United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Citigroup Analyst Says

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) had its price target raised by Citigroup from $98.00 to $122.00 in a research note released on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the transportation company’s stock.

Several other research firms also recently commented on UAL. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $119.00 target price on shares of United Airlines in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price on shares of United Airlines from $68.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $139.00 target price on shares of United Airlines in a research report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of United Airlines from $80.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on shares of United Airlines from $75.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $96.15.

United Airlines Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of United Airlines stock opened at $96.35 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $31.69 billion, a PE ratio of 11.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.39. 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 firm’s 50 day moving average is $74.95 and its 200 day moving average is $57.13. United Airlines has a 1 year low of $37.02 and a 1 year high of $101.60.

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The transportation company reported $3.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.10 by $0.23. The company had revenue of $14.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.76 billion. United Airlines had a net margin of 4.94% and a return on equity of 30.72%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.65 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that United Airlines will post 10.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Airlines declared that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Tuesday, October 15th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the transportation company to buy up to 7.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity at United Airlines

In related news, EVP Torbjorn J. Enqvist sold 14,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.00, for a total transaction of $1,044,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 30,427 shares in the company, valued at $2,190,744. The trade was a 32.27 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Linda P. Jojo sold 60,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 63,599 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,049,536.88. This trade represents a 48.54 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 92,000 shares of company stock worth $8,158,900 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.63% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of United Airlines

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in United Airlines by 214.7% during the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in United Airlines during the 3rd quarter valued at $129,000. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of 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 worth $477,526,000 after acquiring an additional 168,498 shares in the last quarter. MidWestOne Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of United Airlines by 28.0% in the 3rd quarter. MidWestOne Financial Group Inc. now owns 53,704 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $3,064,000 after acquiring an additional 11,743 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its stake in shares of United Airlines by 24.0% in the 3rd quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 5,165 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $295,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 69.69% of the company’s stock.

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.