American Airlines Group Inc (AAL) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

American Airlines Group Inc (NASDAQ:AAL) was the target of a large growth in short interest in March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 31,839,823 shares, a growth of 13.9% from the February 28th total of 27,964,304 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 8,527,377 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.7 days. Currently, 6.4% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Shares of American Airlines Group (NASDAQ:AAL) traded down 0.15% during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $45.15. 5,535,986 shares of the stock were exchanged. The firm has a market cap of $22.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.39 and a beta of 0.93. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $42.85 and a 200 day moving average price of $44.31. American Airlines Group has a 52-week low of $24.85 and a 52-week high of $50.64.

American Airlines Group (NASDAQ:AAL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 27th. The airline reported $0.92 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $0.92. American Airlines Group had a return on equity of 86.54% and a net margin of 6.66%. The firm had revenue of $9.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.74 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.00 earnings per share. American Airlines Group’s quarterly revenue was up 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that American Airlines Group will post $4.63 earnings per share for the current year.

In related news, Director Ray M. Robinson sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.22, for a total transaction of $361,760.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 35,077 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,586,181.94. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Maya Leibman sold 9,455 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.79, for a total transaction of $442,399.45. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 165,884 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,761,712.36. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders acquired a total of 23,500 shares of company stock worth $17,025 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.64% of the company’s stock.

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Boulegeris Investments Inc. raised its position in shares of American Airlines Group by 9.8% in the third quarter. Boulegeris Investments Inc. now owns 38,345 shares of the airline’s stock worth $1,404,000 after buying an additional 3,437 shares in the last quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System raised its position in shares of American Airlines Group by 1.0% in the third quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 1,512,700 shares of the airline’s stock worth $55,380,000 after buying an additional 14,800 shares in the last quarter. Alpha Cubed Investments LLC raised its position in shares of American Airlines Group by 1.3% in the third quarter. Alpha Cubed Investments LLC now owns 79,397 shares of the airline’s stock worth $2,907,000 after buying an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. Kwmg LLC raised its stake in American Airlines Group by 9.5% in the third quarter. Kwmg LLC now owns 34,093 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $1,248,000 after buying an additional 2,951 shares during the period. Finally, Cribstone Capital Management LLC raised its stake in American Airlines Group by 7.2% in the third quarter. Cribstone Capital Management LLC now owns 4,105 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $161,000 after buying an additional 275 shares during the period. 76.78% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Cowen and Company reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of American Airlines Group in a report on Friday, April 14th. Vetr lowered shares of American Airlines Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $46.04 price target on the stock. in a report on Wednesday. Zacks Investment Research lowered shares of American Airlines Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 1st. Deutsche Bank AG reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $55.00 price target on shares of American Airlines Group in a report on Tuesday, January 31st. Finally, Imperial Capital raised their price target on shares of American Airlines Group from $51.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 31st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. American Airlines Group presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $45.90.

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American Airlines Group Company Profile

American Airlines Group Inc is a holding company. The Company’s primary business activity is the operation of a network air carrier, providing scheduled air transportation for passengers and cargo. The Company operates through American segment, which provides air transportation for passengers and cargo.