American Airlines Group Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NASDAQ:AAL)

Key Points

• American Airlines Group saw unusual options trading activity with a purchase of 169,126 put options, representing a 17% increase from the average volume.
• In its latest earnings report, the company reported $0.95 EPS, surpassing estimates of $0.79, with revenues of $14.39 billion, slightly above expectations.
• Analysts have mixed ratings on the stock, with a consensus average target price of $16.76 and various price target adjustments from different research firms.

American Airlines Group Inc. (NASDAQ:AAL - Get Free Report) was the recipient of unusually large options trading activity on Friday. Investors purchased 169,126 put options on the company. Thisrepresentsanincreaseofapproximately17% compared to the average volume of 144,298 put options.

American Airlines Group Price Performance

AAL traded down $0.47 on Friday, reaching $11.02. 54,498,952 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 56,475,527. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $11.53 and its 200-day moving average price is $12.45. American Airlines Group has a 52-week low of $8.50 and a 52-week high of $19.10. The company has a market cap of $7.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.78, a PEG ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.36.

American Airlines Group (NASDAQ:AAL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 24th. The airline reported $0.95 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.79 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $14.39 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.27 billion. American Airlines Group had a net margin of 1.05% and a negative return on equity of 24.55%. The firm's revenue was up .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.09 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that American Airlines Group will post 2.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently issued reports on AAL. Susquehanna dropped their price target on shares of American Airlines Group from $18.00 to $10.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 7th. TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of American Airlines Group to $13.00 and gave the stock an "unchanged" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of American Airlines Group from $9.00 to $12.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, July 7th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of American Airlines Group from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price target on shares of American Airlines Group from $12.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $16.76.

Institutional Trading of American Airlines Group

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio boosted its holdings in American Airlines Group by 0.4% in the 2nd quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 204,485 shares of the airline's stock valued at $2,294,000 after purchasing an additional 848 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas boosted its holdings in American Airlines Group by 3.9% in the 2nd quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 24,965 shares of the airline's stock valued at $280,000 after purchasing an additional 948 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in American Airlines Group by 11.3% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 9,558 shares of the airline's stock valued at $101,000 after purchasing an additional 969 shares during the period. Vident Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in American Airlines Group by 3.2% in the 1st quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 32,418 shares of the airline's stock valued at $342,000 after purchasing an additional 1,007 shares during the period. Finally, Signaturefd LLC boosted its holdings in American Airlines Group by 10.0% in the 1st quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 11,289 shares of the airline's stock valued at $119,000 after purchasing an additional 1,030 shares during the period. 52.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

American Airlines Group Company Profile

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.

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