Bank of America Corp DE Purchases 3,494,219 Shares of JetBlue Airways Corporation $JBLU

Key Points

• Bank of America acquired 3.49 million JetBlue shares in the second quarter, valued at about $20 million and representing roughly 0.93% of the company. Other institutional investors also initiated or increased positions, with institutions owning 83.71% of JBLU.
• JetBlue reported a quarterly loss of $0.66 per share, slightly better than estimates, while revenue rose 14.5% year over year to $2.70 billion. However, the airline remains unprofitable, with a negative net margin and a high debt-to-equity ratio of 5.04.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious: seven analysts rate JBLU as Hold and six as Sell, producing an average “Reduce” rating and a $5.41 price target. The stock opened at $4.35, while CFO Ursula Hurley sold 77,253 shares under a pre-arranged trading plan.

Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new stake in shares of JetBlue Airways Corporation (NASDAQ:JBLU - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 3,494,219 shares of the transportation company's stock, valued at approximately $20,022,000. Bank of America Corp DE owned approximately 0.93% of JetBlue Airways as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in JBLU. Primecap Management Co. CA bought a new position in JetBlue Airways during the second quarter valued at approximately $13,549,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new position in shares of JetBlue Airways in the second quarter valued at $11,336,000. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of JetBlue Airways in the second quarter valued at $10,748,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its position in JetBlue Airways by 235.9% in the first quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 2,246,200 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $9,928,000 after purchasing an additional 1,577,500 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC bought a new stake in JetBlue Airways in the second quarter worth $6,890,000. 83.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

JetBlue Airways Trading Down 0.9%

JBLU opened at $4.35 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $1.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.82 and a beta of 1.70. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $5.10 and its 200-day moving average price is $5.06. JetBlue Airways Corporation has a one year low of $3.87 and a one year high of $6.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.04, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 0.70.

JetBlue Airways (NASDAQ:JBLU - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The transportation company reported ($0.66) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.69) by $0.03. The company had revenue of $2.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.69 billion. JetBlue Airways had a negative return on equity of 45.92% and a negative net margin of 9.32%.JetBlue Airways's quarterly revenue was up 14.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted ($0.21) EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that JetBlue Airways Corporation will post -2.42 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently issued reports on JBLU. Seaport Research Partners downgraded shares of JetBlue Airways from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, August 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of JetBlue Airways from $3.50 to $4.50 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of JetBlue Airways from $6.00 to $6.75 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Citigroup cut shares of JetBlue Airways from a "neutral" rating to a "sell" rating and decreased their target price for the company from $6.60 to $5.30 in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Bank of America increased their price target on shares of JetBlue Airways from $3.50 to $4.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and six have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Reduce" and an average price target of $5.41.

Key Headlines Impacting JetBlue Airways

Here are the key news stories impacting JetBlue Airways this week:

• Positive Sentiment: JetBlue raised its revenue outlook, suggesting stronger fares or demand could improve sales. However, investors are weighing whether higher fares will offset rising operating costs. JetBlue Raises Its Revenue Outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: Fresh attention around JetBlue is likely tied to its revenue outlook, cost pressures and earnings outlook, keeping the stock in focus as investors assess its turnaround prospects. JetBlue Airways Drawing Fresh Attention
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short interest was listed at zero shares as of September 24, producing a 0.0-day short-interest ratio. Because this figure conflicts with the description of a large increase in short interest, it may reflect a data or reporting anomaly rather than a clear trading signal.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research reduced its FY2027 EPS forecast to a loss of $0.53 from a loss of $0.35 and cut FY2028 EPS to $0.65 from $0.76. It also lowered estimates for Q1 2027, Q4 2027 and Q1 2028, signaling slower expected earnings recovery.
• Negative Sentiment: JetBlue is still expected to report a $2.42-per-share loss for FY2026, while its debt-to-equity ratio remains elevated at 5.04. These factors increase sensitivity to fuel, labor and other operating-cost pressures.
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks modestly improved its Q3 2026 EPS forecast to a loss of $0.54 from a loss of $0.57 and raised FY2026 expectations to a loss of $2.42 from $2.46. The revisions provide limited support, but remain overshadowed by broader estimate cuts.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other JetBlue Airways news, CFO Ursula Hurley sold 77,253 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $5.76, for a total value of $444,977.28. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 211,099 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,215,930.24. The trade was a 26.79% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders have sold 81,253 shares of company stock worth $465,897. Company insiders own 2.41% of the company's stock.

About JetBlue Airways

JetBlue Airways Corporation NASDAQ: JBLU is a passenger airline that provides scheduled air transportation in the United States, the Caribbean, Latin America, Canada and select destinations in Europe. The company serves leisure and business travelers through a network connecting major cities, focus cities and vacation destinations.

JetBlue offers several travel products and services, including standard economy seating, premium Mint service on select routes, and EvenMore seating with additional legroom and other benefits.

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