Ameritas Advisory Services LLC Makes New Investment in United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:UAL)

Ameritas Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:UAL) in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund bought 2,337 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $227,000.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Global Trust Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in United Airlines in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new stake in United Airlines during the 2nd quarter valued at $30,000. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. purchased a new stake in United Airlines during the 3rd quarter worth $36,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in United Airlines in the 4th quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 392 shares in the last quarter. 69.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at United Airlines

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 transaction of $1,407,700.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 40,012 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,218,565.28. The trade was a 30.43 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Linda P. Jojo sold 60,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was 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 owns 63,599 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,049,536.88. This trade represents a 48.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.63% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on UAL shares. Barclays increased their price target on United Airlines from $75.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of United Airlines from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of United Airlines from $75.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price objective on shares of United Airlines from $68.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $119.00 target price on shares of United Airlines in a research note on Friday, November 15th. One 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 company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $110.20.

United Airlines Stock Performance

UAL stock opened at $105.00 on Friday. United Airlines Holdings, Inc. has a 1 year low of $37.02 and a 1 year high of $116.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $34.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.13, a PEG ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 0.81. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $99.11 and its two-hundred day moving average is $70.73.

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 5.52% and a return on equity of 32.26%. The firm had revenue of $14.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.40 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.00 EPS. United Airlines’s quarterly revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that United Airlines Holdings, Inc. will post 12.7 EPS for the current year.

United Airlines announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback plan 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 stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

United Airlines Company Profile

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.