JetBlue Airways (NASDAQ:JBLU) Shares Up 13.1% on Insider Buying Activity

JetBlue Airways Corporation (NASDAQ:JBLU – Get Free Report) rose 13.1% during mid-day trading on Wednesday following insider buying activity. The stock traded as high as $3.59 and last traded at $3.5950. Approximately 13,425,126 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 49% from the average session volume of 26,468,760 shares. The stock had previously closed at $3.18.

Specifically, Director Nik Mittal purchased 100,000 shares of JetBlue Airways stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 3rd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $3.24 per share, for a total transaction of $324,000.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 238,537 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $772,859.88. The trade was a 72.18% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded JetBlue Airways from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $3.00 to $5.50 in a research note on Thursday. Citigroup upgraded JetBlue Airways from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $5.30 to $4.50 in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. Susquehanna cut their price target on JetBlue Airways from $4.00 to $3.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 29th. Seaport Research Partners lowered JetBlue Airways from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, August 17th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of JetBlue Airways in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $4.94.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on JBLU

JetBlue Airways Trading Up 5.2%

The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $3.85 and its 200-day moving average price is $4.89. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.38 billion, a PE ratio of -1.37 and a beta of 1.90.

JetBlue Airways (NASDAQ:JBLU – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, October 26th. The transportation company reported ($0.60) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.55) by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $2.81 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.83 billion. JetBlue Airways had a negative net margin of 10.01% and a negative return on equity of 56.96%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 21.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned ($0.40) earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that JetBlue Airways Corporation will post -2.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in JBLU. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System increased its stake in JetBlue Airways by 61.1% during the third quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 69,798 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $295,000 after acquiring an additional 26,484 shares during the last quarter. Fulcrum Asset Management LLP purchased a new stake in JetBlue Airways during the third quarter valued at approximately $619,000. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA lifted its stake in shares of JetBlue Airways by 59.0% in the 3rd quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 19,288 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $82,000 after purchasing an additional 7,158 shares during the last quarter. CenterBook Partners LP bought a new stake in shares of JetBlue Airways in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $145,000. Finally, Kestra Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of JetBlue Airways by 35.4% in the 3rd quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC now owns 13,682 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $58,000 after purchasing an additional 3,577 shares during the last quarter. 83.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

JetBlue Airways Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

JetBlue Airways Corporation is a U.S.-based passenger airline that provides scheduled air transportation to destinations across the United States, the Caribbean, Latin America and select locations in Europe. The company operates primarily from focus cities including New York, Boston, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando and Los Angeles, with a network designed to connect major metropolitan areas and leisure destinations.

JetBlue offers multiple classes and service options, including standard economy seating, extra-legroom EvenMore seats and its premium Mint service on select routes.

Further Reading

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