United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) Stock Rating Upgraded by Barclays

Barclays upgraded shares of United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) to a strong-buy rating in a report published on Monday, Zacks.com reports.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Susquehanna boosted their price objective on shares of United Airlines from $60.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on United Airlines from $69.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price objective on United Airlines from $65.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $78.88.

United Airlines Price Performance

Shares of UAL opened at $73.33 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $24.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 1.44. United Airlines has a fifty-two week low of $33.68 and a fifty-two week high of $74.56. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $50.73 and a 200-day simple moving average of $49.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.07, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.77.

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 15th. The transportation company reported $3.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.10 by $0.23. The company had revenue of $14.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.76 billion. United Airlines had a net margin of 5.28% and a return on equity of 33.90%. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.65 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that United Airlines will post 9.88 earnings per share for the current year.

United Airlines announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Tuesday, October 15th that permits the company to buyback $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the transportation company to reacquire up to 7.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Trading of United Airlines

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its stake in shares of United Airlines by 16.3% during the 3rd quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 7,527 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $429,000 after buying an additional 1,057 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd boosted its holdings in United Airlines by 19.9% in the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 5,928 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $338,000 after acquiring an additional 982 shares during the last quarter. Creative Planning grew its position in United Airlines by 16.5% during the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 132,807 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $7,578,000 after acquiring an additional 18,767 shares during the period. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. acquired a new stake in United Airlines during the third quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Crestmont Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in United Airlines during the third quarter worth about $208,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.