UBS Group Reiterates “Buy” Rating for United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL)

UBS Group reiterated their buy rating on shares of United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) in a research note released on Tuesday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. UBS Group currently has a $139.00 price target on the transportation company’s stock.

A number of other equities analysts have also weighed in on UAL. Barclays lifted their price objective on United Airlines from $75.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Susquehanna boosted their price target on United Airlines from $70.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on United Airlines from $75.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of United Airlines from $80.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of United Airlines from $100.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $96.15.

United Airlines Stock Up 0.5 %

UAL stock opened at $96.83 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $31.85 billion, a PE ratio of 11.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 1.39. United Airlines has a 52 week low of $37.02 and a 52 week high of $101.60. 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 of $75.84 and a 200 day moving average of $57.42.

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The transportation company reported $3.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 business posted $3.65 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that United Airlines will post 10.23 earnings per share for the current year.

United Airlines declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, October 15th that permits the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the transportation company to purchase up to 7.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other United Airlines news, EVP Torbjorn J. Enqvist sold 14,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.00, for a total transaction of $1,044,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 30,427 shares in the company, valued at $2,190,744. This represents a 32.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Linda P. Jojo sold 60,000 shares of United Airlines stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.12, for a total value of $5,707,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 63,599 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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. Insiders sold a total of 92,000 shares of company stock valued at $8,158,900 over the last quarter. 0.63% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Global Trust Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in United Airlines during the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new position in shares of United Airlines in the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of United Airlines during the third quarter worth about $36,000. UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in shares of United Airlines by 59.7% during the second quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 682 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 255 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in United Airlines by 108.6% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 753 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 392 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.69% of the company’s stock.

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.