American Airlines Group Inc. (NASDAQ:AAL) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

American Airlines Group Inc. (NASDAQ:AAL) has been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-one research firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, twelve have given a buy recommendation and three have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $19.40.

AAL has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Evercore ISI upped their price target on American Airlines Group to $18.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded American Airlines Group from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price target for the company from $14.00 to $24.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. UBS Group raised American Airlines Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Susquehanna cut their target price on American Airlines Group from $20.00 to $18.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Melius raised American Airlines Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $23.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th.

American Airlines Group Stock Down 4.3 %

Shares of AAL stock opened at $14.53 on Friday. American Airlines Group has a 12 month low of $9.07 and a 12 month high of $19.10. The firm has a market cap of $9.55 billion, a PE ratio of 12.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.21 and a beta of 1.35. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $17.03 and a 200-day moving average of $14.20.

American Airlines Group (NASDAQ:AAL) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The airline reported $0.86 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.39 by $0.47. American Airlines Group had a negative return on equity of 28.56% and a net margin of 1.56%. As a group, equities analysts predict that American Airlines Group will post 2.42 EPS 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 dated Friday, December 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.21, for a total value of $1,763,009.61. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 2,967,984 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $51,079,004.64. This trade represents a 3.34 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Angela Owens sold 51,906 shares of American Airlines Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.15, for a total value of $890,187.90. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 112,412 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,927,865.80. The trade was a 31.59 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.49% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Airlines Group

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in AAL. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in American Airlines Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Brooklyn Investment Group lifted its position in American Airlines Group by 133.1% in the 4th quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 1,592 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 909 shares in the last quarter. 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 period. Elequin Capital LP lifted its holdings in shares of American Airlines Group by 208.5% during the 4th quarter. Elequin Capital LP now owns 1,749 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 1,182 shares during the period. Finally, Bfsg LLC lifted its holdings in shares of American Airlines Group by 269.3% during the 4th quarter. Bfsg LLC now owns 2,057 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 1,500 shares during the period. 52.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About American Airlines Group

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.