Kovack Advisors Inc. Makes New $266,000 Investment in United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:UAL)

Kovack Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:UAL) during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor acquired 5,553 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $266,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in UAL. U S Global Investors Inc. increased its position in United Airlines by 31.9% in the 4th quarter. U S Global Investors Inc. now owns 4,159,899 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $171,637,000 after acquiring an additional 1,005,170 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in United Airlines in the 4th quarter valued at about $41,114,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in United Airlines by 24.4% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,143,202 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $170,974,000 after acquiring an additional 812,257 shares during the period. Pinebridge Investments L.P. increased its position in United Airlines by 219.0% in the 4th quarter. Pinebridge Investments L.P. now owns 600,684 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $24,784,000 after acquiring an additional 412,397 shares during the period. Finally, Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky increased its position in United Airlines by 1,301.2% in the 3rd quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 412,112 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $17,432,000 after acquiring an additional 382,700 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.69% of the company’s stock.

United Airlines Price Performance

UAL stock opened at $48.51 on Friday. United Airlines Holdings, Inc. has a 1 year low of $33.68 and a 1 year high of $58.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.52, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 0.75. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $51.69 and its 200 day moving average price is $46.31. The firm has a market cap of $15.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.00, a PEG ratio of 0.48 and a beta of 1.44.

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 16th. The transportation company reported ($0.15) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.53) by $0.38. United Airlines had a return on equity of 39.85% and a net margin of 4.90%. The firm had revenue of $12.54 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.43 billion. On average, sell-side analysts expect that United Airlines Holdings, Inc. will post 9.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on UAL shares. Citigroup boosted their price target on United Airlines from $80.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 29th. Susquehanna lifted their price objective on United Airlines from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Wolfe Research raised United Airlines from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $76.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Friday, May 17th. Jefferies Financial Group raised United Airlines from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $54.00 to $65.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 29th. Finally, UBS Group began coverage on United Airlines in a report on Wednesday, March 20th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $47.00 price objective on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, United Airlines has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $70.89.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Airlines

In other United Airlines news, EVP Kate Gebo sold 15,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.86, for a total value of $762,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 57,512 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,925,060.32. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.63% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.