First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. Has $448,000 Stock Holdings in United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:UAL)

First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. grew its position in United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:UAL) by 11.7% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 7,844 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 821 shares during the period. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P.’s holdings in United Airlines were worth $448,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. BNP Paribas purchased a new stake in United Airlines in the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Airlines during the first quarter worth approximately $27,000. Global Trust Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Airlines during the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new position in shares of United Airlines during the second quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Crewe Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of United Airlines in the first quarter worth approximately $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.69% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently weighed in on UAL. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of United Airlines from $75.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Barclays lifted their price target on United Airlines from $66.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their target price on United Airlines from $68.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Bank of America boosted 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on United Airlines from $80.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $78.94.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Torbjorn J. Enqvist sold 14,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.00, for a total transaction of $1,044,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 30,427 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,190,744. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.63% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

United Airlines Trading Up 2.8 %

United Airlines stock opened at $80.46 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $58.30 and a two-hundred day moving average of $52.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 0.79. United Airlines Holdings, Inc. has a one year low of $35.24 and a one year high of $81.35. The stock has a market cap of $26.46 billion, a PE ratio of 9.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 1.39.

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The transportation company reported $3.33 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.10 by $0.23. The company had revenue of $14.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.76 billion. United Airlines had a return on equity of 30.72% and a net margin of 4.94%. During the same period last year, the business earned $3.65 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that United Airlines Holdings, Inc. will post 10.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Airlines declared that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Tuesday, October 15th that allows the company to buyback $1.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the transportation company to purchase up to 7.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

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.