United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) Stock Price Down 5.3% – Here’s What Happened

United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:UAL)’s stock price was down 5.3% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $101.84 and last traded at $98.66. Approximately 1,255,825 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 80% from the average daily volume of 6,133,094 shares. The stock had previously closed at $104.18.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on UAL. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of United Airlines from $75.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Raymond James restated 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. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $119.00 price objective on shares of United Airlines in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of United Airlines from $98.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, Susquehanna raised their price objective on shares of United Airlines from $120.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $113.88.

United Airlines Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $102.29 and a two-hundred day moving average of $76.78. The stock has a market cap of $32.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 1.43.

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.40 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.00 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that United Airlines Holdings, Inc. will post 13.09 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 63,599 shares in the company, valued at $6,049,536.88. This trade represents a 48.54 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.63% of the stock is 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 the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of United Airlines by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 36,547,863 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $3,548,797,000 after acquiring an additional 369,500 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its position in shares of United Airlines by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 10,320,253 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $588,874,000 after acquiring an additional 78,470 shares in the last quarter. Sanders Capital LLC grew its position in shares of United Airlines by 12.4% in the 3rd quarter. Sanders Capital LLC now owns 9,457,587 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $539,650,000 after acquiring an additional 1,040,589 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of United Airlines by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,554,755 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $840,533,000 after acquiring an additional 243,535 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC grew its position in shares of United Airlines by 70.9% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 7,268,775 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $705,798,000 after acquiring an additional 3,015,979 shares in the last quarter. 69.69% of the stock is currently 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.