Sanctuary Advisors LLC Lowers Holdings in United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:UAL)

Sanctuary Advisors LLC lessened its stake in United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:UAL) by 41.1% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 17,888 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 12,468 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC’s holdings in United Airlines were worth $1,021,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of UAL. Castle Hook Partners LP grew its stake in shares of United Airlines by 176.1% during the 3rd quarter. Castle Hook Partners LP now owns 4,245,120 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $242,227,000 after purchasing an additional 2,707,442 shares during the period. Point72 Asset Management L.P. boosted its holdings in United Airlines by 489.2% during the second quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 2,295,246 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $111,687,000 after buying an additional 1,905,664 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in United Airlines by 29.1% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,601,425 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $272,559,000 after buying an additional 1,263,604 shares in the last quarter. Rubric Capital Management LP purchased a new position in United Airlines in the third quarter valued at $63,486,000. Finally, Sanders Capital LLC raised its position in shares of United Airlines by 12.4% in the third quarter. Sanders Capital LLC now owns 9,457,587 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $539,650,000 after acquiring an additional 1,040,589 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.69% of the company’s stock.

United Airlines Stock Up 1.9 %

Shares of NASDAQ UAL opened at $97.40 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95. The company has a 50-day moving average of $87.67 and a 200 day moving average of $62.06. United Airlines Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $37.02 and a 12-month high of $105.09. The stock has a market cap of $32.03 billion, a PE ratio of 11.75, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.10 by $0.23. United Airlines had a return on equity of 30.72% and a net margin of 4.94%. The business had revenue of $14.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.76 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.65 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that United Airlines Holdings, Inc. will post 10.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Airlines declared that its board has approved a share buyback plan on Tuesday, October 15th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the transportation company to reacquire up to 7.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UAL has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on United Airlines from $75.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Melius Research raised United Airlines to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 2nd. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on United Airlines from $88.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Bank of America lifted their price target 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. Finally, UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $139.00 price objective on shares of United Airlines in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $98.95.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Torbjorn J. Enqvist sold 14,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.00, for a total transaction of $1,044,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 30,427 shares in the company, valued at $2,190,744. This trade represents a 32.27 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, 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 transaction of $5,707,200.00. Following 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 92,000 shares of company stock valued at $8,158,900 in the last three months. 0.63% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.