United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:UAL) Shares Acquired by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its position in United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:UAL - Free Report) by 1,464.9% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 207,603 shares of the transportation company's stock after purchasing an additional 194,337 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans owned 0.06% of United Airlines worth $11,846,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Natixis Advisors LLC grew its holdings in United Airlines by 18.9% during the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 85,680 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $4,889,000 after acquiring an additional 13,642 shares in the last quarter. Empirical Finance LLC boosted its stake in shares of United Airlines by 1.2% during the third quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 22,128 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,263,000 after purchasing an additional 262 shares in the last quarter. Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in United Airlines during the third quarter valued at approximately $217,000. CIBC Asset Management Inc raised its stake in United Airlines by 8.5% in the third quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 47,956 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $2,736,000 after buying an additional 3,748 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Huntington National Bank lifted its holdings in United Airlines by 10.8% during the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 1,321 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $75,000 after buying an additional 129 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.69% of the company's stock.

United Airlines Stock Performance

NASDAQ UAL traded up $0.84 on Friday, hitting $95.24. 6,524,355 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 8,424,971. The firm has a market capitalization of $31.32 billion, a PE ratio of 11.41, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.39. United Airlines Holdings, Inc. has a 1-year low of $37.02 and a 1-year high of $95.99. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $70.52 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $55.62. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95.

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The transportation company reported $3.33 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.10 by $0.23. The company had revenue of $14.84 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.76 billion. United Airlines had a return on equity of 30.72% and a net margin of 4.94%. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.65 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that United Airlines Holdings, Inc. will post 10.23 EPS for the current year.

United Airlines announced that its Board of Directors has approved 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 stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UAL has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Barclays raised their price objective on United Airlines from $75.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. Susquehanna raised their price target on shares of United Airlines from $70.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a "positive" rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of United Airlines from $70.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating and issued a $119.00 target price on shares of United Airlines in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of United Airlines from $80.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $88.28.

Insider Activity at United Airlines

In other news, EVP Torbjorn J. Enqvist sold 14,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.00, for a total transaction of $1,044,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 30,427 shares in the company, valued at $2,190,744. This trade represents a 32.27 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Kate Gebo sold 17,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 1st. The shares were 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 owns 40,012 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,218,565.28. This trade represents a 30.43 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.63% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About United Airlines

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.