Barclays Increases United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) Price Target to $150.00

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) had its price target increased by analysts at Barclays from $75.00 to $150.00 in a research note issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “overweight” rating on the transportation company’s stock. Barclays‘s price target points to a potential upside of 64.53% from the company’s current price.

A number of other equities analysts have also weighed in on UAL. Bank of America upped their price objective on United Airlines from $70.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on United Airlines from $75.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Susquehanna lifted their price objective on shares of United Airlines from $70.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their target price 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, TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of United Airlines from $80.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $86.61.

United Airlines Price Performance

NASDAQ UAL opened at $91.17 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $29.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.00, a PEG ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 1.39. United Airlines has a 12 month low of $37.02 and a 12 month high of $93.33. The company’s 50 day moving average is $66.04 and its two-hundred day moving average is $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 released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The transportation company reported $3.33 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.10 by $0.23. The company had revenue of $14.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.76 billion. United Airlines had a net margin of 4.94% and a return on equity of 30.72%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.65 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that United Airlines will post 10.23 earnings per share for the current year.

United Airlines announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, October 15th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the transportation company to reacquire up to 7.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Torbjorn J. Enqvist sold 14,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.00, for a total transaction of $1,044,000.00. Following the transaction, 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Kate Gebo sold 17,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.44, for a total value of $1,407,700.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 40,012 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,218,565.28. This represents a 30.43 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.63% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Airlines

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of UAL. Sei Investments Co. raised its stake in shares of United Airlines by 8.0% during the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 144,150 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $6,902,000 after acquiring an additional 10,720 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of United Airlines by 1.3% in the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 258,032 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $12,354,000 after buying an additional 3,313 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE grew its position in shares of United Airlines by 16.8% during the 1st quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 11,425 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $547,000 after buying an additional 1,641 shares in the last quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System raised its holdings in shares of United Airlines by 13.7% in the first quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 356,412 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $15,771,000 after acquiring an additional 42,898 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Twin Tree Management LP raised its holdings in shares of United Airlines by 131.1% in the first quarter. Twin Tree Management LP now owns 84,390 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $4,041,000 after acquiring an additional 355,990 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.