United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) Releases Q1 Earnings Guidance

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) updated its first quarter earnings guidance on Tuesday. The company provided EPS guidance of $0.75-1.25 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of $0.53. United Airlines also updated its FY25 guidance to $11.50-13.50 EPS.

United Airlines Stock Performance

United Airlines stock traded up $3.14 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $110.52. 12,339,013 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,451,333. United Airlines has a one year low of $37.02 and a one year high of $110.92. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $98.09 and a 200 day moving average price of $69.80. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95. The company has a market cap of $36.35 billion, a PE ratio of 13.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 1.44.

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 21st. The transportation company reported $3.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.96 by $0.30. The business had revenue of $14.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.40 billion. United Airlines had a net margin of 4.94% and a return on equity of 30.72%. The firm’s revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.00 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that United Airlines will post 10.34 EPS for the current year.

United Airlines announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock 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 purchase up to 7.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UAL has been the topic of several recent research reports. Citigroup raised their price target on United Airlines from $98.00 to $122.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on United Airlines from $75.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. TD Cowen boosted their target price on United Airlines from $100.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price target on shares of United Airlines from $68.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on United Airlines from $75.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $106.45.

Insider Transactions at United Airlines

In other news, EVP Kate Gebo sold 17,500 shares of United Airlines stock in a transaction on Friday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.44, for a total transaction of $1,407,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 40,012 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,218,565.28. The trade was a 30.43 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, 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 transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.63% 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.