United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) Shares Down 5.3% - What's Next?

United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:UAL - Get Free Report) traded down 5.3% on Thursday . The company traded as low as $101.84 and last traded at $98.66. 1,255,825 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 80% from the average session volume of 6,133,094 shares. The stock had previously closed at $104.18.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. TD Cowen upped their price objective on United Airlines from $142.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Susquehanna increased their price target on shares of United Airlines from $120.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a "positive" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of United Airlines from $98.00 to $122.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Dbs Bank upgraded shares of United Airlines from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price target on shares of United Airlines from $139.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $113.88.

United Airlines Trading Up 3.3 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 0.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $34.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 1.43. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $102.34 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $77.79.

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 21st. The transportation company reported $3.26 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.96 by $0.30. United Airlines had a net margin of 5.52% and a return on equity of 32.26%. 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 business posted $2.00 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that United Airlines Holdings, Inc. will post 13.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Linda P. Jojo sold 60,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.12, for a total value of $5,707,200.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 63,599 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,049,536.88. This represents a 48.54 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.63% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Airlines

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of UAL. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of United Airlines by 0.8% during the third 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. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in United Airlines by 41.2% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,112,583 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $177,604,000 after buying an additional 908,558 shares during the last quarter. MidWestOne Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in United Airlines by 28.0% during the third quarter. MidWestOne Financial Group Inc. now owns 53,704 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $3,064,000 after buying an additional 11,743 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV bought a new stake in United Airlines in the fourth quarter worth $485,000. Finally, Aigen Investment Management LP grew its stake in shares of United Airlines by 87.2% in the third quarter. Aigen Investment Management LP now owns 18,912 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,079,000 after acquiring an additional 8,808 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 69.69% of the company's stock.

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.