United Airlines’ (UAL) Buy Rating Reaffirmed at UBS Group

UBS Group restated their buy rating on shares of United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) in a research note released on Tuesday, MarketBeat.com reports. The firm currently has a $139.00 target price on the transportation company’s stock.

UAL has been the topic of a number of other reports. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their target price on United Airlines from $68.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of United Airlines from $75.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of United Airlines from $70.00 to $84.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Susquehanna lifted their price target on United Airlines from $70.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on United Airlines from $80.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $96.15.

United Airlines Trading Down 0.3 %

NASDAQ UAL opened at $96.51 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $31.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.64, a PEG ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.39. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $73.21 and its 200-day simple moving average is $56.57. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95. United Airlines has a 52 week low of $37.02 and a 52 week high of $101.60.

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 15th. The transportation company reported $3.33 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.10 by $0.23. The firm had revenue of $14.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.76 billion. United Airlines had a net margin of 4.94% and a return on equity of 30.72%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $3.65 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that United Airlines will post 10.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Airlines declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, October 15th that permits the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the transportation company to reacquire up to 7.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity

In other United Airlines news, EVP Linda P. Jojo sold 60,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 63,599 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,049,536.88. The trade was a 48.54 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Torbjorn J. Enqvist sold 14,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 30,427 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,190,744. This trade represents a 32.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 92,000 shares of company stock valued at $8,158,900. Insiders own 0.63% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Airlines

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Global Trust Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of United Airlines in the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new position in United Airlines during the second quarter worth about $30,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in United Airlines by 59.7% in 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 during the last quarter. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of United Airlines during the 3rd quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Quest Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of United Airlines by 3,504.8% in the 2nd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 757 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 736 shares during the last quarter. 69.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.