American Airlines Group (NASDAQ:AAL) Rating Increased to Buy at StockNews.com

American Airlines Group (NASDAQ:AAL) was upgraded by StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report issued on Monday.

Several other equities research analysts have also weighed in on AAL. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on American Airlines Group from $15.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Melius raised shares of American Airlines Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $23.00 target price for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Raymond James upgraded shares of American Airlines Group from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $24.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $15.00 price objective on shares of American Airlines Group in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded American Airlines Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the company from $12.00 to $20.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $18.42.

American Airlines Group Stock Performance

Shares of American Airlines Group stock traded down $0.78 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $17.60. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 28,383,525 shares, compared to its average volume of 27,940,443. American Airlines Group has a one year low of $9.07 and a one year high of $18.45. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $15.96 and its 200 day simple moving average is $12.82. The stock has a market cap of $11.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 1.35.

American Airlines Group (NASDAQ:AAL) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The airline reported $0.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.16 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $13.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $13.50 billion. American Airlines Group had a net margin of 0.51% and a negative return on equity of 18.62%. American Airlines Group’s revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.38 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that American Airlines Group will post 1.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at American Airlines Group

In related news, CEO Robert D. Isom, Jr. sold 102,441 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.21, for a total value of $1,763,009.61. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 2,967,984 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $51,079,004.64. This trade represents a 3.34 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.49% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of American Airlines Group

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of AAL. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of American Airlines Group by 56.2% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,533 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 911 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new stake in American Airlines Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $55,000. KBC Group NV grew its position in American Airlines Group by 55.8% in the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 6,152 shares of the airline’s stock worth $69,000 after acquiring an additional 2,204 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in American Airlines Group by 44.3% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 9,932 shares of the airline’s stock worth $112,000 after acquiring an additional 3,047 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Airlines Group during the 3rd quarter worth $114,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 52.44% of the company’s stock.

American Airlines Group Company Profile

American Airlines Group Inc, through its subsidiaries, operates as a network air carrier. The company provides scheduled air transportation services for passengers and cargo through its hubs in Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, and Washington, DC, as well as through partner gateways in London, Doha, Madrid, Seattle/Tacoma, Sydney, and Tokyo.