United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) Issues Q4 Earnings Guidance

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) updated its fourth quarter earnings guidance on Tuesday. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of $2.50-$3.00 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.76. United Airlines also updated its Q4 2024 guidance to 2.500-3.000 EPS.

United Airlines Stock Up 12.4 %

UAL opened at $72.02 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.07. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $50.08 and its 200 day simple moving average is $49.33. United Airlines has a 1-year low of $33.68 and a 1-year high of $73.65. The stock has a market cap of $23.68 billion, a PE ratio of 8.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 1.44.

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 15th. The transportation company reported $3.33 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.10 by $0.23. The company had revenue of $14.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.76 billion. United Airlines had a net margin of 5.28% and a return on equity of 33.90%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.65 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that United Airlines will post 9.88 earnings per share for the current year.

United Airlines declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, October 15th that permits the company to buyback $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the transportation company to reacquire up to 7.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on shares of United Airlines from $65.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of United Airlines from $66.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on United Airlines from $69.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, Susquehanna raised their price objective on United Airlines from $60.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, United Airlines currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $74.37.

United Airlines Company Profile

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.