United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) Price Target Raised to $130.00 at Morgan Stanley

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) had its price objective boosted by equities researchers at Morgan Stanley from $88.00 to $130.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “overweight” rating on the transportation company’s stock. Morgan Stanley’s target price indicates a potential upside of 34.67% from the company’s current price.

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Dbs Bank upgraded United Airlines from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target 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. Melius Research upgraded shares of United Airlines to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of United Airlines from $100.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised their target price on United Airlines from $68.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, United Airlines has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $98.95.

United Airlines Stock Up 0.5 %

NASDAQ:UAL opened at $96.53 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 0.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $31.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.64, a P/E/G ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 1.44. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $80.99 and its 200-day simple moving average is $59.35. United Airlines has a fifty-two week low of $37.02 and a fifty-two week high of $105.09.

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The transportation company reported $3.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.10 by $0.23. The business had revenue of $14.84 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.76 billion. United Airlines had a return on equity of 30.72% and a net margin of 4.94%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.65 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that United Airlines will post 10.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Airlines declared that its board has authorized a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, October 15th that permits the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the transportation company to buy up to 7.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Kate Gebo sold 17,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.44, for a total transaction of $1,407,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 40,012 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,218,565.28. This represents a 30.43 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Linda P. Jojo sold 60,000 shares of United Airlines stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.12, for a total transaction of $5,707,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 63,599 shares in the company, valued at $6,049,536.88. This represents a 48.54 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 92,000 shares of company stock worth $8,158,900. Company insiders own 0.63% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Global Trust Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in United Airlines during the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new position in shares of United Airlines in the second quarter worth about $30,000. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. purchased a new stake in United Airlines during the 3rd quarter valued at about $36,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings in United Airlines by 59.7% in the 2nd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 682 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 255 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in United Airlines by 108.6% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 753 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 392 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.69% of the company’s stock.

About United Airlines

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.