JetBlue Airways (NASDAQ:JBLU) Trading Down 9.7% - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• JetBlue shares were down 9.7% mid-day to $4.56 on heavy trading (~18.85M shares), after a prior close of $5.05.
• While several firms modestly raised targets into the roughly $4–$6 range, the market's consensus is a "Reduce" rating with an average price target of $5.11 (7 Holds, 5 Sells).
• The company reported Q4 EPS of -$0.49 (missing estimates), with revenue slightly above expectations but down 1.4% YoY, plus negative margins and high leverage (debt-to-equity 3.65), highlighting weak fundamentals.

JetBlue Airways Corporation (NASDAQ:JBLU - Get Free Report) shares were down 9.7% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $4.56 and last traded at $4.56. Approximately 18,853,776 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 3% from the average daily volume of 19,395,791 shares. The stock had previously closed at $5.05.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

JBLU has been the topic of several recent research reports. Evercore increased their price target on shares of JetBlue Airways from $5.00 to $6.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. TD Cowen lifted their target price on JetBlue Airways from $4.00 to $5.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on JetBlue Airways from $5.00 to $6.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Susquehanna raised their price objective on JetBlue Airways from $4.55 to $5.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on JetBlue Airways from $3.50 to $4.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, JetBlue Airways has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $5.11.

JetBlue Airways Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $1.68 billion, a P/E ratio of -2.72 and a beta of 1.72. The business has a 50 day moving average of $5.33 and a 200 day moving average of $4.96. The company has a quick ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.65.

JetBlue Airways (NASDAQ:JBLU - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The transportation company reported ($0.49) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.45) by ($0.04). The business 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%. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted ($0.21) earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that JetBlue Airways Corporation will post -0.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On JetBlue Airways

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Stifel Financial Corp raised its position in JetBlue Airways by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 326,990 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,488,000 after purchasing an additional 1,928 shares in the last quarter. Vident Advisory LLC increased its stake in shares of JetBlue Airways by 20.2% during the fourth quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 13,232 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $60,000 after buying an additional 2,226 shares during the period. CWM LLC raised its holdings in shares of JetBlue Airways by 3.2% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 78,200 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $385,000 after acquiring an additional 2,394 shares in the last quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. lifted its stake in JetBlue Airways by 12.4% in the fourth quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 23,504 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $107,000 after acquiring an additional 2,599 shares during the period. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its stake in JetBlue Airways by 10.7% in the second quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 30,678 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $130,000 after acquiring an additional 2,954 shares during the period. 83.71% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.