Sanders Capital LLC Buys 258,670 Shares of United Airlines Holdings Inc $UAL

Key Points

• Sanders Capital LLC increased its United Airlines stake by 1.8%, buying 258,670 shares to hold 14,773,585 shares (about 4.56% of UAL) valued at roughly $1.43 billion, making it the fund’s 18th-largest holding.
• Demand is strong — United set a daily bookings record — but rising oil/jet‑fuel costs and recent analyst price‑target cuts have heightened volatility and margin pressure on the stock.
• Insider activity: President Brett J. Hart sold 19,000 shares at an average price of $106.45 (≈$2.02 million), reducing his direct ownership by about 6.7%.

Sanders Capital LLC boosted its stake in United Airlines Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:UAL - Free Report) by 1.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 14,773,585 shares of the transportation company's stock after buying an additional 258,670 shares during the period. United Airlines makes up 1.8% of Sanders Capital LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest holding. Sanders Capital LLC owned 4.56% of United Airlines worth $1,425,651,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of UAL. Financial Consulate Inc. bought a new stake in shares of United Airlines during the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Airlines in the third quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Quent Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of United Airlines during the third quarter worth approximately $40,000. Cypress Capital Management LLC WY bought a new position in shares of United Airlines during the third quarter worth approximately $48,000. Finally, Hemington Wealth Management lifted its holdings in United Airlines by 36.9% during the 3rd quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 557 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. 69.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

More United Airlines News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Demand remains robust — United set a daily record for bookings, showing continued travel strength that supports revenue and load factors. United daily bookings record
• Positive Sentiment: Some analysts still see upside — high street price targets and “buy” calls (e.g., a $138.56 target highlighted by 247WallSt and Jefferies maintaining buy despite trimming targets) frame the recent sell‑off as a buying opportunity for longer‑term investors. Wall Street $138.56 price target
• Neutral Sentiment: Index/market context is mixed — S&P futures show a modest rebound amid macro moves, which may limit broad market downside for airline stocks but won’t offset sector‑specific fuel pressure. S&P futures and macro context
• Neutral Sentiment: Nasdaq attention on United’s routes could boost visibility, but it’s unlikely to move near‑term margins given rising costs. Nasdaq index attention
• Negative Sentiment: Oil surge and geopolitical risk (Iran war) are the dominant negative — jet fuel costs spiking toward $100/bbl is being priced into airline equities and threatens margins. Sector technical levels are breaking as investors reprice risk. Oil surge/cliff edge for airlines
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst cuts and downgrades—multiple firms trimmed price targets (Redburn to $110; Jefferies cut to $125) and at least one shop moved to “hold,” citing mounting fuel‑cost pressure, which adds downward pressure on the stock. Redburn PT cut to $110
• Negative Sentiment: Shares were volatile and recently fell faster than the market after the run of headlines about fuel and PT cuts; investors are weighing margin risk despite solid top‑line demand. Zacks on recent share decline
• Negative Sentiment: Higher airfares are showing up in consumer headlines; while demand holds, sticker shock and rising energy costs are expected to compress airline profits. Airfares and margin pressure

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other United Airlines news, President Brett J. Hart sold 19,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.45, for a total transaction of $2,022,550.00. Following the sale, the president directly owned 264,638 shares in the company, valued at $28,170,715.10. This represents a 6.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.71% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

United Airlines Price Performance

United Airlines stock opened at $86.60 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $28.01 billion, a PE ratio of 8.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.44 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35, a current ratio of 0.65 and a quick ratio of 0.59. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $108.05 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $104.32. United Airlines Holdings Inc has a one year low of $52.00 and a one year high of $119.21.

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, January 20th. The transportation company reported $3.10 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.13. United Airlines had a return on equity of 25.13% and a net margin of 5.68%.The firm had revenue of $15.40 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.35 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.26 EPS. The company's revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. United Airlines has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.000-1.500 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 12.000-14.000 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that United Airlines Holdings Inc will post 12.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently issued reports on UAL. Morgan Stanley set a $150.00 price target on United Airlines and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. TD Cowen downgraded United Airlines from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of United Airlines from $120.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on shares of United Airlines in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $145.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of United Airlines in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $133.86.

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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