United Airlines Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:UAL) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Buy" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Seventeen analysts — including 15 buys and 1 strong buy versus 1 hold — give United a consensus Buy rating with an average 1‑year price target of about $131.19.
• United beat quarterly estimates with $3.10 EPS (vs. $2.97) and $15.40B revenue, and set guidance of Q1 2026 EPS $1.00–1.50 and FY2026 EPS $12.00–14.00; the stock trades at a P/E of ~9.3 and a market cap of ~$30.9B.
• President Brett J. Hart sold 19,000 shares at roughly $106.45 (a ~6.7% reduction in his stake), while institutional investors own about 69.7% of the company and several large funds recently increased holdings.

Shares of United Airlines Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:UAL - Get Free Report) have earned an average recommendation of "Buy" from the seventeen ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation, fifteen have issued a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $131.1944.

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. TD Cowen raised United Airlines from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 18th. Argus reduced their target price on United Airlines from $140.00 to $135.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of United Airlines in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Wall Street Zen lowered United Airlines from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, March 14th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their target price on United Airlines from $155.00 to $132.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 20th.

Insider Transactions at United Airlines

In related news, President Brett J. Hart sold 19,000 shares of the firm's 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 completion of the sale, the president owned 264,638 shares in the company, valued at approximately $28,170,715.10. This trade represents a 6.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.63% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of United Airlines

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Sanders Capital LLC increased its holdings in United Airlines by 1.8% during the third quarter. Sanders Capital LLC now owns 14,773,585 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,425,651,000 after buying an additional 258,670 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its holdings in United Airlines by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 11,510,200 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,287,071,000 after buying an additional 52,962 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in United Airlines by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 9,012,731 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,015,218,000 after buying an additional 68,565 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors increased its holdings in United Airlines by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 7,265,530 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $812,428,000 after buying an additional 22,464 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Par Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in United Airlines by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Par Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,894,850 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $547,342,000 after buying an additional 75,000 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.69% of the company's stock.

United Airlines Stock Performance

UAL opened at $95.20 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35. The company's fifty day moving average price is $100.27 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $102.45. United Airlines has a 1-year low of $63.23 and a 1-year high of $119.21. The company has a market cap of $30.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.32, a PEG ratio of 0.74 and a beta of 1.28.

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 20th. The transportation company reported $3.10 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.13. United Airlines had a net margin of 5.68% and a return on equity of 25.13%. The firm had revenue of $15.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.35 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.26 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. 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. On average, analysts expect that United Airlines will post 12.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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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