United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) Cut to “Hold” at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report released on Saturday morning.

UAL has been the subject of a number of other reports. Barclays upped their target price on shares of United Airlines from $150.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, June 25th. Zacks Research raised United Airlines from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, June 11th. Citigroup boosted their price target on United Airlines from $132.00 to $171.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. TD Cowen upped their price objective on United Airlines from $150.00 to $176.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on United Airlines from $185.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, United Airlines has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $156.79.

United Airlines Stock Performance

Shares of United Airlines stock opened at $128.39 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $119.96 and its 200-day simple moving average is $107.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $41.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.01, a PEG ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 1.28. United Airlines has a 12 month low of $84.64 and a 12 month high of $138.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.72.

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 15th. The transportation company reported $1.99 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.88 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $17.67 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.62 billion. United Airlines had a net margin of 5.56% and a return on equity of 19.05%. United Airlines’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.87 EPS. United Airlines has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.000-11.000 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that United Airlines will post 10.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at United Airlines

In other news, CEO J Scott Kirby sold 159,321 shares of United Airlines stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.05, for a total value of $18,807,844.05. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 797,851 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $94,186,310.55. The trade was a 16.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kate Gebo sold 34,669 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.41, for a total transaction of $3,654,459.29. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 67,707 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,136,994.87. This trade represents a 33.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 303,010 shares of company stock worth $35,552,943 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.86% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Airlines

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of United Airlines by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 11,510,200 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,287,071,000 after buying an additional 52,962 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of United Airlines by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 9,012,731 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,015,218,000 after buying an additional 68,565 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors grew its holdings in United Airlines by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 7,265,530 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $812,428,000 after acquiring an additional 22,464 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in United Airlines by 3.5% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,664,538 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $521,330,000 after acquiring an additional 190,017 shares during the period. Finally, Par Capital Management Inc. raised its position in United Airlines by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Par Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,894,850 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $547,342,000 after acquiring an additional 75,000 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.69% of the company’s stock.

United Airlines Company Profile

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.