United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) Stock Rating Cut to Strong Sell at Zacks Research

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

Several other analysts have also recently weighed in on UAL. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of United Airlines from $137.00 to $146.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 24th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of United Airlines from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 1st. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of United Airlines from $175.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, September 11th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price objective on United Airlines from $136.00 to $153.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Finally, Susquehanna lowered their price target on shares of United Airlines from $172.00 to $165.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 17th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, United Airlines currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $159.19.

United Airlines Stock Performance

UAL opened at $112.65 on Monday. United Airlines has a 52-week low of $84.64 and a 52-week high of $138.77. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $116.03 and its 200 day simple moving average is $109.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 0.78. The firm 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 issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 15th. The transportation company reported $1.99 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.88 by $0.11. United Airlines had a return on equity of 19.05% and a net margin of 5.56%.The company had revenue of $17.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.62 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.87 earnings per share. United Airlines’s revenue was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. United Airlines has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.000-11.000 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that United Airlines will post 9.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at United Airlines

In other news, EVP Andrew P. Nocella sold 5,000 shares of United Airlines stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.00, for a total transaction of $585,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 214,955 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,149,735. The trade was a 2.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO J. Kirby sold 159,321 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 $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. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 221,629 shares of company stock valued at $26,328,598. Company insiders own 0.86% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of UAL. Dunhill Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Airlines during the second quarter worth $25,000. Western Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of United Airlines in the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in shares of United Airlines by 393.0% during the second quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 212 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 169 shares during the period. Trust Co. of Vermont acquired a new position in shares of United Airlines in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. bought a new stake in shares of United Airlines in the 2nd quarter worth about $32,000. Institutional investors own 69.69% of the company’s stock.

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.