Dbs Bank Upgrades United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) to Strong-Buy

Dbs Bank upgraded shares of United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a report published on Tuesday morning,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other research firms have also weighed in on UAL. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $139.00 price objective on shares of United Airlines in a research note on Tuesday. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of United Airlines from $70.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of United Airlines from $75.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of United Airlines from $75.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $96.15.

United Airlines Trading Up 0.5 %

NASDAQ UAL opened at $96.83 on Tuesday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $75.84 and its 200-day moving average price is $57.42. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95. The stock has a market cap of $31.85 billion, a PE ratio of 11.68, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 1.39. United Airlines has a 12 month low of $37.02 and a 12 month high of $101.60.

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 15th. The transportation company reported $3.33 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.10 by $0.23. United Airlines had a net margin of 4.94% and a return on equity of 30.72%. The company had revenue of $14.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.76 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.65 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that United Airlines will post 10.23 earnings per share for the current year.

United Airlines declared that its board has initiated a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, October 15th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the transportation company to reacquire up to 7.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Linda P. Jojo sold 60,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.12, for a total transaction of $5,707,200.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 63,599 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,049,536.88. This trade represents a 48.54 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Kate Gebo sold 17,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.44, for a total transaction of $1,407,700.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 40,012 shares in the company, valued at $3,218,565.28. The trade was a 30.43 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 92,000 shares of company stock worth $8,158,900 over the last 90 days. 0.63% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Airlines

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in shares of United Airlines by 214.7% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 202,552 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $11,558,000 after purchasing an additional 138,191 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in shares of United Airlines during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $129,000. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of United Airlines by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,311,220 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $477,526,000 after buying an additional 168,498 shares in the last quarter. MidWestOne Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of United Airlines by 28.0% during the 3rd quarter. MidWestOne Financial Group Inc. now owns 53,704 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $3,064,000 after buying an additional 11,743 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of United Airlines by 24.0% during the 3rd quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 5,165 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $295,000 after buying an additional 1,000 shares in 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.