet, leading to slow sales and late design changes. The aircraft competes with Airbus' A380 series aircraft. The goliath of commercial aerospace, Boeing has witnessed falling orders for its commercial planes in the recent times on account of tepid demand for air travel and cargo services. Already, a slew of commercial airlines have cancelled or deferred their fleet additions. Boeing has cut costs, reduced workforce and scaled back production of some aircrafts to cope with the changing market dynamics.   The $1 billion charge includes $640 million for higher estimated production costs consisting of late engineering design changes. This is besides the $360 million stemming from Boeing's decision ...

• Boeing (NYSE:BA) announced it will take a third quarter charge of $1 billion due to higher production costs and difficult market conditions for its 747-8 program. The firm will also delay, until 2010, the initial flight of its 747-8 jumbo freighter

• Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) released its new mobile-phone software to take on Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPhone

• Amazon.com (NYSE:AMZN) announced the company will begin selling an international version of its e-reader in over 100 countries. The firm also lowered the price of

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Reality Checks In at BoeingApril 10, 2009 was not a "Good Friday" for The Boeing Company (BA), as it culminated a spate of bad news!First, the Company announced that its net orders for the first quarter of '09 totaled a negative 4 shipsets, as previous orders for 32 787s had been cancelled, which more than offset the 28 orders it had received for other models.Then it was learned that Defense Secretary Gates appears to be intent on terminating a number of programs, including the Army's Future Combat Systems program - for which Boeing is the prime contractor - and the Air Force's F-22 Raptor - for which Boeing is an associate contractor.Subsequently, Boeing announced that it will adjust production at its Everett facility, with the 777 declining from 7 aircraft per month to 5, while 747-8 and 767 rates will ...