United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:UAL) Shares Sold by HighTower Advisors LLC

HighTower Advisors LLC trimmed its holdings in United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:UAL) by 11.6% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 39,869 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 5,225 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in United Airlines were worth $2,279,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Holocene Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of United Airlines by 529.7% during the third quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 822,861 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $46,952,000 after purchasing an additional 692,176 shares during the last quarter. Concentric Capital Strategies LP raised its stake in United Airlines by 174.1% during the third quarter. Concentric Capital Strategies LP now owns 162,533 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $9,274,000 after buying an additional 103,233 shares in the last quarter. Avala Global LP bought a new position in United Airlines during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,075,000. Encompass More Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of United Airlines in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $264,000. Finally, Edgestream Partners L.P. increased its holdings in shares of United Airlines by 293.6% in the 3rd quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. now owns 50,122 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,860,000 after acquiring an additional 37,389 shares during the last quarter. 69.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Airlines Price Performance

Shares of UAL opened at $95.11 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $31.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.44. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $84.18 and its 200-day moving average is $60.49. United Airlines Holdings, Inc. has a one year low of $37.02 and a one year high of $105.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 0.79.

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The transportation company reported $3.33 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.10 by $0.23. The firm had revenue of $14.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.76 billion. United Airlines had a net margin of 4.94% and a return on equity of 30.72%. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.65 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that United Airlines Holdings, Inc. will post 10.23 EPS for the current year.

United Airlines announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase 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 shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on UAL. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $119.00 price objective on shares of United Airlines in a report on Friday, November 15th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of United Airlines from $88.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price on United Airlines from $68.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Melius Research upgraded United Airlines to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price objective on United Airlines from $70.00 to $84.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $98.95.

Insider Buying and Selling

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 shares were 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. The trade was a 30.43 % decrease in their position. The transaction 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 firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 30,427 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,190,744. The trade was a 32.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.63% of the company’s stock.

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.