JPMorgan Chase & Co. Issues Positive Forecast for United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) Stock Price

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) had its price target raised by equities researchers at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $108.00 to $133.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “overweight” rating on the transportation company’s stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s price target suggests a potential upside of 28.23% from the company’s previous close.

UAL has been the topic of a number of other reports. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of United Airlines from $139.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Dbs Bank raised shares of United Airlines from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $119.00 price objective on shares of United Airlines in a report on Friday, November 15th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on United Airlines from $88.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Raymond James increased their price target on United Airlines from $90.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, December 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $106.45.

United Airlines Trading Up 2.5 %

United Airlines stock opened at $103.72 on Thursday. United Airlines has a 52-week low of $37.02 and a 52-week high of $105.09. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.51, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.44. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $94.42 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $66.42.

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 15th. The transportation company reported $3.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.10 by $0.23. United Airlines had a return on equity of 30.72% and a net margin of 4.94%. The business had revenue of $14.84 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.76 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.65 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that United Airlines will post 10.27 earnings per share for the current year.

United Airlines announced that its board has approved a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, October 15th that permits the company to buyback $1.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the transportation company to purchase up to 7.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Torbjorn J. Enqvist sold 14,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.00, for a total value of $1,044,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 30,427 shares in the company, valued at $2,190,744. This represents a 32.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Kate Gebo sold 17,500 shares of United Airlines stock in a transaction on Friday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.44, for a total value of $1,407,700.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 40,012 shares in the company, valued at $3,218,565.28. This represents a 30.43 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 92,000 shares of company stock worth $8,158,900 over the last ninety days. 0.63% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of United Airlines

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. State Street Corp boosted its stake in shares of United Airlines by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 10,320,253 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $588,874,000 after buying an additional 78,470 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in United Airlines by 41.2% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,112,583 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $177,604,000 after purchasing an additional 908,558 shares during the last quarter. MidWestOne Financial Group Inc. grew its stake 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 in the last quarter. Aigen Investment Management LP increased its position in United Airlines by 87.2% in the 3rd quarter. Aigen Investment Management LP now owns 18,912 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,079,000 after purchasing an additional 8,808 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Edgestream Partners L.P. raised its stake in shares of United Airlines by 293.6% during the 3rd quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. now owns 50,122 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,860,000 after purchasing an additional 37,389 shares in the last quarter. 69.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About United Airlines

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.