United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Citigroup Analyst Says

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) had its target price upped by Citigroup from $98.00 to $122.00 in a report published on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the transportation company’s stock.

UAL has been the subject of several other reports. Barclays raised their price objective on United Airlines from $75.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of United Airlines from $80.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $139.00 target price on shares of United Airlines in a research note on Tuesday. Bank of America boosted their price objective on United Airlines from $70.00 to $84.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price target on United Airlines from $68.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, United Airlines has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $96.15.

United Airlines Stock Performance

United Airlines stock opened at $96.51 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $31.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.64, a PEG ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.39. 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 fifty day moving average price of $73.21 and a 200 day moving average price of $56.57. United Airlines has a 52 week low of $37.02 and a 52 week high of $101.60.

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 30.72% and a net margin of 4.94%. The business had revenue of $14.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.76 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.65 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that United Airlines will post 10.23 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.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Airlines

In other United Airlines news, EVP Linda P. Jojo sold 60,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 represents a 48.54 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Torbjorn J. Enqvist sold 14,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.00, for a total transaction of $1,044,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 30,427 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,190,744. This represents a 32.27 % 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 in the last quarter. 0.63% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Airlines

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its holdings in United Airlines by 5.9% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,161,931 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $55,634,000 after buying an additional 64,542 shares in the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC increased its position in United Airlines by 16.4% during the 1st quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 17,429 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $835,000 after buying an additional 2,456 shares in the last quarter. Comerica Bank increased its stake in shares of United Airlines by 8.3% in the 1st quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 52,457 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,512,000 after purchasing an additional 4,002 shares in the last quarter. XML Financial LLC lifted its position in shares of United Airlines by 2.3% in the first quarter. XML Financial LLC now owns 11,970 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $573,000 after acquiring an additional 272 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Heartland Bank & Trust Co bought a new position in United Airlines in the 1st quarter worth approximately $245,000. Institutional investors own 69.69% of the company’s stock.

About United Airlines

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.