United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) announced its earnings results on Tuesday. The transportation company reported $3.26 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.96 by $0.30, RTT News reports. United Airlines had a net margin of 4.94% and a return on equity of 30.72%. The firm had revenue of $14.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.40 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.00 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis.

United Airlines Price Performance

UAL stock traded up $3.14 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $110.52. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 12,159,494 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,407,966. 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 company’s fifty day moving average is $98.09 and its 200-day moving average is $69.80. The company has a market capitalization of $36.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 1.44. United Airlines has a 1 year low of $37.02 and a 1 year high of $110.92.

Insider Activity

In other United Airlines news, EVP Kate Gebo sold 17,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.44, for a total transaction of $1,407,700.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 40,012 shares in the company, valued at $3,218,565.28. This trade represents a 30.43 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Linda P. Jojo sold 60,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.12, for a total value of $5,707,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 63,599 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,049,536.88. This represents a 48.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.63% of the company’s stock.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently weighed in on UAL shares. UBS Group upped their price target on United Airlines from $139.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on United Airlines from $88.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $119.00 price target on shares of United Airlines in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of United Airlines from $70.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of United Airlines from $100.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $106.45.

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.