United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) Downgraded by Zacks Research to Strong Sell

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) was downgraded by investment analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a note issued to investors on Monday, Zacks reports.

UAL has been the subject of several other reports. Wall Street Zen cut shares of United Airlines from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 1st. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on shares of United Airlines from $157.50 to $140.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Barclays cut their target price on United Airlines from $175.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, September 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on United Airlines from $131.00 to $162.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price objective on shares of United Airlines from $136.00 to $153.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, United Airlines has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $159.19.

United Airlines Stock Up 1.0%

UAL opened at $112.65 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45. United Airlines has a 1-year low of $84.64 and a 1-year high of $138.77. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $116.03 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $109.15. The company has a market capitalization of $36.56 billion, a PE ratio of 10.54, a PEG ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 1.27.

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 15th. The transportation company reported $1.99 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.88 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $17.67 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.62 billion. United Airlines had a return on equity of 19.05% and a net margin of 5.56%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.87 EPS. United Airlines has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.000-11.000 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that United Airlines will post 9.66 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, President Brett J. Hart sold 30,108 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.72, for a total transaction of $3,634,637.76. Following the transaction, the president owned 371,583 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $44,857,499.76. This represents a 7.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CEO J. Kirby sold 159,321 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.05, for a total value of $18,807,844.05. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 797,851 shares in the company, valued at approximately $94,186,310.55. The trade was a 16.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 221,629 shares of company stock valued at $26,328,598 in the last three months. 0.86% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Airlines

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. QRG Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in United Airlines by 6.3% in the 2nd quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 93,407 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $12,702,000 after acquiring an additional 5,554 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. increased its stake in shares of United Airlines by 4.8% in the second quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 102,072 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $13,881,000 after buying an additional 4,681 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of United Airlines by 1.4% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 11,788,111 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,603,065,000 after purchasing an additional 162,283 shares during the last quarter. Junto Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of United Airlines in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $37,460,000. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of United Airlines by 26.2% in the 2nd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 23,613 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $3,211,000 after buying an additional 4,903 shares during the period. 69.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Airlines Company Profile

United Airlines Holdings, Inc is the parent company of United Airlines, a major U.S. commercial airline. Through its mainline operations and regional partners, United provides scheduled passenger air transportation and air cargo services to destinations across the United States and international markets.

United operates an extensive global network serving North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Its principal hubs include Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Newark, San Francisco and Washington, DC The airline offers multiple classes of service, including United Polaris business class, United First, United Premium Plus, Economy Plus and standard economy.

United traces its history to 1926 and has grown through the consolidation of several aviation businesses.