United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) Downgraded to Hold Rating by Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen lowered shares of United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report issued on Saturday.

UAL has been the topic of several other reports. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of United Airlines from $145.00 to $147.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of United Airlines from $115.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Morgan Stanley set a $150.00 target price on shares of United Airlines and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $136.00 target price on shares of United Airlines in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on shares of United Airlines in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $145.00 price target on the stock. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $133.86.

United Airlines Price Performance

UAL stock opened at $86.60 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $108.05 and its two-hundred day moving average is $104.32. United Airlines has a 52-week low of $52.00 and a 52-week high of $119.21. The company has a market capitalization of $28.01 billion, a PE ratio of 8.47, a P/E/G ratio of 0.44 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35.

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, January 20th. The transportation company reported $3.10 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.13. United Airlines had a return on equity of 25.13% and a net margin of 5.68%.The company had revenue of $15.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.35 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.26 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. 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 predict that United Airlines will post 12.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other United Airlines news, President Brett J. Hart sold 19,000 shares of United Airlines stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.45, for a total value of $2,022,550.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the president owned 264,638 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $28,170,715.10. The trade was a 6.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.71% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of United Airlines

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of UAL. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of United Airlines during the 4th quarter valued at about $234,244,000. Holocene Advisors LP acquired a new stake in United Airlines during the second quarter worth about $84,753,000. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in United Airlines by 56.8% in the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,928,657 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $325,549,000 after acquiring an additional 1,060,371 shares during the last quarter. Lansdowne Partners UK LLP acquired a new position in United Airlines in the second quarter valued at approximately $68,177,000. Finally, Capital World Investors boosted its stake in United Airlines by 12.1% in the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 7,243,066 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $698,977,000 after acquiring an additional 783,551 shares during the period. 69.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key United Airlines News

Here are the key news stories impacting United Airlines this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Demand remains robust — United set a daily record for bookings, showing continued travel strength that supports revenue and load factors. United daily bookings record
• Positive Sentiment: Some analysts still see upside — high street price targets and “buy” calls (e.g., a $138.56 target highlighted by 247WallSt and Jefferies maintaining buy despite trimming targets) frame the recent sell‑off as a buying opportunity for longer‑term investors. Wall Street $138.56 price target
• Neutral Sentiment: Index/market context is mixed — S&P futures show a modest rebound amid macro moves, which may limit broad market downside for airline stocks but won’t offset sector‑specific fuel pressure. S&P futures and macro context
• Neutral Sentiment: Nasdaq attention on United’s routes could boost visibility, but it’s unlikely to move near‑term margins given rising costs. Nasdaq index attention
• Negative Sentiment: Oil surge and geopolitical risk (Iran war) are the dominant negative — jet fuel costs spiking toward $100/bbl is being priced into airline equities and threatens margins. Sector technical levels are breaking as investors reprice risk. Oil surge/cliff edge for airlines
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst cuts and downgrades—multiple firms trimmed price targets (Redburn to $110; Jefferies cut to $125) and at least one shop moved to “hold,” citing mounting fuel‑cost pressure, which adds downward pressure on the stock. Redburn PT cut to $110
• Negative Sentiment: Shares were volatile and recently fell faster than the market after the run of headlines about fuel and PT cuts; investors are weighing margin risk despite solid top‑line demand. Zacks on recent share decline
• Negative Sentiment: Higher airfares are showing up in consumer headlines; while demand holds, sticker shock and rising energy costs are expected to compress airline profits. Airfares and margin pressure

United Airlines Company Profile

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.