Empirical Finance LLC Sells 11,208 Shares of United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:UAL)

Empirical Finance LLC reduced its holdings in United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:UAL) by 50.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 10,920 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 11,208 shares during the period. Empirical Finance LLC’s holdings in United Airlines were worth $1,060,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Global Trust Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of United Airlines in the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. acquired a new position in United Airlines in the 3rd quarter worth $36,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Airlines during the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in shares of United Airlines by 108.6% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 753 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 392 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cromwell Holdings LLC grew its position in United Airlines by 31.4% in the third quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 930 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 222 shares in the last quarter. 69.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UAL has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Bank of America boosted their price target on United Airlines from $70.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of United Airlines from $139.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of United Airlines from $142.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on United Airlines from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised their target price on shares of United Airlines from $68.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $113.88.

United Airlines Trading Down 2.7 %

Shares of NASDAQ UAL opened at $106.08 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $34.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 1.43. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $101.87 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $75.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 0.81. United Airlines Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week low of $37.02 and a 52-week high of $116.00.

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 21st. The transportation company reported $3.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.96 by $0.30. United Airlines had a return on equity of 32.26% and a net margin of 5.52%. The company had revenue of $14.70 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.40 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.00 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that United Airlines Holdings, Inc. will post 13.09 EPS for the current year.

United Airlines declared that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Tuesday, October 15th that permits the company to buyback $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the transportation company to repurchase up to 7.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, 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 owns 63,599 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,049,536.88. This represents a 48.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.63% 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.