Stock Traders Purchase Large Volume of Call Options on American Airlines Group (NASDAQ:AAL)

American Airlines Group Inc. (NASDAQ:AAL - Get Free Report) was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Thursday. Investors acquired 229,207 call options on the company. This represents an increase of 65% compared to the typical daily volume of 139,166 call options.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Airlines Group

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in American Airlines Group during the fourth quarter worth about $231,000. US Bancorp DE boosted its position in American Airlines Group by 38.9% during the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 16,983 shares of the airline's stock worth $296,000 after buying an additional 4,756 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of American Airlines Group by 7.4% in the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 121,331 shares of the airline's stock worth $2,115,000 after purchasing an additional 8,392 shares during the period. M&T Bank Corp lifted its position in shares of American Airlines Group by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 34,525 shares of the airline's stock worth $602,000 after purchasing an additional 794 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of American Airlines Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,858,000. 52.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AAL has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of American Airlines Group from $10.00 to $12.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 1st. Susquehanna dropped their target price on shares of American Airlines Group from $18.00 to $10.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 7th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of American Airlines Group from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday. Raymond James Financial dropped their target price on shares of American Airlines Group from $15.00 to $14.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated a "hold" rating and set a $12.00 target price (down from $20.00) on shares of American Airlines Group in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $15.89.

American Airlines Group Price Performance

NASDAQ AAL traded down $0.72 on Friday, hitting $12.22. 83,832,608 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 44,022,125. The company has a market capitalization of $8.06 billion, a PE ratio of 13.58, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.36. The business's fifty day moving average is $11.35 and its 200 day moving average is $12.95. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The airline reported ($0.59) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.69) by $0.10. American Airlines Group had a net margin of 1.26% and a negative return on equity of 26.59%. The company had revenue of $12.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.71 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.34) earnings per share. The company's revenue was down .2% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that American Airlines Group will post 2.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.