JetBlue Airways (NASDAQ:JBLU) Stock Rating Upgraded by Citigroup

JetBlue Airways (NASDAQ:JBLU) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Citigroup from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note issued on Tuesday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The firm presently has a $4.50 target price on the transportation company’s stock, down from their previous target price of $5.30. Citigroup’s target price would suggest a potential upside of 13.35% from the stock’s previous close.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the company. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on JetBlue Airways from $3.50 to $4.50 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of JetBlue Airways in a report on Friday, July 17th. Seaport Research Partners cut JetBlue Airways from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, August 17th. Wall Street Zen downgraded JetBlue Airways from a “sell” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Saturday, August 22nd. Finally, Susquehanna upped their price target on JetBlue Airways from $5.00 to $6.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $5.02.

JetBlue Airways Stock Down 1.5%

Shares of NASDAQ:JBLU opened at $3.97 on Tuesday. JetBlue Airways has a fifty-two week low of $3.87 and a fifty-two week high of $6.62. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $4.88 and its 200 day moving average price is $5.05. The company has a quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.04. The stock has a market cap of $1.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.66 and a beta of 1.77.

JetBlue Airways (NASDAQ:JBLU) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The transportation company reported ($0.66) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.69) by $0.03. JetBlue Airways had a negative net margin of 9.32% and a negative return on equity of 45.92%. The company had revenue of $2.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.69 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted ($0.21) EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 14.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that JetBlue Airways will post -2.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other JetBlue Airways news, CFO Ursula Hurley sold 77,253 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $5.76, for a total transaction of $444,977.28. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 211,099 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,215,930.24. This trade represents a 26.79% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 83,253 shares of company stock worth $474,477. 2.41% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On JetBlue Airways

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Cim Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of JetBlue Airways by 7.3% during the second quarter. Cim Investment Management Inc. now owns 47,282 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $271,000 after buying an additional 3,203 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its holdings in shares of JetBlue Airways by 15.5% during the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 157,664 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $903,000 after buying an additional 21,131 shares during the last quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd increased its position in JetBlue Airways by 95.6% in the 2nd quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd now owns 553,212 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $3,170,000 after acquiring an additional 270,358 shares during the period. Engineers Gate Manager LP increased its position in JetBlue Airways by 1,110.5% in the 2nd quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP now owns 173,100 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $992,000 after acquiring an additional 158,800 shares during the period. Finally, Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC purchased a new stake in JetBlue Airways during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $169,000. 83.71% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about JetBlue Airways

Here are the key news stories impacting JetBlue Airways this week:

• Positive Sentiment: JetBlue received final FAA approval to acquire 22 takeoff and landing slots at New York’s LaGuardia Airport from bankrupt Spirit Airlines. The scarce, slot-constrained assets could improve route economics, support higher fares and strengthen JetBlue’s premium-travel strategy. JetBlue lands FAA approval for Spirit’s old slots at LaGuardia Airport
• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup upgraded JetBlue from “sell” to “neutral,” saying valuation downside appears more limited after the stock’s decline. Its $4.50 price target remains above the recent trading level, although it was reduced from $5.30. Citi upgrades JetBlue to neutral as valuation risk eases
• Neutral Sentiment: JetBlue’s latest quarter showed revenue growth of 14.5% year over year and a smaller-than-expected loss, indicating improving top-line momentum. However, the airline remains unprofitable and highly leveraged, limiting the immediate benefit to shareholders.
• Negative Sentiment: Susquehanna cut its JetBlue price target from $6.00 to $4.00 and assigned a “neutral” rating, leaving minimal implied upside. The reduction signals diminished confidence in a near-term recovery. Airline stocks get hit by short sellers as oil hedge
• Negative Sentiment: Put-option volume in JBLU was approximately 47% above its average daily level, suggesting increased hedging or bearish speculation among options traders.
• Negative Sentiment: Airline stocks broadly face pressure from higher fuel expenses and short selling as geopolitical uncertainty raises oil-market concerns. JetBlue’s weak liquidity, substantial debt and capacity reductions make it especially sensitive to these industry headwinds.

About JetBlue Airways

JetBlue Airways Corp. (NASDAQ:JBLU) is a passenger airline that provides scheduled air transportation in the United States, the Caribbean, Latin America and select destinations in Canada and Europe. The company serves leisure and business travelers through a network centered on major U.S. airports, including New York, Boston, Fort Lauderdale and Orlando.

JetBlue offers multiple travel products, including its core economy service and premium Mint cabins on select routes. Its onboard offerings have included complimentary snacks and beverages, seatback entertainment, Wi-Fi and additional-legroom seating options marketed as Even More Space.