United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) Stock Price Down 7.6% After Analyst Downgrade

United Airlines Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:UAL)’s share price fell 7.6% during trading on Monday after TD Cowen downgraded the stock from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating. The stock traded as low as $84.70 and last traded at $85.04. 4,341,796 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 26% from the average session volume of 5,905,475 shares. The stock had previously closed at $92.07.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. UBS Group increased their target price on United Airlines from $145.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $132.50 price objective on shares of United Airlines in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of United Airlines from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 14th. Morgan Stanley set a $150.00 target price on shares of United Airlines and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Susquehanna increased their price target on United Airlines from $117.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $135.14.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Airlines

In related news, President Brett J. Hart sold 19,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.45, for a total transaction of $2,022,550.00. Following the completion of the sale, the president directly owned 264,638 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $28,170,715.10. This trade represents a 6.70% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.63% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Airlines

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of United Airlines by 1.0% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 37,330,017 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,972,589,000 after buying an additional 368,401 shares during the period. Sanders Capital LLC boosted its position in United Airlines by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Sanders Capital LLC now owns 14,773,585 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,425,651,000 after acquiring an additional 258,670 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of United Airlines by 4.4% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 11,571,093 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $921,406,000 after acquiring an additional 489,795 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of United Airlines by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 9,012,731 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,015,218,000 after acquiring an additional 68,565 shares during the period. Finally, Capital World Investors raised its position in shares of United Airlines by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 7,265,530 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $812,428,000 after acquiring an additional 22,464 shares in the last quarter. 69.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

United Airlines Stock Performance

The firm’s 50 day moving average is $109.51 and its 200 day moving average is $104.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 0.65. The stock has a market cap of $29.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.50 and a beta of 1.25.

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, January 20th. The transportation company reported $3.10 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.13. United Airlines had a net margin of 5.68% and a return on equity of 25.13%. The company had revenue of $15.40 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.35 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.26 earnings per share. United Airlines’s revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. United Airlines has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.000-1.500 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 12.000-14.000 EPS. Analysts anticipate that United Airlines Holdings Inc will post 12.96 EPS for the current year.

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.