United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:UAL) Receives Average Rating of “Buy” from Brokerages

United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:UAL) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Buy” by the seventeen analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation and two have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $98.95.

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on UAL. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of United Airlines from $88.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Melius Research raised United Airlines to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 2nd. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $139.00 target price on shares of United Airlines in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Barclays raised their price target on United Airlines from $75.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. Finally, Susquehanna boosted their price objective on shares of United Airlines from $70.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Torbjorn J. Enqvist sold 14,500 shares of the company’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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 30,427 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,190,744. This represents a 32.27 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Linda P. Jojo sold 60,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.12, for a total transaction of $5,707,200.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 63,599 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,049,536.88. The trade was a 48.54 % 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 worth $8,158,900. 0.63% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of United Airlines

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its holdings in shares of United Airlines by 217.4% during the 2nd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 675,919 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $32,890,000 after purchasing an additional 462,957 shares during the period. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. grew its stake in United Airlines by 41.9% during the second quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 53,227 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,590,000 after buying an additional 15,715 shares during the period. 1834 Investment Advisors Co. acquired a new stake in shares of United Airlines in the second quarter worth $212,000. HB Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Airlines in the 2nd quarter valued at $200,000. Finally, Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of United Airlines during the 2nd quarter valued at $104,000. 69.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Airlines Stock Up 1.7 %

United Airlines stock opened at $101.16 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $88.39 and its 200 day moving average price is $62.45. The company has a market cap of $33.27 billion, a PE ratio of 12.20, 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 current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.72. United Airlines has a 1-year low of $37.02 and a 1-year high of $105.09.

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The transportation company reported $3.33 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.10 by $0.23. United Airlines had a net margin of 4.94% and a return on equity of 30.72%. The business had revenue of $14.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.76 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.65 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that United Airlines will post 10.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Airlines declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, October 15th that permits the company to buyback $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the transportation company to reacquire up to 7.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

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.