Short Interest in American Airlines Group Inc. (NASDAQ:AAL) Decreases By 19.9%

Key Points

• Short interest fell 19.9% to 59,655,454 shares as of April 15, equal to 9.1% of the float and a short-interest ratio of 1.1 days based on average daily volume.
• Q1 was mixed: AAL beat EPS expectations at ($0.40) vs. ($0.45) expected and posted revenue of $13.91 billion (up 10.8% YoY) but below estimates, and set FY2026 guidance of -0.40 to 1.10 EPS with Q2 guidance of -0.20 to 0.20 EPS.
• Analyst sentiment and risks: The consensus rating is "Hold" with a $14.69 target amid varied analyst views, while rising jet fuel costs and recent sector selling pose near-term margin and stock-pressure risks.

American Airlines Group Inc. (NASDAQ:AAL - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant decline in short interest during the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totaling 59,655,454 shares, a decline of 19.9% from the March 31st total of 74,492,898 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 56,013,074 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.1 days. Currently, 9.1% of the shares of the company are sold short.

American Airlines Group Stock Down 2.8%

AAL stock opened at $11.31 on Thursday. American Airlines Group has a 52 week low of $9.48 and a 52 week high of $16.50. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $11.58 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $13.26. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.48 and a beta of 1.25.

American Airlines Group (NASDAQ:AAL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The airline reported ($0.40) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.45) by $0.05. American Airlines Group had a net margin of 0.36% and a negative return on equity of 9.11%. The business had revenue of $13.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.13 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned ($0.59) earnings per share. American Airlines Group's quarterly revenue was up 10.8% compared to the same quarter last year. American Airlines Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at -0.400-1.100 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at -0.200-0.200 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that American Airlines Group will post 0.1 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on AAL shares. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of American Airlines Group from $15.00 to $17.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. TD Cowen reduced their target price on shares of American Airlines Group from $17.00 to $13.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 9th. Susquehanna dropped their price target on shares of American Airlines Group from $17.00 to $16.00 and set a "positive" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 24th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of American Airlines Group from $14.00 to $16.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn restated a "neutral" rating and set a $12.50 target price (down from $17.00) on shares of American Airlines Group in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, American Airlines Group presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $14.69.

Trending Headlines about American Airlines Group

Here are the key news stories impacting American Airlines Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: American reported higher Q1 revenue and a narrower net loss, and issued constructive Q2 revenue guidance while proposing governance charter amendments — results and guidance that can support AAL’s recovery narrative. American Airlines’ Higher Revenue and Narrower Loss Could Be A Game Changer For American Airlines Group (AAL)
• Positive Sentiment: If Spirit Airlines collapses or shrinks capacity materially, industry fare data suggest ticket prices could jump — a supply shock that would likely benefit legacy carriers like American through higher yields. Airfare data shows how ticket prices may jump if Spirit collapses
• Neutral Sentiment: United CEO Scott Kirby played down buying a small airline and emphasized a deal with American, comments that could reduce short-term takeover/M&A speculation but keep focus on strategic rivalry and partnership dynamics. United’s Kirby plays down merger with a small airline, touts deal with American
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary and analysis about competitive “sky wars” and takeover strategies (United vs. American) raise strategic uncertainty — could drive volatility but the direct impact on fundamentals is mixed. Sky Wars: United's Predator Play for American (AAL)
• Negative Sentiment: Geopolitical tensions around Iran are pushing jet fuel prices higher and disrupting Middle East travel routes, which raises fuel cost risk for summer operations and could squeeze airline margins. Iran war, jet fuel concerns cloud airlines' summer holiday plans
• Negative Sentiment: Investor positioning in airline stocks turned broadly negative last week (Citi data), prompting sector-wide selling pressure that likely weighed on AAL despite company-specific positives. Airline stocks hit as investors dump sector favourites
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts warn rising jet fuel makes it harder for airlines to reach healthy profits this year — a near-term margin headwind for carriers including American. Airlines will have a hard time making profits as jet fuel increases, expert says

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AAL. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in American Airlines Group by 21.8% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,276 shares of the airline's stock worth $66,000 after acquiring an additional 766 shares in the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System grew its holdings in American Airlines Group by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 48,781 shares of the airline's stock worth $548,000 after acquiring an additional 811 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its holdings in American Airlines Group by 6.6% during the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 13,251 shares of the airline's stock worth $149,000 after acquiring an additional 823 shares in the last quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in American Airlines Group by 4.5% during the 1st quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 20,205 shares of the airline's stock worth $217,000 after acquiring an additional 871 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC grew its holdings in American Airlines Group by 33.1% during the 1st quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 3,816 shares of the airline's stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 949 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 52.44% of the company's stock.

American Airlines Group Company Profile

American Airlines Group Inc is a leading global airline holding company headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. Formed in December 2013 through the merger of AMR Corporation (parent of American Airlines) and US Airways Group, the company operates one of the world's largest passenger and cargo networks. Its subsidiaries include American Airlines, which provides mainline service, and American Eagle, a network of regional carriers operating short- and medium-haul routes on behalf of the mainline carrier.

The company offers scheduled air transportation for passengers and cargo to more than 350 destinations in over 50 countries.

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.