United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:UAL) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:UAL) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and twelve have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $74.32.

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on UAL shares. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of United Airlines from $69.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Susquehanna lifted their price objective on shares of United Airlines from $60.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price objective on shares of United Airlines from $65.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th.

United Airlines Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:UAL opened at $64.05 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $21.06 billion, a PE ratio of 7.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 1.44. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $49.42 and its 200-day simple moving average is $49.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.07, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.77. United Airlines has a one year low of $33.68 and a one year high of $65.02.

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 17th. The transportation company reported $4.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.97 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $14.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.04 billion. United Airlines had a net margin of 5.28% and a return on equity of 33.90%. United Airlines’s revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $5.03 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that United Airlines will post 9.88 EPS for the current year.

United Airlines announced that its board has approved a stock buyback program on Tuesday, October 15th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the transportation company to purchase up to 7.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Airlines

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in UAL. BNP Paribas acquired a new stake in shares of United Airlines during the first quarter worth $25,000. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in United Airlines during the first quarter valued at $27,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new position in United Airlines during the second quarter valued at $30,000. Crewe Advisors LLC acquired a new position in United Airlines during the first quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, GoalVest Advisory LLC acquired a new position in United Airlines during the first quarter valued at $33,000. 69.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.