Short Interest in American Airlines Group Inc. (NASDAQ:AAL) Increases By 34.3%

American Airlines Group Inc. (NASDAQ:AAL - Get Free Report) was the target of a large growth in short interest in April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 68,720,000 shares, a growth of 34.3% from the March 31st total of 51,170,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 57,040,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.2 days. Approximately 10.5% of the company's shares are short sold.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Zacks Investment Management acquired a new position in American Airlines Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $4,409,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of American Airlines Group in the fourth quarter worth $3,858,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. purchased a new position in shares of American Airlines Group during the fourth quarter worth $9,482,000. Amundi lifted its position in American Airlines Group by 31,647.8% during the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 426,691 shares of the airline's stock valued at $7,510,000 after purchasing an additional 425,347 shares during the period. Finally, Contravisory Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in American Airlines Group in the fourth quarter valued at $689,000. 52.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Airlines Group Price Performance

NASDAQ:AAL traded down $0.21 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $10.45. 59,197,668 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 39,631,619. The company's 50 day moving average price is $10.75 and its 200-day moving average price is $14.13. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.17, a PEG ratio of 0.21 and a beta of 1.31. American Airlines Group has a 52-week low of $8.50 and a 52-week high of $19.10.

American Airlines Group (NASDAQ:AAL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The airline reported ($0.59) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.69) by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $12.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.71 billion. American Airlines Group had a net margin of 1.56% and a negative return on equity of 28.56%. The business's quarterly revenue was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned ($0.34) earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that American Airlines Group will post 2.42 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on AAL shares. TD Cowen boosted their price target on American Airlines Group to $13.00 and gave the company an "unchanged" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Redburn Partners upgraded American Airlines Group from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $24.00 target price for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Citigroup cut their price target on American Airlines Group from $21.50 to $20.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "hold" rating and issued a $12.00 price objective (down from $20.00) on shares of American Airlines Group in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Finally, Melius raised shares of American Airlines Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $23.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, American Airlines Group has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $16.25.

About American Airlines Group

American Airlines Group Inc, through its subsidiaries, operates as a network air carrier. The company provides scheduled air transportation services for passengers and cargo through its hubs in Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, and Washington, DC, as well as through partner gateways in London, Doha, Madrid, Seattle/Tacoma, Sydney, and Tokyo.