Stock Traders Buy Large Volume of United Airlines Call Options (NASDAQ:UAL)

United Airlines Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:UAL) was the recipient of unusually large options trading on Wednesday. Stock investors acquired 39,781 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 44% compared to the average volume of 27,633 call options.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other United Airlines news, President Brett J. Hart sold 19,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.45, for a total value of $2,022,550.00. Following the sale, the president directly owned 264,638 shares in the company, valued at approximately $28,170,715.10. This trade represents a 6.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.71% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Airlines

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its position in shares of United Airlines by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,416,537 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $136,696,000 after purchasing an additional 16,478 shares in the last quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH grew its stake in shares of United Airlines by 23.1% in the 3rd quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 1,461,194 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $141,005,000 after purchasing an additional 274,572 shares during the last quarter. Pitcairn Co. raised its holdings in shares of United Airlines by 194.2% in the 2nd quarter. Pitcairn Co. now owns 23,576 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,877,000 after purchasing an additional 15,563 shares in the last quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP lifted its stake in United Airlines by 830.7% during the third quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 36,679 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $3,540,000 after purchasing an additional 32,738 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. boosted its holdings in United Airlines by 15.3% during the third quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 92,327 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $8,910,000 after buying an additional 12,224 shares in the last quarter. 69.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $136.00 price objective on shares of United Airlines in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Morgan Stanley set a $150.00 target price on shares of United Airlines and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of United Airlines from $115.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $132.50 price target on shares of United Airlines in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price objective on United Airlines from $147.00 to $134.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, United Airlines has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $132.31.

United Airlines Stock Performance

UAL stock opened at $92.51 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $106.59 and a 200 day simple moving average of $104.06. The company has a market capitalization of $29.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.05, a PEG ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35. United Airlines has a fifty-two week low of $52.00 and a fifty-two week high of $119.21.

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, January 20th. The transportation company reported $3.10 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $15.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.35 billion. United Airlines had a net margin of 5.68% and a return on equity of 25.13%. United Airlines’s quarterly revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.26 EPS. United Airlines has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.000-1.500 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 12.000-14.000 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that United Airlines will post 12.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About United Airlines

United Airlines Holdings, Inc operates United Airlines, a major U.S. full-service passenger carrier providing scheduled air transportation for passengers and cargo. The company offers a comprehensive route network that covers domestic markets across the United States as well as extensive international service to Europe, Asia, Latin America, and the Pacific. United operates a mixed fleet of narrow- and wide-body aircraft on point-to-point and hub-and-spoke routes, and supports corporate and leisure travel through offerings such as premium cabins, basic economy, and ancillary services including baggage, seat selection and in-flight amenities.

In addition to passenger operations, United provides cargo services through United Cargo, handling freight, mail and specialized shipments.