Versant Capital Management Inc Raises Stock Position in United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:UAL)

Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in shares of United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:UAL) by 98.4% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,345 shares of the transportation company’s stock after buying an additional 667 shares during the quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc’s holdings in United Airlines were worth $131,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Global Trust Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Airlines during the third quarter valued at about $29,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new position in shares of United Airlines in the second quarter worth $30,000. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of United Airlines during the third quarter valued at $36,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in shares of United Airlines by 108.6% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 753 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 392 shares during the period. Finally, Quest Partners LLC raised its stake in United Airlines by 3,504.8% in the 2nd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 757 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 736 shares during the last quarter. 69.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Airlines Stock Up 0.3 %

UAL opened at $95.67 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $31.46 billion, a PE ratio of 11.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.44. United Airlines Holdings, Inc. has a twelve month low of $37.02 and a twelve month high of $105.09. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $92.60 and a 200 day moving average price of $64.90. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95.

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The transportation company reported $3.33 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.10 by $0.23. The business had revenue of $14.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 in the prior year, the firm earned $3.65 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that United Airlines Holdings, Inc. will post 10.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Airlines declared that its board has approved a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, October 15th that allows the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the transportation company to buy up to 7.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UAL has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Barclays raised their price objective on United Airlines from $75.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of United Airlines from $98.00 to $122.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of United Airlines from $100.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Raymond James upped their price target on shares of United Airlines from $90.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, December 30th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on United Airlines from $75.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $102.28.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other United Airlines news, EVP Kate Gebo sold 17,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.44, for a total value of $1,407,700.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 40,012 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,218,565.28. The trade was a 30.43 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Torbjorn J. Enqvist sold 14,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 30,427 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,190,744. The trade was a 32.27 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 92,000 shares of company stock valued at $8,158,900 in the last 90 days. 0.63% of the stock is owned by insiders.

United Airlines 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.