Zacks Research Cuts Earnings Estimates for JetBlue Airways

Key Points

• Zacks Research cut JetBlue Airways’ Q2 2026 EPS estimate sharply to ($0.84) from ($0.03), signaling a more negative outlook for the airline’s near-term profitability. The firm also projects continued losses in the following quarters.
• JetBlue’s latest earnings report came in below expectations, with Q1 results of ($0.87) EPS versus the ($0.72) consensus estimate, even as revenue matched forecasts at $2.24 billion. Revenue was still up 4.7% year over year.
• Wall Street sentiment remains cautious: the stock has a “Reduce” consensus rating and an average price target of $4.88. Shares recently traded around $4.70, near their 50-day and 200-day averages.

JetBlue Airways Corporation (NASDAQ:JBLU - Free Report) - Stock analysts at Zacks Research decreased their Q2 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for JetBlue Airways in a note issued to investors on Tuesday, May 12th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the transportation company will post earnings per share of ($0.84) for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of ($0.03). The consensus estimate for JetBlue Airways' current full-year earnings is ($2.70) per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for JetBlue Airways' Q3 2026 earnings at ($0.99) EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at ($1.05) EPS, FY2026 earnings at ($3.75) EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at ($0.21) EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $0.09 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $0.04 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $0.34 EPS.

Several other equities research analysts have also weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on JetBlue Airways from $4.00 to $3.50 and set a "sell" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of JetBlue Airways in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on JetBlue Airways in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. They set a "market perform" rating and a $4.50 price target on the stock. Seaport Research Partners raised JetBlue Airways from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $8.00 price target on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Finally, Evercore raised their price target on JetBlue Airways from $5.00 to $6.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $4.88.

JetBlue Airways Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ JBLU opened at $4.70 on Thursday. JetBlue Airways has a 1-year low of $3.84 and a 1-year high of $6.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.25, a current ratio of 0.70 and a quick ratio of 0.64. The business's fifty day moving average price is $4.75 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $4.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.75 billion, a PE ratio of -2.42 and a beta of 1.69.

JetBlue Airways (NASDAQ:JBLU - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The transportation company reported ($0.87) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.72) by ($0.15). JetBlue Airways had a negative return on equity of 32.76% and a negative net margin of 7.78%.The company had revenue of $2.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.24 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned ($0.59) earnings per share. JetBlue Airways's quarterly revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis.

Insider Transactions at JetBlue Airways

In related news, Director Thomas Winkelmann sold 35,473 shares of JetBlue Airways stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $4.70, for a total transaction of $166,723.10. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 13,379 shares of the company's stock, valued at $62,881.30. The trade was a 72.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 2.41% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of JBLU. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in JetBlue Airways by 131.2% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 90,534 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $436,000 after acquiring an additional 51,377 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its holdings in JetBlue Airways by 4.5% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 185,801 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $896,000 after acquiring an additional 8,053 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its stake 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 worth $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 worth about $106,000. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers increased its stake in JetBlue Airways by 10.7% in the 2nd quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 30,678 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $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 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.