Natixis Advisors LLC Has $3.80 Million Holdings in United Airlines Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:UAL)

Key Points

• Natixis Advisors LLC has reduced its stake in United Airlines Holdings Inc by 39.1%, holding 55,005 shares worth approximately $3.80 million after selling 35,296 shares.
• Several research firms have increased their price targets for United Airlines, with Susquehanna raising it from $81.00 to $109.00, indicating strong market optimism for the company.
• Insider trading activity included Director Michelle Freyre selling 900 shares and EVP Torbjorn J. Enqvist selling 20,000 shares, reflecting executives cashing out despite positive earnings reports.

Natixis Advisors LLC cut its stake in United Airlines Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:UAL - Free Report) by 39.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 55,005 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 35,296 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC's holdings in United Airlines were worth $3,798,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wahed Invest LLC increased its holdings in shares of United Airlines by 5.4% in the fourth quarter. Wahed Invest LLC now owns 2,106 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $204,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. boosted its position in United Airlines by 3.3% in the 1st quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 4,651 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $321,000 after buying an additional 147 shares during the last quarter. Forum Financial Management LP boosted its position in United Airlines by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 5,723 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $556,000 after buying an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. increased its stake in shares of United Airlines by 2.0% in the 1st quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 7,758 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $536,000 after buying an additional 149 shares during the period. Finally, Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV raised its position in shares of United Airlines by 15.6% during the first quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 1,110 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $77,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. 69.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently issued reports on UAL. Susquehanna raised their price target on United Airlines from $81.00 to $109.00 and gave the company a "positive" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Cowen restated a "buy" rating on shares of United Airlines in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of United Airlines from $90.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, July 18th. Evercore ISI restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $105.00 price objective on shares of United Airlines in a report on Thursday, July 17th. Finally, Barclays reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $100.00 price objective (up from $94.00) on shares of United Airlines in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $111.43.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Michelle Freyre sold 900 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.13, for a total transaction of $82,917.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 829 shares in the company, valued at $76,375.77. This trade represents a 52.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Torbjorn J. Enqvist sold 20,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 62,358 shares in the company, valued at $5,750,654.76. This represents a 24.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 45,672 shares of company stock valued at $4,144,411. 0.71% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

United Airlines Price Performance

UAL opened at $88.87 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $28.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.90, a P/E/G ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.48. United Airlines Holdings Inc has a 12 month low of $38.65 and a 12 month high of $116.00. 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 company has a fifty day simple moving average of $83.32 and a 200 day simple moving average of $82.85.

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 16th. The transportation company reported $3.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.81 by $0.06. United Airlines had a return on equity of 30.09% and a net margin of 5.71%. The company had revenue of $15.24 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.31 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $4.14 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that United Airlines Holdings Inc will post 12.96 EPS for the current year.

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.

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