Short Interest in United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:UAL) Decreases By 15.8%

United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:UAL) was the recipient of a large decline in short interest in April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 16,370,000 shares, a decline of 15.8% from the March 31st total of 19,450,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 9,290,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.8 days. Currently, 5.0% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on UAL. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on United Airlines from $108.00 to $133.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. Evercore ISI cut their price target on shares of United Airlines from $145.00 to $100.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Bank of America lowered their price objective on shares of United Airlines from $110.00 to $100.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. Raymond James lowered shares of United Airlines from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, Susquehanna lowered their price target on United Airlines from $90.00 to $81.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, United Airlines currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $96.60.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Airlines

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in UAL. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in United Airlines in the 3rd quarter worth $129,000. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in United Airlines by 214.7% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 202,552 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $11,558,000 after buying an additional 138,191 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in United Airlines by 3.2% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 378,214 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $21,581,000 after buying an additional 11,601 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in United Airlines by 98.4% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,345 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $131,000 after buying an additional 667 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in United Airlines by 23.5% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,922 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $478,000 after acquiring an additional 937 shares in the last quarter. 69.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Airlines Stock Up 7.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ UAL opened at $74.07 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $24.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.85, a PEG ratio of 0.67 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $72.56 and its 200 day moving average is $88.04. United Airlines has a 52 week low of $37.02 and a 52 week high of $116.00.

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 15th. The transportation company reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.75 by $0.16. United Airlines had a net margin of 5.52% and a return on equity of 32.26%. The firm had revenue of $13.21 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.47 billion. On average, equities research analysts expect that United Airlines will post 12.96 earnings per share for the current year.

About United Airlines

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.