United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:UAL) Given Average Recommendation of “Buy” by Analysts

United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:UAL) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Buy” by the eighteen brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation and two have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $107.70.

UAL has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Bank of America raised their target price on United Airlines from $70.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Melius Research raised shares of United Airlines to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 2nd. Susquehanna increased their target price on United Airlines from $85.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on United Airlines from $100.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price target on United Airlines from $139.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th.

United Airlines Stock Down 4.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ:UAL opened at $103.00 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $33.87 billion, a PE ratio of 10.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 1.44. United Airlines has a 1 year low of $37.02 and a 1 year high of $116.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.72. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $98.88 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $70.51.

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) last posted 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 net margin of 5.52% and a return on equity of 34.03%. The business had revenue of $14.70 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.40 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.00 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that United Airlines will post 12.56 earnings per share for the current year.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at United Airlines

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

Institutional Trading of United Airlines

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Winch Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Airlines in the 4th quarter worth about $38,000. Global Trust Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in United Airlines in the third quarter worth about $29,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new position in shares of United Airlines in the second quarter worth approximately $30,000. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of United Airlines during the third quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its position in shares of United Airlines by 25.0% during the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 710 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $69,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. 69.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.