United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) Upgraded to “Hold” by StockNews.com

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) was upgraded by equities researchers at StockNews.com from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued on Wednesday.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on UAL. Raymond James lifted their price objective on shares of United Airlines from $66.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. Susquehanna lifted their price objective on shares of United Airlines from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. UBS Group started coverage on shares of United Airlines in a research report on Wednesday, March 20th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $47.00 price objective on the stock. Redburn Atlantic cut shares of United Airlines from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $50.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Tuesday, February 13th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of United Airlines from $55.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 24th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $66.53.

United Airlines Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:UAL opened at $53.51 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.52, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 0.69. United Airlines has a 1-year low of $33.68 and a 1-year high of $58.23. The company has a market capitalization of $17.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.61, a P/E/G ratio of 0.54 and a beta of 1.55. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $45.34 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $41.83.

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 23rd. The transportation company reported $2.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.39. The firm had revenue of $13.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $13.55 billion. United Airlines had a net margin of 4.90% and a return on equity of 39.85%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.46 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that United Airlines will post 9.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Airlines

In other news, EVP Kate Gebo sold 15,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.86, for a total transaction of $762,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 57,512 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,925,060.32. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.63% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of United Airlines

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. NBC Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of United Airlines during the third quarter valued at $25,000. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P lifted its stake in United Airlines by 707.8% in the third quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 622 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 545 shares during the period. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in United Airlines in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in United Airlines by 72.1% in the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 654 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 274 shares during the period. Finally, GoalVest Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in United Airlines in the first quarter worth about $33,000. 69.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.