Morgan Stanley Issues Positive Forecast for United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) Stock Price

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) had its price objective upped by Morgan Stanley from $88.00 to $130.00 in a report published on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an overweight rating on the transportation company’s stock.

UAL has been the topic of several other research reports. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of United Airlines from $98.00 to $122.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of United Airlines from $75.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of United Airlines from $75.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. Melius Research upgraded shares of United Airlines to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $139.00 price target on shares of United Airlines in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $98.95.

United Airlines Stock Up 2.5 %

Shares of NASDAQ UAL opened at $98.96 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $81.80 and a 200 day moving average price of $59.67. United Airlines has a 52 week low of $37.02 and a 52 week high of $105.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 1.44.

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) last announced its quarterly 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. United Airlines had a return on equity of 30.72% and a net margin of 4.94%. The business had revenue of $14.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.76 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.65 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that United Airlines will post 10.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Airlines announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback program on Tuesday, October 15th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the transportation company to buy up to 7.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity at United Airlines

In other United Airlines news, EVP Linda P. Jojo sold 60,000 shares of United Airlines stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 63,599 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,049,536.88. The trade was a 48.54 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Torbjorn J. Enqvist sold 14,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.00, for a total value of $1,044,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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. In the last three months, insiders sold 92,000 shares of company stock valued at $8,158,900. Corporate insiders own 0.63% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of United Airlines

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Huntington National Bank lifted its holdings in shares of United Airlines by 10.8% during the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 1,321 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $75,000 after purchasing an additional 129 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its stake in United Airlines by 13.0% in the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,647 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $94,000 after acquiring an additional 189 shares in the last quarter. Commerce Bank boosted its position in United Airlines by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 17,620 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,005,000 after acquiring an additional 196 shares during the period. Cromwell Holdings LLC grew its stake in United Airlines by 31.4% during the 3rd quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 930 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $53,000 after acquiring an additional 222 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wahed Invest LLC increased its holdings in shares of United Airlines by 12.6% in the 3rd quarter. Wahed Invest LLC now owns 1,998 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $114,000 after purchasing an additional 223 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 69.69% of the company’s stock.

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.