SG Americas Securities LLC Increases Stock Holdings in United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:UAL)

SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its position in United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:UAL) by 1,492.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 912,019 shares of the transportation company’s stock after buying an additional 854,759 shares during the quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC owned approximately 0.28% of United Airlines worth $88,557,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Winch Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Airlines in the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. Global Trust Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Airlines in the third quarter worth about $29,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new stake in shares of United Airlines in the second quarter worth about $30,000. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. purchased a new stake in United Airlines in the third quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its stake in United Airlines by 25.0% in the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 710 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $69,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. 69.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Linda P. Jojo sold 60,000 shares of United Airlines stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.12, for a total value of $5,707,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 63,599 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,049,536.88. The trade was a 48.54 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Kate Gebo sold 17,500 shares of United Airlines stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.44, for a total value of $1,407,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 40,012 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,218,565.28. This represents a 30.43 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.63% of the company’s stock.

United Airlines Stock Performance

NASDAQ:UAL opened at $107.97 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $35.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 1.44. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $98.51 and its 200 day simple moving average is $70.24. United Airlines Holdings, Inc. has a twelve month low of $37.02 and a twelve month high of $116.00. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95.

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 21st. The transportation company reported $3.26 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.96 by $0.30. The business had revenue of $14.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.40 billion. United Airlines had a net margin of 5.52% and a return on equity of 34.03%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.00 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that United Airlines Holdings, Inc. will post 12.56 EPS for the current year.

United Airlines declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Tuesday, October 15th that allows the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the transportation company to reacquire up to 7.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on UAL. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of United Airlines from $75.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Susquehanna raised their target price on shares of United Airlines from $85.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of United Airlines from $100.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Dbs Bank raised shares of United Airlines from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on shares of United Airlines from $75.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $106.45.

United Airlines Company Profile

United Airlines Holdings, Inc, through its subsidiaries, provides air transportation services in North America, Asia, Europe, Africa, the Pacific, the Middle East, and Latin America. The company transports people and cargo through its mainline and regional fleets. It also offers catering, ground handling, flight academy, and maintenance services for third parties.