Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd Increases Stock Position in United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:UAL)

Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd grew its position in shares of United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:UAL) by 9.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 6,509 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 581 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd’s holdings in United Airlines were worth $632,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Winch Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in United Airlines during the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. Global Trust Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Airlines during the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of United Airlines in the 3rd quarter valued at $36,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its position in United Airlines by 25.0% in the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 710 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $69,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in 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.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $119.00 target price on shares of United Airlines in a report on Friday, November 15th. Raymond James reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $130.00 price objective (up from $120.00) on shares of United Airlines in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price on United Airlines from $68.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of United Airlines from $75.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Melius Research raised United Airlines to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $113.88.

Insider Activity at United Airlines

In other United Airlines news, EVP Linda P. Jojo sold 60,000 shares of United Airlines stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,049,536.88. The trade was a 48.54 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.63% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

United Airlines Stock Down 2.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ UAL opened at $103.31 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.74. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $102.05 and its two-hundred day moving average is $76.19. United Airlines Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $37.02 and a 12-month high of $116.00. The company has a market capitalization of $33.98 billion, a PE ratio of 10.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 1.43.

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) last announced 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 firm had revenue of $14.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.40 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.00 EPS. United Airlines’s quarterly revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that United Airlines Holdings, Inc. will post 13.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Airlines declared that its board has approved a share buyback plan on Tuesday, October 15th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the transportation company to reacquire up to 7.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

United Airlines 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.