American Airlines Group Inc. (NASDAQ:AAL) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

American Airlines Group Inc. (NASDAQ:AAL - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, ten have given a buy recommendation and three have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $18.88.

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on AAL. Scotiabank upgraded shares of American Airlines Group from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $20.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Susquehanna reduced their target price on shares of American Airlines Group from $20.00 to $18.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of American Airlines Group from $18.00 to $22.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of American Airlines Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $12.00 to $20.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of American Airlines Group from $15.00 to $20.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th.

American Airlines Group Stock Performance

NASDAQ AAL traded up $0.10 on Monday, reaching $17.06. 25,468,178 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 32,862,836. American Airlines Group has a 12 month low of $9.07 and a 12 month high of $19.10. The company has a market cap of $11.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.97, a PEG ratio of 0.24 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $17.11 and a 200-day moving average price of $13.59.

American Airlines Group (NASDAQ:AAL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 23rd. The airline reported $0.86 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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, research analysts anticipate that American Airlines Group will post 2.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at American Airlines Group

In related news, SVP Angela Owens sold 51,906 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 112,412 shares in the company, valued at $1,927,865.80. The trade was a 31.59 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Robert D. Isom, Jr. sold 102,441 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, December 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.21, for a total transaction of $1,763,009.61. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 2,967,984 shares in the company, valued at approximately $51,079,004.64. This represents a 3.34 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.49% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Airlines Group

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in American Airlines Group in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Brooklyn Investment Group raised its stake in shares of American Airlines Group by 133.1% during the 4th quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 1,592 shares of the airline's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 909 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position 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 in the last quarter. Bfsg LLC grew its stake in American Airlines Group by 269.3% in the 4th quarter. Bfsg LLC now owns 2,057 shares of the airline's stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 1,500 shares during the period. Finally, Quent Capital LLC increased its holdings in American Airlines Group by 70.2% in the 4th quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 3,064 shares of the airline's stock worth $53,000 after acquiring an additional 1,264 shares in the last quarter. 52.44% of the stock is 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.