United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) Updates Q1 Earnings Guidance

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) updated its first quarter earnings guidance on Tuesday. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of $0.75-1.25 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of $0.53. United Airlines also updated its FY 2025 guidance to 11.500-13.500 EPS.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UAL has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of United Airlines from $75.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of United Airlines from $88.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Bank of America upped their price objective on United Airlines from $70.00 to $84.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of United Airlines from $108.00 to $133.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $119.00 price target on shares of United Airlines in a research report on Friday, November 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, United Airlines currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $106.45.

United Airlines Stock Up 2.9 %

Shares of NASDAQ:UAL opened at $110.52 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $36.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.33, a P/E/G ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 1.44. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $98.09 and a 200 day simple moving average of $69.80. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95. United Airlines has a 12-month low of $37.02 and a 12-month high of $110.92.

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 21st. The transportation company reported $3.26 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.96 by $0.30. The company had revenue of $14.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.40 billion. United Airlines had a net margin of 4.94% and a return on equity of 30.72%. United Airlines’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.00 earnings per share. Analysts predict that United Airlines will post 10.34 earnings per share for the current year.

United Airlines declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, October 15th that allows the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the transportation company to repurchase up to 7.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Kate Gebo sold 17,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 1st. The stock was 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 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 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. 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.