Archer Aviation Is Buying Boeing's Wisk Aero, Insitu, and SkyGrid. What Does It Mean for Archer Aviation Stock?

Archer Aviation (NYSE: ACHR) is a pioneering player in the electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft space. The company is betting that it can scale eVTOL sales and services into a substantially profitable business over the long term, but it still has a lot of work to do before its operations are set up to generate reliable earnings. One piece of good news is that the company doesn't have to rely entirely on growing organically in order to achieve its goals.

Last month, Archer announced that it had entered into a deal to acquire Boeing's Wisk Aero, Insitu, and SkyGrid subsidiaries. The move immediately spurred a substantial jump for Archer's share price, but what will it mean for the company and its shareholders over the long term?

Image source: Archer Aviation.

Archer's latest acquisition push looks encouraging

Of the three units Archer acquired from Boeing, Wisk is the most clearly specialized in eVTOL aircraft. In the press release announcing the acquisitions, Archer describes Wisk as "the only company that has designed, built, and flown six generations of eVTOL aircraft, amassing 1,700+ flight tests." Meanwhile, SkyGrid is touted in the press release for its air-traffic management solution and its foundational potential for the future of automated airspace, and Insitu's pioneering role in the design and manufacturing of uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) is touted.

Archer is acquiring these units from Boeing in an all-stock deal. With the completion of the purchases, Boeing will receive newly created Archer stock that will give it a 16.5% stake in the company. In addition, Boeing will receive warrants that grant it the right to purchase up to $200 million in additional stock. With the Archer issuing so much new stock in order to fund the acquisitions, that means that there will be a substantially dilutive impact for current shareholders. On the other hand, it could wind up being well worth it.

While heavy dilution means that shareholders will see the percentage-based size of their stake in Archer reduced, having Boeing as a large stakeholder and active partner comes with a wide range of potential benefits. As part of the deal, the two companies will enter into a technology-sharing agreement. Boeing will also retain access to Wisk's autonomous flight software for defense and commercial projects, which has positive aspects for Archer because it should support the continued integration and evolution of the tech.

Archer is rapidly diversifying

Since going public in 2021 through a merger with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), Archer's growth story has primarily centered around the development, testing phases, and timeline for the commercial debut of its Midnight eVTOL aircraft. While Midnight is still important for Archer, the story surrounding the company and its stock has been changing rapidly through partnerships and acquisition moves.

As noted by Archer CEO Adam Goldstein in the press release announcing the purchases from Boeing, the acquisitions are "the next big step forward in becoming a diversified platform, rapidly growing our revenue base, and bringing scale" to the business. Insitu alone is generating over $200 million in annual revenue, operating in 35 different countries, and generating profits. With the acquisition of the business, Archer's sales profile will immediately get a substantial boost -- and its margin profile should see meaningful improvement.

The partnership with Boeing and integration of Insitu, SkyGrid, and Wisk should provide valuable infrastructure that has complementary impacts across the company's business. In addition to presenting growth opportunities in their own right and supporting the evolution of the Midnight eVTOL project, the units that will be integrated into Archer will likely also help support the hybrid VTOL Halo and Thunder crafts that it developed in conjunction with Anduril and its ZEE aviation AI software model.

Along with expanding its manufacturing partnership with Stellantis, Archer's diversification moves are better positioning the company for long-term viability. The company's chances of achieving profitability solely on the back of its Midnight eVTOL while having to handle scaling manufacturing to the point of even achieving positive gross margins always looked like a long shot, and relying more on partnerships and other avenues to growth in the aviation space is a smart move. Archer stock is still a high-risk play, but its bets on autonomous aerial technologies could pay off over the long term even if ramping for the commercial eVTOL market proceeds at a relatively slow pace.

Keith Noonan has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Boeing. The Motley Fool recommends Stellantis. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.