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

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL - Free Report) had its price target upped by TD Cowen from $142.00 to $165.00 in a report issued on Friday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. TD Cowen currently has a buy rating on the transportation company's stock.

A number of other analysts have also recently commented on the company. Melius Research upgraded United Airlines to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on United Airlines from $75.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Citigroup boosted their price target on United Airlines from $98.00 to $122.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Susquehanna boosted their price target on United Airlines from $85.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a "positive" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on United Airlines from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $110.20.

United Airlines Stock Up 3.2 %

United Airlines stock traded up $3.29 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $106.29. The company's stock had a trading volume of 5,260,936 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,315,106. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $99.11 and a 200-day simple moving average of $70.73. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99. United Airlines has a fifty-two week low of $37.02 and a fifty-two week high of $116.00. The company has a market cap of $34.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.27, a P/E/G ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.44.

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, January 21st. The transportation company reported $3.26 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.96 by $0.30. United Airlines had a return on equity of 32.26% and a net margin of 5.52%. The business had revenue of $14.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $14.40 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.00 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that United Airlines will post 12.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Airlines announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback program on Tuesday, October 15th that permits the company to buyback $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the transportation company to buy up to 7.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other United Airlines news, EVP Kate Gebo sold 17,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.44, for a total transaction of $1,407,700.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 40,012 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,218,565.28. This represents a 30.43 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Linda P. Jojo sold 60,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.12, for a total value of $5,707,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 63,599 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,049,536.88. This trade represents a 48.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.63% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Global Trust Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in United Airlines during the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new stake in shares of United Airlines in the second quarter valued at about $30,000. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of United Airlines in the third quarter valued at about $36,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Airlines in the fourth quarter valued at about $38,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in United Airlines by 108.6% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 753 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 392 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.69% of the company's stock.

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.