Magnetar Financial LLC Buys Shares of 65,127 United Airlines Holdings Inc $UAL

Key Points

• Magnetar Financial LLC has made a new investment in United Airlines Holdings Inc, acquiring approximately $4.50 million for 65,127 shares during Q1.
• Analysts are optimistic about United Airlines, with multiple ratings including "buy" and a consensus price target of $111.43 for the stock.
• Recent earnings reports indicate United Airlines outperformed expectations, with a net margin of 5.71% and earnings per share of $3.87, beating estimates by $0.06.

Magnetar Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of United Airlines Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:UAL - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 65,127 shares of the transportation company's stock, valued at approximately $4,497,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of United Airlines by 1.1% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 36,961,616 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $2,552,200,000 after acquiring an additional 413,753 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in United Airlines by 2.1% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 6,010,293 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $415,011,000 after buying an additional 125,284 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in United Airlines by 10,777.6% in the 1st quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 5,068,103 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $349,953,000 after buying an additional 5,021,511 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in United Airlines by 26.1% in the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,661,186 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $321,855,000 after buying an additional 964,388 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Castle Hook Partners LP boosted its holdings in United Airlines by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Castle Hook Partners LP now owns 4,396,016 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $426,853,000 after buying an additional 150,896 shares during the last quarter. 69.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UAL has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Susquehanna lifted their price objective on United Airlines from $81.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock a "positive" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Evercore ISI reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $105.00 price objective on shares of United Airlines in a report on Thursday, July 17th. Wall Street Zen cut United Airlines from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, July 18th. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on United Airlines from $101.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, July 21st. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of United Airlines in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $111.43.

United Airlines Price Performance

UAL traded down $0.08 during trading on Monday, reaching $105.00. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,865,826 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,587,003. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.56. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $90.92 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $81.68. United Airlines Holdings Inc has a 1 year low of $41.63 and a 1 year high of $116.00. The company has a market cap of $33.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.52, a PEG ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.47.

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 16th. The transportation company reported $3.87 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.81 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $15.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.31 billion. United Airlines had a net margin of 5.71% and a return on equity of 30.09%. The business's revenue was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $4.14 EPS. United Airlines has set its FY 2025 guidance at 9.000-11.000 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that United Airlines Holdings Inc will post 12.96 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Barney Harford sold 9,000 shares of United Airlines stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.76, for a total transaction of $879,840.00. Following the sale, the director owned 80,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,820,800. The trade was a 10.11% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Torbjorn J. Enqvist sold 20,000 shares of United Airlines stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.22, for a total transaction of $1,844,400.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 62,358 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,750,654.76. The trade was a 24.28% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 106,791 shares of company stock worth $9,992,318. 0.63% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About United Airlines

United Airlines Holdings, Inc, through its subsidiaries, provides air transportation services in North America, Asia, Europe, Africa, the Pacific, the Middle East, and Latin America. The company transports people and cargo through its mainline and regional fleets. It also offers catering, ground handling, flight academy, and maintenance services for third parties.