United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) Earns Buy Rating from UBS Group

UBS Group reaffirmed their buy rating on shares of United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) in a research report report published on Tuesday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. They currently have a $139.00 target price on the transportation company’s stock.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price objective on shares of United Airlines from $68.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Susquehanna increased their price target on shares of United Airlines from $70.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $119.00 price objective on shares of United Airlines in a report on Friday, November 15th. Bank of America raised their price target on United Airlines from $70.00 to $84.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on shares of United Airlines from $75.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $96.15.

United Airlines Stock Up 0.5 %

UAL stock opened at $96.83 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95. The company’s 50 day moving average is $75.84 and its two-hundred day moving average is $57.42. The stock has a market cap of $31.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.68, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 1.39. United Airlines has a twelve month low of $37.02 and a twelve month high of $101.60.

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The transportation company reported $3.33 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.10 by $0.23. United Airlines had a net margin of 4.94% and a return on equity of 30.72%. The firm had revenue of $14.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.76 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.65 EPS. Research analysts expect that United Airlines will post 10.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Airlines declared that its board has authorized a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, October 15th that permits the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the transportation company to reacquire up to 7.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity

In other United Airlines news, EVP Kate Gebo sold 17,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.44, for a total value of $1,407,700.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 40,012 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,218,565.28. This trade represents a 30.43 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Linda P. Jojo sold 60,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.12, for a total transaction of $5,707,200.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 63,599 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,049,536.88. This represents a 48.54 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 92,000 shares of company stock valued at $8,158,900 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.63% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Airlines

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UAL. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in United Airlines by 214.7% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 202,552 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $11,558,000 after buying an additional 138,191 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in shares of United Airlines during the 3rd quarter valued at $129,000. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in United Airlines by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,311,220 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $477,526,000 after purchasing an additional 168,498 shares in the last quarter. MidWestOne Financial Group Inc. raised its position in United Airlines by 28.0% in the third quarter. MidWestOne Financial Group Inc. now owns 53,704 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $3,064,000 after purchasing an additional 11,743 shares during the period. Finally, Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of United Airlines by 24.0% during the third quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 5,165 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $295,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. 69.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Airlines Company Profile

United Airlines Holdings, Inc, through its subsidiaries, provides air transportation services in North America, Asia, Europe, Africa, the Pacific, the Middle East, and Latin America. The company transports people and cargo through its mainline and regional fleets. It also offers catering, ground handling, flight academy, and maintenance services for third parties.