United Airlines Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NASDAQ:UAL)

United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:UAL) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Wednesday. Investors bought 60,192 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 33% compared to the typical volume of 45,163 call options.

United Airlines Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of NASDAQ UAL traded up $0.39 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $54.02. 3,617,827 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 8,468,218. United Airlines has a 1 year low of $33.68 and a 1 year high of $56.17. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $45.27 and a 200-day moving average price of $47.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.63, a P/E/G ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.07.

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 17th. The transportation company reported $4.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.97 by $0.17. United Airlines had a net margin of 5.28% and a return on equity of 33.90%. The company had revenue of $14.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.04 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $5.03 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that United Airlines will post 9.73 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of United Airlines

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in UAL. BNP Paribas acquired a new position in shares of United Airlines during the 1st quarter valued at $25,000. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Airlines during the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new position in shares of United Airlines during the 2nd quarter valued at $30,000. Crewe Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Airlines during the 1st quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in shares of United Airlines by 59.7% during the 2nd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 682 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 255 shares in the last quarter. 69.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UAL has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of United Airlines from $80.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 29th. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of United Airlines from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $54.00 to $65.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 29th. Redburn Atlantic raised shares of United Airlines from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $70.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Thursday, June 6th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of United Airlines from $65.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $71.68.

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.