Quantbot Technologies LP Purchases 437,082 Shares of JetBlue Airways Corporation $JBLU

Key Points

• Quantbot Technologies LP increased its stake in JetBlue Airways by 64.1%, acquiring over 437,000 additional shares, bringing its total holdings to approximately 1.12 million shares valued at around $5.39 million.
• Institutional investors and hedge funds control 83.71% of JetBlue's stock, with significant increases in holdings reported by Nomura Holdings and Voloridge Investment Management in the fourth quarter.
• Analysts have varied opinions on JetBlue, with a consensus rating of "Hold" and a price target of $5.16, as the company reported a quarterly earnings per share of ($0.16), exceeding estimates.

Quantbot Technologies LP boosted its stake in JetBlue Airways Corporation (NASDAQ:JBLU - Free Report) by 64.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,119,099 shares of the transportation company's stock after purchasing an additional 437,082 shares during the quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP owned about 0.32% of JetBlue Airways worth $5,394,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Wells Fargo & Company MN increased its stake in shares of JetBlue Airways by 17.8% in the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 246,277 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,936,000 after acquiring an additional 37,207 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in JetBlue Airways in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,796,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in JetBlue Airways by 833.0% in the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 9,843 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $77,000 after purchasing an additional 8,788 shares during the period. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in JetBlue Airways by 8.9% in the fourth quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 32,679 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $257,000 after purchasing an additional 2,666 shares during the period. Finally, Mariner LLC boosted its position in shares of JetBlue Airways by 5.6% during the fourth quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 67,781 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $533,000 after purchasing an additional 3,575 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 83.71% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Citigroup set a $5.00 target price on JetBlue Airways and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 29th. Susquehanna reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of JetBlue Airways in a report on Tuesday, July 29th. Wall Street Zen upgraded JetBlue Airways to a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. Barclays reaffirmed an "underweight" rating on shares of JetBlue Airways in a research note on Tuesday, July 29th. Finally, Raymond James Financial cut shares of JetBlue Airways from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 15th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $5.16.

JetBlue Airways Stock Up 5.9%

Shares of NASDAQ JBLU traded up $0.30 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $5.38. The company's stock had a trading volume of 31,156,993 shares, compared to its average volume of 18,881,858. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $4.49 and a 200-day simple moving average of $4.94. The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.89 and a beta of 1.80. JetBlue Airways Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $3.34 and a fifty-two week high of $8.31.

JetBlue Airways (NASDAQ:JBLU - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The transportation company reported ($0.16) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.31) by $0.15. JetBlue Airways had a negative net margin of 4.22% and a negative return on equity of 15.59%. The business had revenue of $2.36 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.26 billion. Equities research analysts predict that JetBlue Airways Corporation will post -0.69 earnings per share for the current year.

JetBlue Airways Profile

JetBlue Airways Corporation provides air transportation services. The company operates a fleet of Airbus A321, Airbus A220, Airbus A321neo, Airbus A320 Restyled, Airbus A320, Airbus A321 with Mint, Airbus A321neo with Mint, Airbus A321neoLR with Mint, and Embraer E190 aircraft. It also serves 100 destinations across the United States, the Caribbean and Latin America, Canada, and Europe.