First Trust Advisors LP Increases Stock Holdings in United Airlines Holdings Inc $UAL

Key Points

• First Trust Advisors LP nearly doubled its United Airlines position in the first quarter, adding 263,196 shares to own 536,007 shares valued at approximately $49.35 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively hold 69.69% of UAL.
• Analysts remain broadly optimistic: 16 analysts rate United Airlines a Buy and two rate it Hold, producing a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $156.79.
• United Airlines exceeded quarterly expectations with adjusted EPS of $1.99 versus the $1.88 consensus and revenue of $17.67 billion. Revenue increased 16.4% year over year, while the company issued fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $9.00–$11.00.

First Trust Advisors LP increased its position in shares of United Airlines Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:UAL - Free Report) by 96.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 536,007 shares of the transportation company's stock after purchasing an additional 263,196 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP owned 0.17% of United Airlines worth $49,350,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Root Financial Partners LLC lifted its holdings in United Airlines by 5.3% in the fourth quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 1,840 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $206,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in United Airlines by 51.4% in the fourth quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 318 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the period. AXA S.A. lifted its stake in shares of United Airlines by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 15,465 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,231,000 after purchasing an additional 121 shares during the last quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. lifted its stake in shares of United Airlines by 17.0% in the 1st quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 861 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $79,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fielder Capital Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of United Airlines by 5.4% in the 4th quarter. Fielder Capital Group LLC now owns 2,473 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $276,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares during the last quarter. 69.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Citigroup raised their price objective on United Airlines from $132.00 to $171.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of United Airlines from $130.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of United Airlines from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, April 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of United Airlines from $131.00 to $162.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of United Airlines from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $156.79.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other United Airlines news, CEO J Scott Kirby sold 1,078 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.74, for a total transaction of $130,157.72. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 797,851 shares in the company, valued at $96,332,529.74. This represents a 0.13% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Andrew P. Nocella sold 7,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.19, for a total transaction of $631,330.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 215,345 shares of the company's stock, valued at $19,421,965.55. This represents a 3.15% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 96,381 shares of company stock valued at $10,837,575 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.86% of the company's stock.

United Airlines Stock Performance

NASDAQ UAL opened at $118.27 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $38.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.06, a P/E/G ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.72. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $116.80 and a two-hundred day moving average of $106.78. United Airlines Holdings Inc has a 1-year low of $82.42 and a 1-year high of $138.77.

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 15th. The transportation company reported $1.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.88 by $0.11. United Airlines had a net margin of 5.56% and a return on equity of 19.05%. The company had revenue of $17.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.62 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.87 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. United Airlines has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.000-11.000 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that United Airlines Holdings Inc will post 10.48 EPS for the current year.

United Airlines Company Profile

United Airlines Holdings, Inc operates United Airlines, a major U.S. full-service passenger carrier providing scheduled air transportation for passengers and cargo. The company offers a comprehensive route network that covers domestic markets across the United States as well as extensive international service to Europe, Asia, Latin America, and the Pacific. United operates a mixed fleet of narrow- and wide-body aircraft on point-to-point and hub-and-spoke routes, and supports corporate and leisure travel through offerings such as premium cabins, basic economy, and ancillary services including baggage, seat selection and in-flight amenities.

In addition to passenger operations, United provides cargo services through United Cargo, handling freight, mail and specialized shipments.

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