UBS Group Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) Stock

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) had its price target upped by analysts at UBS Group from $139.00 to $140.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “buy” rating on the transportation company’s stock. UBS Group’s price target indicates a potential upside of 34.98% from the company’s previous close.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Raymond James increased their price objective on shares of United Airlines from $90.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, December 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $119.00 price target on shares of United Airlines in a report on Friday, November 15th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted 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. Barclays raised their price objective on United Airlines from $75.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Finally, Melius Research raised United Airlines to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $104.68.

United Airlines Stock Up 2.5 %

Shares of UAL stock opened at $103.72 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $34.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.51, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.44. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $94.42 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $66.42. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95. United Airlines has a 52 week low of $37.02 and a 52 week high of $105.09.

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The transportation company reported $3.33 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.10 by $0.23. The company had revenue of $14.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.76 billion. United Airlines had a return on equity of 30.72% and a net margin of 4.94%. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.65 earnings per share. Analysts predict that United Airlines will post 10.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Airlines declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback program on Tuesday, October 15th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.50 billion in outstanding 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 usually an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity

In other United Airlines news, EVP Kate Gebo sold 17,500 shares of the firm’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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 40,012 shares in the company, valued at $3,218,565.28. This trade represents a 30.43 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Torbjorn J. Enqvist sold 14,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 directly owns 30,427 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 92,000 shares of company stock valued at $8,158,900. Corporate insiders own 0.63% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. First Hawaiian Bank acquired a new position in United Airlines in the 4th quarter worth approximately $367,000. Fulton Bank N.A. acquired a new stake in United Airlines during the 4th quarter worth about $450,000. Doliver Advisors LP purchased a new position in shares of United Airlines during the 4th quarter valued at about $276,000. Neville Rodie & Shaw Inc. acquired a new position in shares of United Airlines in the 4th quarter valued at about $587,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of United Airlines by 23.5% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,922 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $478,000 after buying an additional 937 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.69% of the company’s stock.

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.