American Airlines Earnings Miss, But Bulls Aren’t Backing Off

Key Points

• American Airlines' stock drops after reporting quarterly figures that disappointed markets; however, the setup for the next quarter is a bullish one, no doubt.
• Wall Street analysts keep a double-digit upside opinion in their consensus valuations.
• Institutional players just bought the dip on the company's results, betting on an upcoming EPS beat.

One of the market's most sensitive and cyclical industries is arguably the airline industry, as part of the broader consumer discretionary sector. How much consumers spend on travel is directly affected by current situations and future perceptions of inflation and disposable income.

Some of this sensitivity is showing today in one specific airline, giving investors reason to investigate further.

Shares of American Airlines Group Inc. NASDAQ: AAL have fallen by as much as 10% in a single week following the company’s most recent quarterly earnings release, which isn’t so much a reason to panic as markets are making it out to be, but rather an opportunity for those who can see the current setup in travel as bullish despite what the common perception is.

Through the numbers, and a bit of the macro backdrop, investors will find out just how much of an overreaction this earnings sell-off is for American Airlines, and how much of an opportunity this stock is for those bold enough to go against the grain and express their deep thesis view on this company and its future in a hot industry. 

This view goes beyond sentiment and into the cold, hard data.

Breaking Down American Airlines’ Quarter

Management began the press release by boasting about the airline's record revenue numbers, which is a great achievement in itself, considering how volatile inflation has been and its direct impact on the typical traveler’s behavior when it comes to choosing when and how to fly.

Sadly, record revenue did not translate into record profits, and that might be where bearish traders have held onto. The reason for this gap is that the airline has been investing much more aggressively in improving its fleet and service, expanding on new ways to generate revenue from customers.

Another reason is the external weather incidents that have been experienced across the United States, especially in the Sunbelt region, which is more of an industry-wide issue rather than a company-specific one. Nonetheless, this precaution led management to provide lower guidance in the future, perhaps spooking some investors away.

This is entirely normal, as CEOs tend to choose the worst-case scenario as their guidance, as avoiding it would ultimately result in a net positive for the company and the management team as well. With this in mind, some of the macro data should help investors create an expectation of an earnings beat in the coming quarters.

Why External Factors Also Matter

American Airlines suggested that the company's record revenue has been driven by the international travel segment and that the lower guidance is also due to lower domestic travel demand and revenue.

Considering that the airline industry is now entering the “hot” summer season, and the dollar has started to find a bottom after a multi-quarter decline, these factors could help boost domestic travel demand among a potentially more confident consumer.

Then, the actual figures released by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) for July alone are presented. A daily passenger number of over three million is considered above the norm and outstanding. So far, July 2025 has reported up to three days with three million or more passengers.

Being reported domestically, this volume would diverge from American Airlines' dismal guidance, as this upcoming quarter could deliver results significantly above the company's worst-case scenarios.

Taking the current Wall Street analyst consensus valuation into account, this is where investors can start to justify a potential recovery scenario coming up in American Airlines stock as well, since a consensus $15.9 per share target would imply a net upside of up to 38.9% from today’s sell-off.

More than optimism from Wall Street analysts, it seems that some in the smart money corner of the market also decided to take advantage of this dip opportunity, such as allocators from US Global Investors Inc., with a 7.5% boost the day after American Airlines reported its quarterly earnings.

With a new position worth up to $86.6 million, investors can take this as a significant enough sign of confidence that the next quarter will absolutely price out today’s sell-off, on the premise that the worst-case guidance scenario from management will likely be beaten.