Park Avenue Securities LLC Takes Position in United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:UAL)

Park Avenue Securities LLC purchased a new position in United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:UAL) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 5,781 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $561,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UAL. Global Trust Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of United Airlines in the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new position in United Airlines in the second quarter worth about $30,000. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. bought a new stake in United Airlines in the third quarter valued at about $36,000. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in United Airlines by 108.6% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 753 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 392 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cromwell Holdings LLC raised its stake in United Airlines by 31.4% during the third quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 930 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $53,000 after buying an additional 222 shares in the last quarter. 69.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UAL has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on United Airlines from $88.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of United Airlines from $139.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of United Airlines from $98.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $119.00 price target on shares of United Airlines in a report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price objective on shares of United Airlines from $68.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $106.45.

Insider Activity

In related 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 40,012 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,218,565.28. The trade was a 30.43 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Linda P. Jojo sold 60,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.12, for a total transaction of $5,707,200.00. Following the transaction, 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.63% of the company’s stock.

United Airlines Stock Performance

UAL opened at $107.97 on Thursday. United Airlines Holdings, Inc. has a 1-year low of $37.02 and a 1-year high of $116.00. The company has a market capitalization of $35.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 1.44. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $98.51 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $70.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.72.

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, January 21st. The transportation company reported $3.26 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.96 by $0.30. United Airlines had a return on equity of 30.72% and a net margin of 4.94%. The business had revenue of $14.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.40 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.00 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that United Airlines Holdings, Inc. will post 10.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Airlines announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, October 15th that allows the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the transportation company to reacquire up to 7.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s management 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.