United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume on Analyst Upgrade

United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:UAL) saw strong trading volume on Thursday after Raymond James raised their price target on the stock from $66.00 to $70.00. Raymond James currently has an outperform rating on the stock. 9,046,176 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 8% from the previous session’s volume of 9,844,872 shares.The stock last traded at $50.34 and had previously closed at $48.74.

Several other research firms also recently commented on UAL. UBS Group started coverage on United Airlines in a report on Wednesday, March 20th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $47.00 target price on the stock. Susquehanna boosted their target price on United Airlines from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a report on Thursday. TD Cowen boosted their target price on United Airlines from $55.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 24th. Bank of America boosted their target price on United Airlines from $60.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, StockNews.com raised United Airlines from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $66.53.

Institutional Trading of United Airlines

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. NBC Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in United Airlines in the third quarter worth about $25,000. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P increased its position in United Airlines by 707.8% in the third quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 622 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 545 shares in the last quarter. Clear Street Markets LLC increased its position in United Airlines by 101.8% in the first quarter. Clear Street Markets LLC now owns 642 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 36,811 shares in the last quarter. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in United Airlines in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its position in United Airlines by 72.1% in the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 654 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 274 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.69% of the company’s stock.

United Airlines Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.70, a current ratio of 0.83 and a quick ratio of 0.76. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $44.29 and a 200 day simple moving average of $41.42. The firm has a market cap of $16.91 billion, a PE ratio of 6.36, a PEG ratio of 0.58 and a beta of 1.55.

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 23rd. The transportation company reported $2.00 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.39. United Airlines had a return on equity of 40.50% and a net margin of 4.90%. The business had revenue of $13.63 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $13.55 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.46 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 9.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that United Airlines Holdings, Inc. will post 9.46 EPS for the current year.

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.