JetBlue Airways (NASDAQ:JBLU) Shares Gap Up on Analyst Upgrade

Key Points

• Seaport Research Partners upgraded JetBlue from neutral to buy with an $8.00 price target, prompting the stock to gap up from $5.51 to an opening price of $5.98 and last trading near $5.98 on ~4.6M shares.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed: one Strong Buy, seven Holds and four Sells, leaving a MarketBeat consensus rating of Reduce and a consensus price target of $4.88.
• Fundamentals show continued strain — market cap about $2.24B, recent quarterly EPS of -$0.49, negative net margin, and a high debt-to-equity ratio (~3.65) — signaling ongoing financial pressure.

JetBlue Airways Corporation (NASDAQ:JBLU - Get Free Report)'s stock price gapped up before the market opened on Friday after Seaport Research Partners upgraded the stock from a neutral rating to a buy rating. The stock had previously closed at $5.51, but opened at $5.98. Seaport Research Partners now has a $8.00 price target on the stock. JetBlue Airways shares last traded at $5.9750, with a volume of 4,607,908 shares traded.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of JetBlue Airways from $4.00 to $3.50 and set a "sell" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 16th. TD Cowen raised shares of JetBlue Airways from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on shares of JetBlue Airways from $4.00 to $3.50 and set a "sell" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. Susquehanna upped their price target on shares of JetBlue Airways from $4.55 to $5.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Finally, Evercore increased their price objective on shares of JetBlue Airways from $5.00 to $6.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus price target of $4.88.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On JetBlue Airways

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in JBLU. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in JetBlue Airways by 131.2% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 90,534 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $436,000 after purchasing an additional 51,377 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its holdings in JetBlue Airways by 4.5% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 185,801 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $896,000 after purchasing an additional 8,053 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its holdings in JetBlue Airways by 6.1% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 4,789,448 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $23,085,000 after purchasing an additional 274,892 shares in the last quarter. United Services Automobile Association purchased a new position in JetBlue Airways in the 1st quarter valued at about $106,000. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its holdings in JetBlue Airways by 10.7% in the 2nd quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 30,678 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $130,000 after purchasing an additional 2,954 shares in the last quarter. 83.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

JetBlue Airways Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $2.24 billion, a PE ratio of -3.59 and a beta of 1.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.65, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 0.74. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $5.02 and its 200-day simple moving average is $4.83.

JetBlue Airways (NASDAQ:JBLU - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The transportation company reported ($0.49) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.45) by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $2.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.22 billion. JetBlue Airways had a negative net margin of 6.64% and a negative return on equity of 25.62%. JetBlue Airways's revenue for the quarter was down 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted ($0.21) earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that JetBlue Airways Corporation will post -0.69 earnings per share for the current year.

JetBlue Airways Company Profile

JetBlue Airways Corporation is a low-cost scheduled passenger airline headquartered in Long Island City, New York. Since commencing service in 2000, the carrier has built a reputation for combining competitive fares with enhanced onboard amenities, including free in-flight entertainment, complimentary snacks and beverages, and onboard Wi-Fi. JetBlue operates a single fleet type of Airbus A320 family and Embraer 190 aircraft, which supports its focus on efficiency and operational consistency.

The airline's core offerings include economy-class travel and a premium business-class product known as Mint, which features lie-flat seats, curated culinary options and elevated service on select transcontinental and international routes.

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