Blue Trust Inc. Grows Stake in United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:UAL)

Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:UAL) by 25.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 941 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 188 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in United Airlines were worth $91,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of United Airlines during the fourth quarter worth $425,000. PFG Investments LLC purchased a new stake in United Airlines in the 4th quarter worth $315,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of United Airlines by 5.3% during the 4th quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 3,833 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $372,000 after purchasing an additional 192 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its position in shares of United Airlines by 5.6% during the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 12,523 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,216,000 after purchasing an additional 665 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CX Institutional bought a new stake in shares of United Airlines in the fourth quarter worth about $311,000. 69.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other United Airlines news, EVP Linda P. Jojo sold 60,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.12, for a total transaction of $5,707,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 63,599 shares in the company, valued at $6,049,536.88. This represents a 48.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.63% of the company’s stock.

United Airlines Trading Down 0.1 %

NASDAQ UAL opened at $109.00 on Friday. United Airlines Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $37.02 and a 12 month high of $116.00. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $101.63 and its 200-day moving average price is $74.95. The stock has a market cap of $35.85 billion, a PE ratio of 11.56, a PEG ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99.

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, January 21st. The transportation company reported $3.26 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.96 by $0.30. The business had revenue of $14.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.40 billion. United Airlines had a net margin of 5.52% and a return on equity of 32.26%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.00 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that United Airlines Holdings, Inc. will post 13.09 earnings per share for the current year.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on UAL shares. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price target on United Airlines from $68.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $119.00 target price on shares of United Airlines in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of United Airlines from $75.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. Melius Research upgraded shares of United Airlines to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. Finally, Dbs Bank upgraded shares of United Airlines from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $110.83.

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.