Barclays Issues Positive Forecast for United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) Stock Price

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) had its price target boosted by Barclays from $75.00 to $150.00 in a research note published on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an overweight rating on the transportation company’s stock.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently commented on UAL. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of United Airlines from $80.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of United Airlines from $80.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of United Airlines from $75.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price target on shares of United Airlines from $68.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their target price on United Airlines from $70.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $86.61.

United Airlines Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:UAL traded up $0.44 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $91.60. 1,745,531 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,472,467. The stock has a market cap of $30.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.11, a PEG ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 1.39. United Airlines has a twelve month low of $37.02 and a twelve month high of $93.33. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $66.04 and a 200-day moving average price of $54.19. 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) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 15th. The transportation company reported $3.33 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.10 by $0.23. United Airlines had a return on equity of 30.72% and a net margin of 4.94%. The company had revenue of $14.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.76 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.65 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that United Airlines will post 10.23 earnings per share for the current year.

United Airlines declared that its board has approved a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, October 15th that permits the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the transportation company to purchase up to 7.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Kate Gebo sold 17,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.44, for a total transaction of $1,407,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 40,012 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,218,565.28. The trade was a 30.43 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Torbjorn J. Enqvist sold 14,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 17th. The shares were 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 owns 30,427 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,190,744. This represents a 32.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.63% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Global Trust Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of United Airlines in the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new position in United Airlines in the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. Crewe Advisors LLC purchased a new position in United Airlines in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $32,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its stake in United Airlines by 59.7% in the second quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 682 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 255 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. bought a new position in United Airlines during the third quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.