Traders Buy High Volume of United Airlines Call Options (NASDAQ:UAL)

Posted by Brenda Bartman on Nov 7th, 2026

United Airlines Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:UAL – Get Free Report) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Thursday. Investors purchased 406,320 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 1,813% compared to the average daily volume of 21,236 call options.

United Airlines Trading Up 2.0%

Shares of UAL stock opened at $112.74 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $107.33 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $108.23. United Airlines has a fifty-two week low of $84.64 and a fifty-two week high of $138.77. The stock has a market cap of $36.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38.

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 20th. The transportation company reported $2.54 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.57 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $17.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.89 billion. United Airlines had a net margin of 5.46% and a return on equity of 17.59%. United Airlines’s revenue was up 17.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.78 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that United Airlines will post 7.10 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on shares of United Airlines from $140.00 to $135.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $160.00 target price on shares of United Airlines in a research note on Tuesday, October 20th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of United Airlines from $185.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of United Airlines from $160.00 to $155.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Finally, UBS Group cut their price target on shares of United Airlines from $146.00 to $139.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 16th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, United Airlines has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $156.19.

Get Our Latest Research Report on United Airlines

Insider Buying and Selling at United Airlines

In other United Airlines news, EVP Andrew P. Nocella sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.00, for a total transaction of $585,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 214,955 shares in the company, valued at $25,149,735. This represents a 2.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, President Brett Hart sold 39,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $102.68, for a total value of $4,004,520.00. Following the transaction, the president directly owned 325,122 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $33,383,526.96. This trade represents a 10.71% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.86% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Primecap Management Co. CA acquired a new stake in United Airlines during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $2,238,617,000. Sanders Capital LLC grew its position in shares of United Airlines by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Sanders Capital LLC now owns 15,090,502 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,674,291,000 after buying an additional 62,554 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of United Airlines by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 11,788,111 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,603,065,000 after purchasing an additional 162,283 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in United Airlines by 3.5% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,664,538 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $521,330,000 after purchasing an additional 190,017 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Amundi raised its stake in shares of United Airlines by 57.4% in the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 1,916,864 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $260,674,000 after buying an additional 699,334 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.69% of the company’s stock.

About United Airlines

(Get Free Report)

United Airlines Holdings, Inc operates United Airlines, a major U.S. passenger and cargo airline. The company provides domestic and international air transportation, cargo services, and travel-related offerings, including its MileagePlus loyalty program. Regional service is also offered under the United Express brand through partner airlines.

United serves destinations across the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Oceania. Its network is organized around hubs including Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Newark, San Francisco, and Washington, DC

The airline traces its history to Varney Air Lines, founded in 1926, and has developed through mergers and acquisitions over the decades.