Winch Advisory Services LLC Takes $38,000 Position in United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:UAL)

Winch Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in shares of United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:UAL) during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor bought 393 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $38,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of United Airlines by 0.8% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 10,320,253 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $588,874,000 after purchasing an additional 78,470 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in United Airlines by 41.2% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,112,583 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $177,604,000 after buying an additional 908,558 shares during the period. MidWestOne Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of United Airlines by 28.0% in the third quarter. MidWestOne Financial Group Inc. now owns 53,704 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $3,064,000 after acquiring an additional 11,743 shares in the last quarter. Aigen Investment Management LP increased its position in shares of United Airlines by 87.2% during the third quarter. Aigen Investment Management LP now owns 18,912 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,079,000 after acquiring an additional 8,808 shares during the period. Finally, Edgestream Partners L.P. raised its stake in shares of United Airlines by 293.6% in the third quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. now owns 50,122 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,860,000 after acquiring an additional 37,389 shares in the last quarter. 69.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Airlines Stock Performance

Shares of UAL stock opened at $104.99 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $96.57 and its 200 day moving average price is $68.16. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $34.53 billion, a PE ratio of 12.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 1.44. United Airlines Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week low of $37.02 and a 52-week high of $110.92.

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The transportation company reported $3.33 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.10 by $0.23. The firm had revenue of $14.84 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.76 billion. United Airlines had a return on equity of 30.72% and a net margin of 4.94%. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.65 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that United Airlines Holdings, Inc. will post 10.32 EPS for the current year.

United Airlines announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, October 15th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the transportation company to reacquire up to 7.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Kate Gebo sold 17,500 shares of the company’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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 40,012 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,218,565.28. This represents a 30.43 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Linda P. Jojo sold 60,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.12, for a total value of $5,707,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.63% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have issued reports on UAL. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on United Airlines from $108.00 to $133.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. Dbs Bank raised shares of United Airlines from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Susquehanna boosted their price target on shares of United Airlines from $85.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Raymond James raised their price target on United Airlines from $90.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, December 30th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price objective on United Airlines from $98.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $106.45.

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.