United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) Stock Price Down 5.3% – Should You Sell?

United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:UAL) shares fell 5.3% on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $101.84 and last traded at $98.66. 1,255,825 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 80% from the average session volume of 6,133,094 shares. The stock had previously closed at $104.18.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently weighed in on UAL. Susquehanna upped their price target on shares of United Airlines from $120.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of United Airlines from $98.00 to $122.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of United Airlines from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Raymond James reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $130.00 price objective (up previously from $120.00) on shares of United Airlines in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Dbs Bank raised shares of United Airlines from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $113.88.

United Airlines Price Performance

The company’s 50 day moving average is $102.34 and its 200 day moving average is $77.35. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $34.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 1.43.

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 21st. The transportation company reported $3.26 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.96 by $0.30. United Airlines had a net margin of 5.52% and a return on equity of 32.26%. The firm had revenue of $14.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.40 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.00 EPS. United Airlines’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that United Airlines Holdings, Inc. will post 13.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Linda P. Jojo sold 60,000 shares of United Airlines stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.12, for a total value of $5,707,200.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 63,599 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,049,536.88. The trade was a 48.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.63% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of United Airlines

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in UAL. CWM LLC raised its position in United Airlines by 79.5% during the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 13,607 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $776,000 after acquiring an additional 6,027 shares during the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC purchased a new stake in United Airlines in the third quarter valued at approximately $344,000. Creative Planning grew its stake in United Airlines by 16.5% during the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 132,807 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $7,578,000 after buying an additional 18,767 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd boosted its stake in shares of United Airlines by 19.9% in the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 5,928 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $338,000 after purchasing an additional 982 shares during the period. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of United Airlines by 16.3% in the third quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 7,527 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $429,000 after purchasing an additional 1,057 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other 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.