Virtu Financial LLC Buys Shares of 64,107 United Airlines Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:UAL)

Key Points

• Virtu Financial LLC has acquired 64,107 shares of United Airlines Holdings Inc, valued at approximately $4,427,000, indicating increased interest from institutional investors in the airline sector.
• United Airlines reported a net margin of 5.71% and a return on equity of 30.09% in its latest earnings results, surpassing EPS estimates but slightly missing revenue expectations.
• Several brokerages have upgraded their price targets for United Airlines, with Barclays setting a new target of $100.00 and UBS Group raising theirs to $114.00, reflecting a positive outlook on the airline's performance.

Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new position in United Airlines Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:UAL - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund acquired 64,107 shares of the transportation company's stock, valued at approximately $4,427,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in UAL. Capital A Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Airlines in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Hemington Wealth Management grew its stake in shares of United Airlines by 50.6% in the 1st quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 476 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Eastern Bank acquired a new position in shares of United Airlines in the 1st quarter worth approximately $35,000. CENTRAL TRUST Co grew its stake in shares of United Airlines by 57.2% in the 1st quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 816 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 297 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of United Airlines in the 4th quarter worth approximately $58,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.69% of the company's stock.

United Airlines Stock Performance

UAL stock opened at $89.29 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.70. The stock has a market cap of $28.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.95, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.48. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $83.71 and a 200 day simple moving average of $82.40. United Airlines Holdings Inc has a 52 week low of $40.13 and a 52 week high of $116.00.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on UAL. Barclays reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $100.00 price objective (up previously from $94.00) on shares of United Airlines in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of United Airlines from $103.00 to $114.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of United Airlines from $90.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 18th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of United Airlines from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, July 18th. Finally, Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of United Airlines in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, United Airlines presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $111.43.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Airlines

In other United Airlines news, President Brett J. Hart sold 24,772 shares of United Airlines stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $89.50, for a total value of $2,217,094.00. Following the completion of the sale, the president directly owned 283,638 shares in the company, valued at $25,385,601. The trade was a 8.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 62,358 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,750,654.76. This trade represents a 24.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 45,672 shares of company stock worth $4,144,411 over the last ninety days. 0.71% of the stock is currently owned by 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.