United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:UAL) Given Average Rating of “Buy” by Brokerages

United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:UAL) has earned an average recommendation of “Buy” from the eighteen research firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $110.20.

A number of analysts have recently commented on UAL shares. UBS Group lifted their target price on United Airlines from $139.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on United Airlines from $108.00 to $133.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. Susquehanna increased their price objective on United Airlines from $85.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Melius Research raised shares of United Airlines to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of United Airlines from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other United Airlines news, EVP Linda P. Jojo sold 60,000 shares of the business’s 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 directly owns 63,599 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,049,536.88. The trade was a 48.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Kate Gebo sold 17,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.44, for a total value of $1,407,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 40,012 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,218,565.28. This represents a 30.43 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.63% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Airlines

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UAL. Global Trust Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in United Airlines during the third quarter worth about $29,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new position in shares of United Airlines during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. purchased a new stake in United Airlines in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in United Airlines during the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in United Airlines by 108.6% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 753 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 392 shares in the last quarter. 69.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Airlines Stock Performance

Shares of UAL opened at $105.00 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $34.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.44. United Airlines has a 52-week low of $37.02 and a 52-week high of $116.00. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $99.39 and a 200 day moving average price of $71.14.

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, January 21st. The transportation company reported $3.26 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.96 by $0.30. United Airlines had a net margin of 5.52% and a return on equity of 32.26%. The firm had revenue of $14.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.40 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.00 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that United Airlines will post 12.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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

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.