United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) Shares Gap Down Following Analyst Downgrade

Shares of United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:UAL) gapped down prior to trading on Tuesday after Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on the stock from $154.00 to $80.00. The stock had previously closed at $69.05, but opened at $67.45. Jefferies Financial Group currently has a buy rating on the stock. United Airlines shares last traded at $65.66, with a volume of 1,850,742 shares changing hands.

A number of other brokerages have also recently weighed in on UAL. Melius Research raised shares of United Airlines to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on United Airlines from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Susquehanna restated a “hold” rating on shares of United Airlines in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on United Airlines from $108.00 to $133.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. Finally, Barclays set a $140.00 target price on shares of United Airlines and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, United Airlines presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $111.75.

Institutional Trading of United Airlines

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in UAL. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new position in United Airlines in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Hemington Wealth Management lifted its stake in shares of United Airlines by 70.8% in the 4th quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 316 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 131 shares in the last quarter. Capital A Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Airlines during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Roxbury Financial LLC acquired a new stake in United Airlines during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new position in United Airlines in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. 69.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Airlines Trading Down 1.2 %

The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $91.91 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $86.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.23, a PEG ratio of 0.67 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.74.

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 21st. The transportation company reported $3.26 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.40 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.00 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that United Airlines Holdings, Inc. will post 12.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.