MetLife Investment Management LLC Boosts Position in United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:UAL)

MetLife Investment Management LLC grew its position in United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:UAL) by 1.8% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 87,017 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,542 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC’s holdings in United Airlines were worth $8,449,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in UAL. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in United Airlines during the 3rd quarter valued at about $129,000. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in shares of United Airlines by 214.7% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 202,552 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $11,558,000 after purchasing an additional 138,191 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of United Airlines by 3.2% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 378,214 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $21,581,000 after purchasing an additional 11,601 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in shares of United Airlines by 98.4% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,345 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $131,000 after purchasing an additional 667 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in United Airlines by 23.5% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,922 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $478,000 after buying an additional 937 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.69% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UAL has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on United Airlines from $154.00 to $80.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Raymond James downgraded shares of United Airlines from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of United Airlines from $140.00 to $94.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of United Airlines from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Bank of America lowered their target price on shares of United Airlines from $110.00 to $100.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $101.95.

United Airlines Price Performance

United Airlines stock opened at $65.30 on Tuesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $78.36 and a 200-day moving average of $87.81. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99. United Airlines Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week low of $37.02 and a 52-week high of $116.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.92, a PEG ratio of 0.67 and a beta of 1.19.

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 15th. The transportation company reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.75 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $13.21 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.47 billion. United Airlines had a return on equity of 32.26% and a net margin of 5.52%. As a group, analysts predict that United Airlines Holdings, Inc. will post 12.96 EPS for the current year.

United Airlines 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.