Principal Financial Group Inc. Purchases 1,055,667 Shares of American Airlines Group Inc. (NASDAQ:AAL)

Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in American Airlines Group Inc. (NASDAQ:AAL - Free Report) by 69.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,575,571 shares of the airline's stock after purchasing an additional 1,055,667 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.39% of American Airlines Group worth $44,892,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Austin Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in American Airlines Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $723,000. Centiva Capital LP raised its position in shares of American Airlines Group by 199.9% in the third quarter. Centiva Capital LP now owns 149,304 shares of the airline's stock valued at $1,678,000 after purchasing an additional 99,513 shares during the period. Primecap Management Co. CA raised its holdings in American Airlines Group by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Primecap Management Co. CA now owns 57,339,666 shares of the airline's stock valued at $644,498,000 after acquiring an additional 458,310 shares during the period. Banco Santander S.A. acquired a new stake in American Airlines Group during the third quarter worth approximately $672,000. Finally, Decker Retirement Planning Inc. bought a new stake in shares of American Airlines Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $9,482,000. 52.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

American Airlines Group Price Performance

Shares of American Airlines Group stock traded down $0.63 on Friday, hitting $15.23. 55,640,754 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 32,485,756. The company has a market capitalization of $10.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.22 and a beta of 1.35. American Airlines Group Inc. has a one year low of $9.07 and a one year high of $19.10. The company has a fifty day moving average of $17.11 and a two-hundred day moving average of $14.06.

American Airlines Group (NASDAQ:AAL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The airline reported $0.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.39 by $0.47. American Airlines Group had a net margin of 1.56% and a negative return on equity of 28.56%. Equities research analysts anticipate that American Airlines Group Inc. will post 2.42 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at American Airlines Group

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AAL has been the subject of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on American Airlines Group from $18.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Susquehanna cut their price objective 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, February 4th. Melius upgraded shares of American Airlines Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $23.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of American Airlines Group from $16.00 to $18.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised American Airlines Group from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $14.00 to $24.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $18.88.

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.