Brokers Offer Predictions for United Airlines Q1 Earnings

United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:UAL - Free Report) - Equities research analysts at Seaport Res Ptn upped their Q1 2025 earnings estimates for United Airlines in a report issued on Tuesday, January 21st. Seaport Res Ptn analyst D. Mckenzie now expects that the transportation company will post earnings per share of $1.10 for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $0.50. The consensus estimate for United Airlines' current full-year earnings is $12.70 per share. Seaport Res Ptn also issued estimates for United Airlines' FY2026 earnings at $14.50 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $15.25 EPS.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $2.96 by $0.30. The firm had revenue of $14.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $14.40 billion. United Airlines had a return on equity of 32.26% and a net margin of 5.52%. The business's revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.00 EPS.

Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of United Airlines from $75.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. 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. Melius Research upgraded United Airlines to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on United Airlines from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Citigroup raised their price target on United Airlines from $98.00 to $122.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, United Airlines has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $110.20.

United Airlines Price Performance

NASDAQ UAL traded up $2.00 on Friday, hitting $105.00. 8,640,695 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,559,756. United Airlines has a 1-year low of $37.02 and a 1-year high of $116.00. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $99.11 and a two-hundred day moving average of $70.73. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99. The company has a market cap of $34.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.13, a P/E/G ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.44.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Airlines

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of United Airlines by 0.8% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 10,320,253 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $588,874,000 after buying an additional 78,470 shares during the last quarter. Sanders Capital LLC raised its stake in United Airlines by 12.4% in the third quarter. Sanders Capital LLC now owns 9,457,587 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $539,650,000 after purchasing an additional 1,040,589 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of United Airlines by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,311,220 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $477,526,000 after acquiring an additional 168,498 shares during the period. Castle Hook Partners LP boosted its holdings in shares of United Airlines by 176.1% in the 3rd quarter. Castle Hook Partners LP now owns 4,245,120 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $242,227,000 after purchasing an additional 2,707,442 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in United Airlines by 41.2% in 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 acquiring an additional 908,558 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.69% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Airlines

In related news, EVP Kate Gebo sold 17,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 40,012 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,218,565.28. This trade represents a 30.43 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Linda P. Jojo sold 60,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.12, for a total transaction of $5,707,200.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 63,599 shares in the company, valued at $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. Company insiders own 0.63% of the company's stock.

United Airlines declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, October 15th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the transportation company to purchase up to 7.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

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.