United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) Receives Outperform Rating from Raymond James

Raymond James restated their outperform rating on shares of United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) in a research note issued to investors on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a $130.00 target price on the transportation company’s stock, up from their prior target price of $120.00.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of United Airlines from $75.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Susquehanna upped their target price on United Airlines from $85.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on United Airlines from $108.00 to $133.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. Citigroup upped their price objective on United Airlines from $98.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, Bank of America raised their target price on shares of United Airlines from $70.00 to $84.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, United Airlines presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $110.20.

United Airlines Stock Performance

Shares of United Airlines stock opened at $105.00 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.72. The firm has a market cap 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 one year low of $37.02 and a one year high of $116.00. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $99.39 and its 200-day moving average is $71.14.

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

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

Insider Transactions at United Airlines

In other news, EVP Linda P. Jojo sold 60,000 shares of United Airlines stock in a transaction that occurred 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 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Kate Gebo sold 17,500 shares of the 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 directly owns 40,012 shares in the company, valued at $3,218,565.28. This represents a 30.43 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.63% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of United Airlines

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Moody National Bank Trust Division raised its stake in United Airlines by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division now owns 4,840 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $470,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC raised its position in shares of United Airlines by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 4,739 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $508,000 after buying an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Huntington National Bank lifted its holdings in shares of United Airlines by 10.8% during the 3rd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 1,321 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $75,000 after acquiring an additional 129 shares during the period. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its position in shares of United Airlines by 25.0% during the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 710 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $69,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in United Airlines by 25.0% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 941 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $91,000 after acquiring an additional 188 shares during the last quarter. 69.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.