United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) Earns Buy Rating from The Goldman Sachs Group

The Goldman Sachs Group reissued their buy rating on shares of United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) in a research note published on Friday, MarketBeat reports. The firm currently has a $119.00 price objective on the transportation company’s stock.

A number of other analysts have also recently commented on the stock. Barclays upped their price target on shares of United Airlines from $75.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of United Airlines from $80.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Susquehanna raised their price target on United Airlines from $70.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Bank of America lifted their price target on United Airlines from $70.00 to $84.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price 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. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $86.61.

United Airlines Stock Up 0.0 %

UAL stock traded up $0.01 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $91.17. 4,470,000 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,485,025. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $66.95 and its 200 day simple moving average is $54.45. United Airlines has a 1-year low of $37.02 and a 1-year high of $93.33. The firm has a market cap of $29.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.00, a P/E/G ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 1.39. 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 announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The transportation company reported $3.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $14.84 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.76 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.65 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that United Airlines will post 10.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Airlines declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback plan on Tuesday, October 15th that permits the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in outstanding 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 typically a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Airlines

In other United Airlines 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 value of $1,044,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 30,427 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,190,744. This trade represents a 32.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Kate Gebo sold 17,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 40,012 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,218,565.28. This represents a 30.43 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.63% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Airlines

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its holdings in shares of United Airlines by 5.9% during the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,161,931 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $55,634,000 after acquiring an additional 64,542 shares during the period. Aigen Investment Management LP raised its holdings in United Airlines by 87.2% in the third quarter. Aigen Investment Management LP now owns 18,912 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,079,000 after purchasing an additional 8,808 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its stake in United Airlines by 47.4% in the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 5,471 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $261,000 after buying an additional 1,759 shares in the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC lifted its stake in United Airlines by 16.4% in the 1st quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 17,429 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $835,000 after acquiring an additional 2,456 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Senator Investment Group LP raised its stake in shares of United Airlines by 39.5% during the 2nd quarter. Senator Investment Group LP now owns 1,046,051 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $50,901,000 after purchasing an additional 296,051 shares in the last quarter. 69.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.