Susquehanna Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) Stock

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) had its price objective hoisted by equities research analysts at Susquehanna from $85.00 to $120.00 in a report released on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “positive” rating on the transportation company’s stock. Susquehanna’s target price suggests a potential upside of 21.32% from the company’s previous close.

Several other brokerages have also commented on UAL. Citigroup upped their price target on United Airlines from $98.00 to $122.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. UBS Group raised their target price on United Airlines from $139.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $119.00 price target on shares of United Airlines in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective 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. Finally, TD Cowen upped their target price on shares of United Airlines from $100.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $104.68.

United Airlines Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:UAL traded up $0.34 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $98.91. The company had a trading volume of 723,349 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,787,184. United Airlines has a twelve month low of $37.02 and a twelve month high of $105.09. The stock has a market cap of $32.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.72. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $93.47 and its 200-day simple moving average is $65.78.

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The transportation company reported $3.33 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.10 by $0.23. United Airlines had a net margin of 4.94% and a return on equity of 30.72%. The firm had revenue of $14.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.76 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.65 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that United Airlines will post 10.27 earnings per share for the current year.

United Airlines declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback plan on Tuesday, October 15th that allows the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the transportation company to repurchase up to 7.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Airlines

In other news, EVP Kate Gebo sold 17,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.44, for a total value of $1,407,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 40,012 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,218,565.28. The trade was a 30.43 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Torbjorn J. Enqvist sold 14,500 shares of United Airlines stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.00, for a total value of $1,044,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 30,427 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,190,744. This trade represents a 32.27 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 92,000 shares of company stock worth $8,158,900 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.63% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Airlines

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. State Street Corp raised its position in United Airlines by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 10,320,253 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $588,874,000 after purchasing an additional 78,470 shares during the last quarter. Sanders Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of United Airlines by 12.4% during the third quarter. Sanders Capital LLC now owns 9,457,587 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $539,650,000 after buying an additional 1,040,589 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in United Airlines by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,311,220 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $477,526,000 after acquiring an additional 168,498 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of United Airlines by 29.1% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,601,425 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $272,559,000 after purchasing an additional 1,263,604 shares during the period. Finally, Castle Hook Partners LP raised its position in United Airlines by 176.1% during the 3rd quarter. Castle Hook Partners LP now owns 4,245,120 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $242,227,000 after buying an additional 2,707,442 shares during the last quarter. 69.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.