United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) Shares Gap Down on Analyst Downgrade

Shares of United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:UAL) gapped down before the market opened on Tuesday after Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on the stock from $154.00 to $80.00. The stock had previously closed at $69.05, but opened at $67.45. Jefferies Financial Group currently has a buy rating on the stock. United Airlines shares last traded at $65.66, with a volume of 1,850,742 shares traded.

Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of United Airlines from $142.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on United Airlines from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Raymond James restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $130.00 price objective (up previously from $120.00) on shares of United Airlines in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Bank of America cut their price objective on shares of United Airlines from $125.00 to $110.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of United Airlines from $140.00 to $107.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $111.75.

Institutional Trading of United Airlines

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. 111 Capital bought a new stake in United Airlines in the 4th quarter valued at $206,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its position in shares of United Airlines by 9.9% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 23,340 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,266,000 after buying an additional 2,108 shares during the last quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. lifted its stake in shares of United Airlines by 106.4% in the fourth quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 12,773 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,240,000 after buying an additional 6,585 shares during the period. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new stake in United Airlines during the fourth quarter worth about $5,817,000. Finally, Capital A Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in United Airlines during the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.69% of the company’s stock.

United Airlines Stock Performance

The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $92.76 and a 200 day simple moving average of $86.85. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99. The stock has a market cap of $21.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.98, a PEG ratio of 0.67 and a beta of 1.41.

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, January 21st. The transportation company reported $3.26 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.96 by $0.30. United Airlines had a return on equity of 32.26% and a net margin of 5.52%. The business had revenue of $14.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.40 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.00 earnings per share. United Airlines’s revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that United Airlines Holdings, Inc. will post 12.96 earnings per share for the current year.

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.