Evercore ISI Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for American Airlines Group (NASDAQ:AAL) Stock

American Airlines Group (NASDAQ:AAL) had its price target upped by analysts at Evercore ISI to $18.00 in a report issued on Thursday, Stock Target Advisor reports. The firm presently has a “hold” rating on the airline’s stock. Evercore ISI’s price target indicates a potential downside of 2.07% from the company’s current price.

A number of other equities analysts have also commented on AAL. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of American Airlines Group from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $14.00 to $24.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. BNP Paribas raised shares of American Airlines Group to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, September 19th. Citigroup upped their price target on American Airlines Group from $19.00 to $23.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Raymond James upgraded shares of American Airlines Group from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $24.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 30th. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on American Airlines Group from $16.00 to $18.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, American Airlines Group currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $18.42.

American Airlines Group Stock Performance

Shares of American Airlines Group stock opened at $18.38 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $12.08 billion, a PE ratio of 55.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 1.35. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $15.87 and its 200-day simple moving average is $12.75. American Airlines Group has a 1 year low of $9.07 and a 1 year high of $18.45.

American Airlines Group (NASDAQ:AAL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The airline reported $0.30 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.16 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $13.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.50 billion. American Airlines Group had a net margin of 0.51% and a negative return on equity of 18.62%. American Airlines Group’s quarterly revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.38 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that American Airlines Group will post 1.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Airlines Group

In related news, CEO Robert D. Isom, Jr. sold 102,441 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, December 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.21, for a total value of $1,763,009.61. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 2,967,984 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $51,079,004.64. This trade represents a 3.34 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.49% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Airlines Group

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of AAL. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in American Airlines Group by 56.2% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,533 shares of the airline’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 911 shares in the last quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. increased its stake in American Airlines Group by 8.2% in the second quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 14,894 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $169,000 after acquiring an additional 1,126 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in American Airlines Group by 2.8% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 54,178 shares of the airline’s stock worth $614,000 after buying an additional 1,468 shares during the last quarter. Coastwise Capital Group LLC lifted its holdings in American Airlines Group by 5.3% in the third quarter. Coastwise Capital Group LLC now owns 37,840 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $425,000 after buying an additional 1,900 shares during the period. Finally, Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of American Airlines Group by 20.2% during the third quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 12,663 shares of the airline’s stock worth $142,000 after purchasing an additional 2,128 shares in the last quarter. 52.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About American Airlines Group

American Airlines Group Inc, through its subsidiaries, operates as a network air carrier. The company provides scheduled air transportation services for passengers and cargo through its hubs in Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, and Washington, DC, as well as through partner gateways in London, Doha, Madrid, Seattle/Tacoma, Sydney, and Tokyo.