United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) Given New $140.00 Price Target at UBS Group

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) had its target price boosted by UBS Group from $139.00 to $140.00 in a research report released on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. UBS Group currently has a buy rating on the transportation company’s stock.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently commented on UAL. Bank of America raised their target price on United Airlines from $70.00 to $84.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Susquehanna raised their price objective on shares of United Airlines from $70.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Dbs Bank upgraded shares of United Airlines from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Barclays boosted their price target on United Airlines from $75.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price objective on United Airlines from $98.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $104.68.

United Airlines Stock Up 2.7 %

UAL stock opened at $101.21 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $33.29 billion, a PE ratio of 12.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.44. The company has a fifty day moving average of $93.96 and a 200-day moving average of $66.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 0.79. United Airlines has a one year low of $37.02 and a one year high of $105.09.

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 15th. The transportation company reported $3.33 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $14.84 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.76 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.65 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that United Airlines will post 10.27 EPS for the current year.

United Airlines announced that its board has initiated 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 often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Transactions at United Airlines

In related news, EVP Kate Gebo sold 17,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 40,012 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,218,565.28. This represents a 30.43 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Linda P. Jojo sold 60,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.12, for a total value of $5,707,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 63,599 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,049,536.88. The trade was a 48.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 92,000 shares of company stock worth $8,158,900 over the last ninety days. 0.63% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Airlines

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Global Trust Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Airlines in the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new position in shares of United Airlines in the 2nd quarter worth about $30,000. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of United Airlines in the 3rd quarter valued at about $36,000. Quest Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of United Airlines by 3,504.8% during the 2nd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 757 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 736 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in shares of United Airlines by 108.6% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 753 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 392 shares during the period. 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.