United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) Given New $133.00 Price Target at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) had its target price hoisted by research analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $108.00 to $133.00 in a report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “overweight” rating on the transportation company’s stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s price target would indicate a potential upside of 24.17% from the company’s current price.

A number of other research analysts also recently issued reports on UAL. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of United Airlines from $139.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Barclays raised their target price on shares of United Airlines from $75.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Dbs Bank raised United Airlines from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Citigroup raised their price target on United Airlines from $98.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, Melius Research upgraded United Airlines to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, United Airlines presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $106.45.

United Airlines Stock Up 3.3 %

NASDAQ:UAL opened at $107.11 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $95.47 and a 200 day simple moving average of $67.08. United Airlines has a one year low of $37.02 and a one year high of $110.92. The company has a market capitalization of $35.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.44. 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 (NASDAQ:UAL) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The transportation company reported $3.33 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.10 by $0.23. The company had revenue of $14.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.76 billion. United Airlines had a return on equity of 30.72% and a net margin of 4.94%. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.65 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that United Airlines will post 10.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Airlines announced that its board has approved a share buyback program on Tuesday, October 15th that permits the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the transportation company to reacquire up to 7.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Kate Gebo sold 17,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.44, for a total transaction of $1,407,700.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 40,012 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,218,565.28. The trade was a 30.43 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Torbjorn J. Enqvist sold 14,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.00, for a total value 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 92,000 shares of company stock worth $8,158,900 over the last 90 days. 0.63% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of United Airlines

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Global Trust Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Airlines during the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new stake in United Airlines during the 2nd quarter valued at $30,000. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of United Airlines in the third quarter valued at $36,000. Quest Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of United Airlines by 3,504.8% in the second quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 757 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 736 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in shares of United Airlines by 108.6% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 753 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 392 shares in the last quarter. 69.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.