United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) Shares Gap Up After Analyst Upgrade

United Airlines Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:UAL) gapped up prior to trading on Monday after UBS Group raised their price target on the stock from $134.00 to $135.00. The stock had previously closed at $89.95, but opened at $95.84. UBS Group currently has a buy rating on the stock. United Airlines shares last traded at $94.29, with a volume of 2,385,832 shares traded.

Several other equities research analysts have also weighed in on UAL. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on shares of United Airlines from $148.00 to $125.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Argus decreased their target price on United Airlines from $140.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Bank of America increased their price target on United Airlines from $120.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Citigroup cut their price target on United Airlines from $155.00 to $132.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 20th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn reduced their price objective on United Airlines from $125.00 to $110.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $131.19.

Insider Transactions at United Airlines

In other United Airlines news, President Brett J. Hart sold 19,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 in the company, valued at approximately $28,170,715.10. This represents a 6.70% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.63% of the stock is owned by insiders.

More United Airlines News

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

• Positive Sentiment: United announced a major fleet and product push — adding 250+ aircraft through April 2028, boosting premium-seat capacity and new onboard products that should raise revenue per seat over time. PR Newswire
• Positive Sentiment: Product innovations (e.g., United Relax Row and more premium cabins including Polaris lie-flat on more aircraft) support a premium revenue strategy that can improve margins long term. Yahoo / United release
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support: UBS raised its price target (to $135) and maintained a Buy view, which can attract buyers despite near-term headwinds. Benzinga
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest reports flagged a large increase in March, but the published numbers are zero/NaN across filings — this appears to be a data error rather than a true shift in short positioning (no measurable days-to-cover).
• Neutral Sentiment: Government/operations: Congress appears closer to a shutdown deal that would fund DHS/TSA pay — this reduces operational disruption risk if passed. Yahoo
• Negative Sentiment: Jet fuel and geopolitical risk: Management warned jet fuel could stay elevated (oil >$100/bbl) and said fares might need to rise up to ~20% if costs persist — higher fares risk demand destruction and slower traffic growth. Fox Business
• Negative Sentiment: Capacity cuts: United announced trimming some unprofitable flights over the next two quarters to defend margins amid soaring fuel — this reduces near-term revenue and can pressure consensus estimates. Yahoo / Investing.com
• Negative Sentiment: Broker adjustment: Citigroup trimmed its price target (to $132), a modest signal of analyst caution on fundamentals amid the fuel/geo risks. AmericanBankingNews

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. World Investment Advisors boosted its holdings in shares of United Airlines by 42.7% in the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 10,576 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,183,000 after acquiring an additional 3,167 shares in the last quarter. PeakShares LLC bought a new stake in United Airlines during the fourth quarter worth approximately $58,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC lifted its position in United Airlines by 17.5% in the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 108,672 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $12,152,000 after purchasing an additional 16,185 shares during the period. Pure Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in United Airlines in the fourth quarter worth approximately $270,000. Finally, OCONNOR A Distinct Business Unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC bought a new position in United Airlines during the 4th quarter valued at $5,591,000. 69.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

United Airlines Trading Down 0.4%

The stock has a market capitalization of $30.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.48 and a beta of 1.25. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $104.77 and a 200-day simple moving average of $103.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 0.65.

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 20th. The transportation company reported $3.10 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $15.40 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.35 billion. United Airlines had a return on equity of 25.13% and a net margin of 5.68%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.26 EPS. 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. On average, analysts predict that United Airlines Holdings Inc will post 12.96 EPS for the current year.

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.