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

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) had its price target upped by Raymond James from $90.00 to $120.00 in a research report issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “outperform” rating on the transportation company’s stock. Raymond James’ price objective would indicate a potential upside of 23.58% from the company’s previous close.

Several other analysts have also weighed in on the company. Barclays boosted their price objective on United Airlines from $75.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Bank of America upped their price target on United Airlines from $70.00 to $84.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price objective on shares of United Airlines from $68.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Dbs Bank raised shares of United Airlines from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of United Airlines from $75.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $102.28.

United Airlines Trading Down 1.1 %

NASDAQ:UAL opened at $97.10 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $31.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.44. United Airlines has a one year low of $37.02 and a one year high of $105.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 0.79. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $91.71 and its 200 day simple moving average is $64.46.

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 firm had revenue of $14.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.76 billion. United Airlines had a net margin of 4.94% and a return on equity of 30.72%. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.65 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that United Airlines will post 10.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Airlines declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Tuesday, October 15th that allows the company to buyback $1.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the transportation company to buy up to 7.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Transactions at United Airlines

In related 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 63,599 shares in the company, valued at $6,049,536.88. This trade represents a 48.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Kate Gebo sold 17,500 shares of the company’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 value of $1,407,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 40,012 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,218,565.28. This trade represents a 30.43 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 92,000 shares of company stock valued at $8,158,900. 0.63% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Airlines

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of UAL. Huntington National Bank lifted its holdings in shares of United Airlines by 10.8% during the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 1,321 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $75,000 after purchasing an additional 129 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its position in United Airlines by 13.0% during the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,647 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $94,000 after acquiring an additional 189 shares during the period. Commerce Bank boosted its position in United Airlines by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 17,620 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,005,000 after acquiring an additional 196 shares during the period. Cromwell Holdings LLC increased its holdings in shares of United Airlines by 31.4% in the 3rd quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 930 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 222 shares during the period. Finally, Wahed Invest LLC lifted its position in shares of United Airlines by 12.6% in the third quarter. Wahed Invest LLC now owns 1,998 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $114,000 after purchasing an additional 223 shares in the last quarter. 69.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.