UBS Group Reaffirms “Buy” Rating for United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL)

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL)‘s stock had its “buy” rating reissued by investment analysts at UBS Group in a research note issued on Tuesday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. They presently have a $139.00 price target on the transportation company’s stock. UBS Group’s price objective points to a potential upside of 44.27% from the company’s current price.

A number of other brokerages have also recently commented on UAL. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on United Airlines from $75.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Bank of America boosted their target price on United Airlines from $70.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of United Airlines from $100.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of United Airlines from $80.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Susquehanna increased their target price on shares of United Airlines from $70.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $96.15.

United Airlines Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ UAL opened at $96.35 on Tuesday. United Airlines has a 12-month low of $37.02 and a 12-month high of $101.60. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $74.07 and its 200 day simple moving average is $56.85. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95. The company has a market cap of $31.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.39.

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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. The firm had revenue of $14.84 billion during 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 in the previous year, the company posted $3.65 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that United Airlines will post 10.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Airlines announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, October 15th that allows the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows 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 leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Torbjorn J. Enqvist sold 14,500 shares of the company’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 value of $1,044,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 30,427 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,190,744. This represents a 32.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Linda P. Jojo sold 60,000 shares of the 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 63,599 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,049,536.88. This trade represents a 48.54 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 92,000 shares of company stock valued at $8,158,900 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.63% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Airlines

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Global Trust Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in United Airlines in the third quarter valued at about $29,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new position in United Airlines in the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. acquired a new position in United Airlines during the third quarter valued at approximately $36,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its stake in United Airlines by 59.7% during the second quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 682 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 255 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in shares of United Airlines by 108.6% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 753 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 392 shares during the last quarter. 69.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.