Wall Street Zen Downgrades United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) to Hold

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) was downgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday.

Several other research analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley set a $150.00 price objective on shares of United Airlines and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of United Airlines in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating on shares of United Airlines in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Rothschild & Co Redburn lowered their price target on United Airlines from $125.00 to $110.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Argus cut their price target on United Airlines from $140.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $133.86.

United Airlines Stock Up 0.1%

UAL opened at $86.60 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $108.05 and a 200-day moving average of $104.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $28.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.47, a P/E/G ratio of 0.44 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35. United Airlines has a 1-year low of $52.00 and a 1-year high of $119.21.

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, January 20th. The transportation company reported $3.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $15.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.35 billion. United Airlines had a net margin of 5.68% and a return on equity of 25.13%. United Airlines’s revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.26 earnings per share. United Airlines has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.000-1.500 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 12.000-14.000 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that United Airlines will post 12.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at United Airlines

In other news, President Brett J. Hart sold 19,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.45, for a total transaction of $2,022,550.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the president directly owned 264,638 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $28,170,715.10. This trade represents a 6.70% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.63% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of United Airlines by 1.0% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 37,330,017 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,972,589,000 after purchasing an additional 368,401 shares during the period. Sanders Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of United Airlines by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Sanders Capital LLC now owns 14,773,585 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,425,651,000 after buying an additional 258,670 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its stake in United Airlines by 4.4% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 11,571,093 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $921,406,000 after buying an additional 489,795 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in United Airlines by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 9,012,731 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,015,218,000 after buying an additional 68,565 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital World Investors grew its position in United Airlines by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 7,265,530 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $812,428,000 after acquiring an additional 22,464 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.69% of the company’s stock.

United Airlines News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting United Airlines this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Demand remains robust — United set a daily record for bookings, showing continued travel strength that supports revenue and load factors. United daily bookings record
• Positive Sentiment: Some analysts still see upside — high street price targets and “buy” calls (e.g., a $138.56 target highlighted by 247WallSt and Jefferies maintaining buy despite trimming targets) frame the recent sell‑off as a buying opportunity for longer‑term investors. Wall Street $138.56 price target
• Neutral Sentiment: Index/market context is mixed — S&P futures show a modest rebound amid macro moves, which may limit broad market downside for airline stocks but won’t offset sector‑specific fuel pressure. S&P futures and macro context
• Neutral Sentiment: Nasdaq attention on United’s routes could boost visibility, but it’s unlikely to move near‑term margins given rising costs. Nasdaq index attention
• Negative Sentiment: Oil surge and geopolitical risk (Iran war) are the dominant negative — jet fuel costs spiking toward $100/bbl is being priced into airline equities and threatens margins. Sector technical levels are breaking as investors reprice risk. Oil surge/cliff edge for airlines
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst cuts and downgrades—multiple firms trimmed price targets (Redburn to $110; Jefferies cut to $125) and at least one shop moved to “hold,” citing mounting fuel‑cost pressure, which adds downward pressure on the stock. Redburn PT cut to $110
• Negative Sentiment: Shares were volatile and recently fell faster than the market after the run of headlines about fuel and PT cuts; investors are weighing margin risk despite solid top‑line demand. Zacks on recent share decline
• Negative Sentiment: Higher airfares are showing up in consumer headlines; while demand holds, sticker shock and rising energy costs are expected to compress airline profits. Airfares and margin pressure

About United Airlines

United Airlines Holdings, Inc operates United Airlines, a major U.S. full-service passenger carrier providing scheduled air transportation for passengers and cargo. The company offers a comprehensive route network that covers domestic markets across the United States as well as extensive international service to Europe, Asia, Latin America, and the Pacific. United operates a mixed fleet of narrow- and wide-body aircraft on point-to-point and hub-and-spoke routes, and supports corporate and leisure travel through offerings such as premium cabins, basic economy, and ancillary services including baggage, seat selection and in-flight amenities.

In addition to passenger operations, United provides cargo services through United Cargo, handling freight, mail and specialized shipments.