Granite Investment Partners LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in United Airlines Holdings Inc $UAL

Key Points

• Granite Investment Partners increased its stake in United Airlines by 185.3% in the first quarter, bringing its holdings to 36,195 shares valued at about $3.33 million.
• Several analysts turned more bullish on UAL, with firms like TD Cowen, Wells Fargo, Barclays, and Morgan Stanley raising price targets. The stock has 16 Buy ratings and an average analyst target of $151.62.
• United Airlines reported better-than-expected Q1 earnings, posting EPS of $1.19 on revenue of $14.61 billion, both ahead of estimates. The company also guided for FY2026 EPS of $7.00 to $11.00 and Q2 EPS of $1.00 to $2.00.

Granite Investment Partners LLC boosted its position in United Airlines Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:UAL - Free Report) by 185.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 36,195 shares of the transportation company's stock after purchasing an additional 23,510 shares during the period. Granite Investment Partners LLC's holdings in United Airlines were worth $3,332,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UAL. CWM LLC boosted its position in shares of United Airlines by 61.0% during the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 84,286 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $9,425,000 after purchasing an additional 31,921 shares in the last quarter. Holocene Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of United Airlines by 40.1% during the 3rd quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 1,491,352 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $143,915,000 after purchasing an additional 427,012 shares during the period. Lansdowne Partners UK LLP increased its holdings in shares of United Airlines by 28.5% in the 3rd quarter. Lansdowne Partners UK LLP now owns 1,100,211 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $106,170,000 after purchasing an additional 244,037 shares in the last quarter. Stance Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of United Airlines by 393.9% in the 3rd quarter. Stance Capital LLC now owns 40,392 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $3,898,000 after purchasing an additional 32,214 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AE Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of United Airlines by 441.5% in the fourth quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 19,089 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $2,134,000 after purchasing an additional 15,564 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.69% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UAL has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of United Airlines from $150.00 to $176.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of United Airlines from $130.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on shares of United Airlines from $118.00 to $112.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Barclays boosted their price target on United Airlines from $150.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 25th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on United Airlines from $182.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, United Airlines has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $151.62.

Insider Transactions at United Airlines

In other news, CEO J Scott Kirby sold 48,303 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.30, for a total value of $5,859,153.90. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 798,929 shares in the company, valued at $96,910,087.70. This represents a 5.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Andrew P. Nocella sold 7,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.19, for a total value of $631,330.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 215,345 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,421,965.55. The trade was a 3.15% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 96,381 shares of company stock valued at $10,837,575 over the last three months. 0.86% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

United Airlines Trading Up 2.2%

Shares of United Airlines stock opened at $129.05 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 0.70 and a quick ratio of 0.64. United Airlines Holdings Inc has a 1 year low of $82.42 and a 1 year high of $138.77. The company has a market capitalization of $41.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.52, a P/E/G ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 1.25. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $111.60 and a 200 day moving average price of $106.35.

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The transportation company reported $1.19 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.08 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $14.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $14.19 billion. United Airlines had a return on equity of 24.33% and a net margin of 6.06%.United Airlines's quarterly revenue was up 10.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.91 EPS. United Airlines has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.000-11.000 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 1.000-2.000 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that United Airlines Holdings Inc will post 10.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Key Stories Impacting United Airlines

Here are the key news stories impacting United Airlines this week:

• Positive Sentiment: United Airlines is getting support from earnings optimism ahead of its Q2 report, with several previews suggesting the company has a strong chance to beat estimates again thanks to its recent earnings surprise history and favorable demand trends. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: The company announced new year-round nonstop flights from Houston and Washington, D.C. to Cartagena, Colombia, expanding its Latin America footprint and signaling continued network growth. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: United’s shares are also benefiting from a broader airline-sector rally and a strong year-to-date performance, with some commentary noting the stock has been trying to extend its gains ahead of earnings. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and market commentators are focused on key near-term drivers such as premium travel demand, summer bookings, and management guidance, but these factors are still awaiting confirmation from the upcoming earnings release. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Rising crude oil prices and higher jet fuel costs remain a risk for airlines, and recent headlines note that fuel volatility tied to Middle East tensions has pressured the sector. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Legal overhang remains after a judge ruled United must face a lawsuit alleging it charged extra for “window seats” that did not actually have windows, which could add reputational and financial risk. Article Title

About United Airlines

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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