United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) Hits New 12-Month High on Analyst Upgrade

United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:UAL) shares reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday after Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on the stock from $75.00 to $95.00. Jefferies Financial Group currently has a buy rating on the stock. United Airlines traded as high as $74.96 and last traded at $74.94, with a volume of 4512180 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $74.15.

A number of other equities research analysts have also weighed in on UAL. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on United Airlines from $80.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Susquehanna lifted their price objective on United Airlines from $70.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price objective on United Airlines from $68.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on United Airlines from $70.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on United Airlines from $66.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $78.94.

Insider Activity at United Airlines

In other United Airlines news, EVP Torbjorn J. Enqvist sold 14,500 shares of United Airlines stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.00, for a total transaction of $1,044,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 30,427 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,190,744. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.63% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UAL. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. raised its stake in United Airlines by 8.6% during the fourth quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 5,671 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $234,000 after buying an additional 447 shares during the last quarter. Mather Group LLC. purchased a new position in shares of United Airlines in the first quarter worth $44,000. Global Assets Advisory LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Airlines in the first quarter worth $1,086,000. GoalVest Advisory LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Airlines in the first quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in shares of United Airlines by 1.5% in the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 19,416 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $930,000 after purchasing an additional 287 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.69% of the company’s stock.

United Airlines Stock Up 0.7 %

The company has a 50 day moving average price of $52.72 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $50.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.71. The stock has a market cap of $24.49 billion, a PE ratio of 9.21, a PEG ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 1.44.

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The transportation company reported $3.33 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.10 by $0.23. United Airlines had a return on equity of 30.72% and a net margin of 4.94%. The firm had revenue of $14.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.76 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.65 earnings per share. Analysts expect that United Airlines Holdings, Inc. will post 10.05 EPS for the current year.

United Airlines announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback program on Tuesday, October 15th that permits the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the transportation company to reacquire up to 7.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is 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.