United Airlines Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:UAL) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

Key Points

• United Airlines has a consensus analyst rating of “Moderate Buy”, with 15 of 18 firms rating the stock a buy or strong buy and an average 1-year target price of about $134.59.
• Recent analyst actions were mixed but generally positive, including Citigroup, Wells Fargo, Jefferies, and Susquehanna maintaining bullish views despite some lower price targets, while Wall Street Zen upgraded the stock from hold to buy.
• The company reported solid recent results, beating Q1 expectations with $1.19 EPS on $14.61 billion in revenue, and it also announced a new St. Croix-to-Newark/New York nonstop route as it expands its network.

United Airlines Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:UAL - Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the eighteen ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has issued a hold recommendation, fifteen have assigned a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $134.5882.

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on UAL. Citigroup dropped their price target on United Airlines from $155.00 to $132.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Wall Street Zen upgraded United Airlines from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, April 25th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on United Airlines from $145.00 to $130.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 16th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on United Airlines from $118.00 to $112.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Susquehanna set a $135.00 price target on United Airlines in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd.

Key Headlines Impacting United Airlines

Here are the key news stories impacting United Airlines this week:

• Positive Sentiment: United announced a new nonstop St. Croix-to-Newark/New York route, making it the only airline serving the New York City area from St. Croix. The expansion adds another Caribbean destination and supports United’s effort to deepen its Newark hub and broader route network. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Newark Liberty International was reported to be leading major Northeast airports in on-time performance so far in 2026. Better operational reliability at United’s key hub can improve customer satisfaction and reduce disruption-related costs. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: United’s Q1 2026 earnings transcript suggests management is still focused on explaining results and outlook, but the transcript itself did not include a new headline catalyst in the provided summary. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley raised its price target on United Airlines to $182 from $150 and kept an overweight rating, which is supportive for sentiment, though it was one of several market-moving items rather than a direct operational update. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Rising oil prices can pressure airline margins by increasing fuel costs, which is likely a headwind for United and the broader airline sector. Article Title

Insider Transactions at United Airlines

In related news, EVP Andrew P. Nocella sold 7,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.19, for a total transaction of $631,330.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 215,345 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $19,421,965.55. This trade represents a 3.15% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Kate Gebo sold 34,669 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.41, for a total value of $3,654,459.29. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 67,707 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,136,994.87. This represents a 33.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 47,000 shares of company stock worth $4,848,263. 0.86% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Airlines

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Allianz Asset Management GmbH boosted its position in shares of United Airlines by 23.1% during the third quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 1,461,194 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $141,005,000 after purchasing an additional 274,572 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC boosted its holdings in United Airlines by 61.0% in the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 84,286 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $9,425,000 after acquiring an additional 31,921 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its holdings in United Airlines by 6.3% in the third quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 909,263 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $87,804,000 after acquiring an additional 53,541 shares in the last quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP boosted its holdings in United Airlines by 830.7% in the third quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 36,679 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $3,540,000 after acquiring an additional 32,738 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wealthfront Advisers LLC boosted its holdings in United Airlines by 9.2% in the third quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 107,796 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $10,402,000 after acquiring an additional 9,039 shares in the last quarter. 69.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

United Airlines Trading Down 2.6%

Shares of United Airlines stock opened at $108.82 on Wednesday. United Airlines has a 1 year low of $71.55 and a 1 year high of $119.21. The firm has a market cap of $35.32 billion, a PE ratio of 9.72, a P/E/G ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 1.27. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $96.10 and a 200-day moving average price of $102.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 0.70 and a quick ratio of 0.64.

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The transportation company reported $1.19 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.08 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $14.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.19 billion. United Airlines had a return on equity of 24.33% and a net margin of 6.06%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 10.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.91 EPS. United Airlines has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.000-11.000 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 1.000-2.000 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that United Airlines will post 9.63 EPS for the current year.

United Airlines Company Profile

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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