First Trust Advisors LP Increases Stake in United Airlines Holdings Inc $UAL

First Trust Advisors LP grew its stake in United Airlines Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:UAL) by 96.5% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 536,007 shares of the transportation company’s stock after buying an additional 263,196 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP’s holdings in United Airlines were worth $49,350,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in UAL. Root Financial Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of United Airlines by 5.3% during the fourth quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 1,840 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $206,000 after buying an additional 93 shares during the period. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in United Airlines by 51.4% in the fourth quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 318 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. AXA S.A. lifted its stake in United Airlines by 0.8% in the second quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 15,465 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,231,000 after acquiring an additional 121 shares during the last quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. grew its holdings in United Airlines by 17.0% during the 1st quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 861 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $79,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fielder Capital Group LLC grew its holdings in United Airlines by 5.4% during the 4th quarter. Fielder Capital Group LLC now owns 2,473 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $276,000 after acquiring an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. 69.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at United Airlines

In related news, EVP Andrew P. Nocella sold 7,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.19, for a total value of $631,330.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 215,345 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,421,965.55. The trade was a 3.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kate Gebo sold 34,669 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.41, for a total transaction of $3,654,459.29. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 67,707 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,136,994.87. This represents a 33.86% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 96,381 shares of company stock valued at $10,837,575 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.86% of the company’s stock.

United Airlines Stock Performance

Shares of UAL opened at $118.27 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $38.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 1.25. United Airlines Holdings Inc has a 52-week low of $82.42 and a 52-week high of $138.77. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $116.80 and a 200 day moving average price of $106.78.

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 15th. The transportation company reported $1.99 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.88 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $17.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.62 billion. United Airlines had a net margin of 5.56% and a return on equity of 19.05%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.87 earnings per share. United Airlines has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.000-11.000 EPS. Research analysts predict that United Airlines Holdings Inc will post 10.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UAL has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $155.00 price objective on shares of United Airlines in a research report on Sunday, July 19th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of United Airlines from $185.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their target price on shares of United Airlines from $136.00 to $153.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of United Airlines in a report on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded United Airlines from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, April 25th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $156.79.

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.